# Wooo-hooo I was given a serger....



## avandris (Jun 8, 2007)

Now I need to figure out how to use it.  I have never had one before. Well, in fact I have never used one before. It is an older one, but has only been used a couple of times. The lady who gave it to me says that it needs a new knife. I am not sure if that is the upper one or lower one according to reading the instructions. I will have to go see if our local Jo-Anne's has the blades to fit. Otherwise I will have to order them from somewhere. I met the lady in line at JoAnne's the day after Thanksgiving while waiting to get fabric cut. I had got the last cart and she had a ton of fabric and I offered to let her put it on top of my cart. Which was a good thing since it took an hour and a half to get through the cutting line. After talking she offered me her old serger apologetically. She said it was a bear to thread and that she only used it a few times before waiting to get her new one with which she only has to push a button to thread it. I said yes please!!! So I picked it up yesterday and I was shocked to see it was a Babylock. My mil has two of them. 

I just had to share my excitement with those that would understand. It is a nice Christmas gift to me. Christmas is very tight here and dh and I were only going to do homemade gifts with each other so this was lovely. Now I just need to figure out the knives on it and then figure out how to work it. Boy I bet January is going to be a sewing month. I need a bunch of larger diapers for my one year old so it will be perfect for that. 


Elsa


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## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

avandris, if the serger has not been used much it probably don't even need knives. They may just need to be adjusted. I've had my serger since 1990 and have never needed to change the knives.

If you or your DH is handy with tools, on my serger there is a screw that adjust the knives. Just do it in tiny increments and hand wheel it to make sure they are not adjusted too close.


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## CJ (May 10, 2002)

Wow that's awesome! You will LOVE having a serger. If I'd known how much I would love having one I'd have got one years ago (just got mine last year). Congrats!


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## avandris (Jun 8, 2007)

Thank you to both of you. Ruby I will take it to a friend who knows how to use them and see if she thinks that it needs new knives or not. The inside seams of the things I make for my girls and I might actually have nicely finished seams after this. I am a lazy sewer when it comes to us and do not finish my inside seams nicely(depending on fabric). I do finish them on things I make for others, but dislike doing it so I don't do it on ours. Like I said lazy.


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## Jaclynne (May 14, 2002)

Elsa - I'm slightly envious, but hugely happy for you! What a neat gift, I'd love to have a serger. 
Maybe I should be nicer when I'm standing in line.

Halo


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## Charleen (May 12, 2002)

Congrats to you! What a great gift!


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## avandris (Jun 8, 2007)

We have a big snow storm setting in so I could not stay at my friend's house to have her show me what to do with the serger. So I left it there for her to see if it needs new knives/blades and to see if it works well. I sure hope it does. 

I am shocked that I have it personally. I had not expected to be able to afford to get one well....ever. It is/was way down the priority list for the budget. So I am very grateful for the lady's generosity. I had a nice time standing in line with her too. We had some great talks. Maybe that was because she is an adult and neither one of us had children with us. hmmmmmm? 

Elsa


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Congratulations. I just bought a baby lock this year - the kind I have to thread - and I love it. I had a singer serger that always needed to be adjusted. YOu might find that it isn't so hard to thread as you have been led to believe - some people just can't get the hang of it. Mine needs the to be threaded in ORDER - and not down the line of spools on the machine. Once I figured that out the bother of rethreading is totally gone.

have fun!


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Congratulations on your gift of the serger. I hope it is all good and ready to use.

I'm a wimp and didn't get a serger for years (I was a resistant person). I was afraid of the threading as all people I'd seen using one had to get THE right person to thread it and then it was a production. So, I waited until I could get the air jet threaded version of Baby Lock (previously owned and traded in).

It does a nice job on a few different things that I've tried it, and more that I've not tried.

Do you know if your new serger does rolled hems, and differential serging? Those two things are nice to have.

Angie


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Woo hoo! Congratulations! I want a serger one of these days, and a quilting machine and an embroidery machine like CJ's, and, and...lol. You get the idea!


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## maxine (Jun 22, 2004)

How wonderful!! I have an old Pfaff, but it really works well, and the threading isn't hard at all.. hope you have an instruction book too to help with how it works.. Happy sewing!!


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## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

The main thing that will help you threading it is a long tweezer and you can get a wire from any of the fabric stores. To thread the left looper you may need the wire, that makes it much easier.


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## avandris (Jun 8, 2007)

Well, my friend went over the serger. She said it was seized up because it was so dirty inside and was completely dry. It was stored with the thread in it so it was covered in fuzz inside too. Her 5 year old came in and said "Ewww... that is dirty and it is broken it should be thrown out!" I asked her to not follow his advice. But, she got it all cleaned up and it is working fine. It does not need a new blade. In fact it has three extras with it. She said that it is a bit noisy, but other than that it works great. She is comparing the noise to her fancy dancy new one she has. So it should not be that loud. In fact it might drown out the kids yelling. So I am all for it.


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## Rockytopsis (Dec 29, 2007)

That is great, I am so happy for you, I am thinking of getting a serger next year. The only problem is now I will have serger envy till then. LOL


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## CJ (May 10, 2002)

That's wonderful. It's probably a bit noisy because it was dirty and in need of oil. Maybe after the oil works in a bit it will quiet down.


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## Garnet (Sep 19, 2003)

I rarely use the knife on my serger. I feed the edge of the fabric or seam so that it is where the serger finish will be. If the fabric tends to fray, I will raise the knife into position so it will just trim off a thread or two for a clean finish.

BTW, I have never seen a serger that uses 2 knives.


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## avandris (Jun 8, 2007)

according to the instruction book it has an upper one that should never need to be replaced and a lower one that is a softer metal that will periodically need to be replaced.


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## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

avandris said:


> according to the instruction book it has an upper one that should never need to be replaced and a lower one that is a softer metal that will periodically need to be replaced.


Ditto on the 2 knives. Upper and lower.


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## indywahm (Nov 2, 2008)

Congrats!! I want one so bad.


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## Kmac15 (May 19, 2007)

calliemoonbeam said:


> Woo hoo! Congratulations! I want a serger one of these days, and a quilting machine and an embroidery machine like CJ's, and, and...lol. You get the idea!



Hey, that is my list LOL


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Kmac15 said:


> Hey, that is my list LOL


GMTA. Great minds think alike, lol. After seeing all the gorgeous stuff CJ does with her embroidery machine, I've got a serious hankering for one.


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## shelljo (Feb 1, 2005)

add me to the "i want one" list, but seriously, I don't sew enough to really NEED one. IF DD had kept sewing in 4-H, then I could justify it, but alas, she quit 4-H, so I can't justify buying one.

Now, IF I found a free one too...well, yeah!

My sewing machine is a 1982 or so Bernina. I got it free from my SIL's former MIL. She died and no one bought it at her sale, so SIL's ex gave it to my MIL who gave it to me! It was never used, and I love it.


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## notenoughtime (Aug 13, 2007)

Congrads, after you get use to your serger you will wonder how you did without it. I love mine and it has had it workout with all the clothes I have made with it. Enjoy your good fortune.


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## avandris (Jun 8, 2007)

I still have not picked up my serger from my friend's house. The weather has kept me home from everything but church. I hope to pick it up or have my dh pick it up before Christmas, but who knows. I have sewing projects to get done that had been putting off to use the serger. Thank goodness I don't see some of those people until January. Dh's and the girl's pj are going to have to wait. I am being lazy and don't want to finish all the seams nicely. I want to use that serger! Like I said I am being lazy.


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