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sewing garment seams with a serger
Hi everyone,
I just acquired a serger... and I'm not sure how to get the correct seam allowence (5/8") when sewing garments. What I've been doing for the current project is to sew the actual 5/8" seam on my regular sewing machine and then finish the seam with the serger. Is that what everyone else does?? (this seems "overkill" to me, that's why you have the serger, so you don't HAVE to sew a seam twice...) I've sewed some scraps on my serger trying to figure out exactly where the seam is going to be but it seems as though I have to just eye-ball the 5/8"... Any ideas or tips? Thanks! --Ann |
#2
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A piece of tape on the machine case to the right of the blade where you can
mark 5/8" would show you where to let the edge of your fabric ride. - Wm -- William Morris Semster, Seamlyne reProductions Visit our website, http://www.seamlyne.com, for the most comfortable historically inspired clothing you can buy! "Ann Pillman" wrote in message ... Hi everyone, I just acquired a serger... and I'm not sure how to get the correct seam allowence (5/8") when sewing garments. What I've been doing for the current project is to sew the actual 5/8" seam on my regular sewing machine and then finish the seam with the serger. Is that what everyone else does?? (this seems "overkill" to me, that's why you have the serger, so you don't HAVE to sew a seam twice...) I've sewed some scraps on my serger trying to figure out exactly where the seam is going to be but it seems as though I have to just eye-ball the 5/8"... Any ideas or tips? Thanks! --Ann |
#3
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Ann Pillman wrote:
Hi everyone, I just acquired a serger... and I'm not sure how to get the correct seam allowence (5/8") when sewing garments. ... Any ideas or tips? On most sergers that I've seen there is a seam guide on the front of the machine. It's not on the top of the arm (where it would be hidden by the knife guard), but down on the front, so you can see it while you're sewing. You could make your own, if yours doesn't have one. Measure out 5/8" from the left needle and make a mark. That's your 5/8" allowance. jenn -- Jenn Ridley |
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Ann Pillman wrote:
I just acquired a serger... and I'm not sure how to get the correct seam allowence (5/8") when sewing garments. What I've been doing for the current project is to sew the actual 5/8" seam on my regular sewing machine and then finish the seam with the serger. Is that what everyone else does?? (this seems "overkill" to me, that's why you have the serger, so you don't HAVE to sew a seam twice...) Hi Ann, I got my first serger last summer - I know *exactly* where you are comming from!!! You don't have to do it twice - especially if you have a 4 thread machine. I've sewed some scraps on my serger trying to figure out exactly where the seam is going to be but it seems as though I have to just eye-ball the 5/8"... I also asked this question last summer after some very wonky test seams! I must admit, that this does take practice - and this is a difficult task compared to sewing a 5/8th seam with a sewing machine. There are two things to look for. Firstly, look at the end of the presser foot - you should see 2 marks on it - the left hand (centre) mark is the position of the left needle, the mark to the right is the position of the left needle. Secondly - on your machine to the right of the foot - possibly on the flip lid that covers the threading paths - should be some seam width markings. I have 3/8, 5/8 etc. etc. Now on some test material draw yourself a 5/8th inch seam allowance. Position it under you foot so that the line aligns with the left (centre) mark on the foot. Serge an inch or two - now the edge of the fabric should be on the 5/8th inch mark on seam width marking. I found this difficult to start with because you can't line up presicely like you can on a sewing machine, but with practice you can get good One other thing to look out for, my seam markings are on the flip out cover for the threading paths, I find that as I adjust the cutting width on my serger, it very slightly affects the position of that cover - and consequently the seam markings are not always quite right. So do watch out for that one! It may also pay you to measure from your left needle the 5/8th allowance, and put yourself a nice large seam width allowance mark - using electricians tape, stickits, elastic band or whatever works for you - if you can extend the mark forward of the blades, it will make lining up much easier - now why the heck haven't I tried that yet!?!? (because I've only just thought of it!) (and on mine the flip lid would get in the way). Have fun with your new tool - don't serge any pins or your fingers! HTH, Sarah |
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Thanks everyone for your tips and suggestions!
Much appreciated. --Ann |
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Ann Pillman wrote:
Thanks everyone for your tips and suggestions! Much appreciated. --Ann maybe I"m missing the obvious but if you are serging knits you don't ever need an additional seam. For quick projects without planned longevity I wouldnt' bother either with an extra straight stitch seam. I eyeball the amount to trim, myself... penny s |
#8
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Penny S wrote: Ann Pillman wrote: Thanks everyone for your tips and suggestions! Much appreciated. --Ann maybe I"m missing the obvious but if you are serging knits you don't ever need an additional seam. For quick projects without planned longevity I wouldnt' bother either with an extra straight stitch seam. I eyeball the amount to trim, myself... penny s Same here, but that's practice... With a lot of knits I cut the seam allowance narrower than 5/8" anyway. KwickSew patterns often only have 1/4" seam allowances. -- Kate XXXXXX Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk Click on Kate's Pages and explore! |
#9
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On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 20:05:47 GMT, Ann Pillman wrote:
I just acquired a serger... and I'm not sure how to get the correct seam Oh good! Playtime! New sergers are always fun. A couple of things to try, if your serger tends to obscure the 5/8" mark -- 1) Make a little cardboard flap with a pointer, and tape it to your machine above the bed, where the pointer can come down at 5/8", right next to the knives. After a bit, you probably won't need the pointer. 2) Consider reducing your seam allowance to 3/8" and learn to watch the width being trimmed. With a little practice, I think you'll find it easy to "eyeball" trimming off the exact amount you need to. (narrow trimmings are easier to gauge than wider ones, and this also gets you used to watching the knife area as well as the needles.) Bonus: 3/8" seam allowances can save considerable fabric in layouts sometimes. |
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