In this tutorial, we will learn how to use a home serger to sew a basic straight seam while finishing the fabric edges simultaneously. A serger (also known as an overlocker) is a versatile sewing machine that trims fabric edges, encloses the edges in thread, and sews the seam all at once, creating a professional-looking finish.
One of the downsides of using a serger for sewing seams is the lack of room for adjustment. The blade trims away excess fabric, so if your seam placement is off, it’s challenging to redo without altering the fit. Therefore, be precise about your seam placement before you start sewing .
- Start by placing your fabric pieces with the right sides facing each other. This means the decorative or outside surfaces should be touching.
- Ensure that the edges you plan to sew are aligned evenly. This will help you achieve a clean and straight seam.
- Lift the presser foot of the serger and slide your fabric underneath, making sure the edge of the fabric is aligned with the guidelines on the serger’s plate. These guidelines help you determine where the seam will be stitched.
- Notice that the serger has a blade next to the needle. The blade will cut off the excess fabric as you sew, ensuring a clean edge. Position the needle in line with where you want your seam to be. Make sure the blade is positioned to cut only the excess fabric outside of your desired seam line.
- Once everything is lined up, lower the presser foot and begin sewing. As you guide the fabric through, keep an eye on the blade. The blade will trim the fabric while the serger stitches the seam.
- Be careful not to pull or push the fabric too much. Let the serger feed the fabric through at its own pace. Guide the fabric gently to keep the seam straight, avoiding the blade for safety.
- As you finish sewing the seam, notice that the serger leaves a chain of threads trailing off the fabric. This chain is essential for preventing the stitches from unraveling. Leave a short length of this chain hanging off the fabric’s edge.
- If the seam will not be encapsulated in a hem or further stitching, secure the chain to prevent unraveling. You can do this by threading the tail back into the seam using a needle or tying a knot at the end.
- Take the sewn fabric to the iron and press the seam open. This step helps to set the stitches and gives the seam a neat and professional finish.
How to Sew a Serged Seam with Home Machine Video Transcript
In this sewing tutorial we’re going to learn how to use a serger to sew a seam and have the edges finished at the exact same time. For this seam we’re going to sew a basic straight seam with the right sides of the fabric together. Go ahead and put it under the presser foot and then notice that there is a blade that’s going to cut off and we want to line the needle up to where we want our seam to be. Then we’ll go ahead and start sewing. As we sew you’ll notice that the blade cuts the fabric. We want to be careful that we don’t touch this and that we are sewing straight.
Notice that this chain is sticking out. We want to leave some of the chain hanging off the actual fabric and some hanging off the serger that way the fabric and the stitching won’t unravel. You can secure this if it’s not going to be encapsulated in a hem or other stitching. Once we have this, we can go ahead and take it to the iron and press it open.
One downside of sewing a seam this way is that there’s no room for redoing it if it doesn’t fit, so you want to make sure you’re very accurate and you know where your seam should be. This can work very well on knit and stretchy fabrics. Sometimes on woven fabrics it’s better to stitch it first before sewing with the serger but this gives you a nice clean seam. And now you know how to sew a basic straight seam with a serger. Happy sewing!