The Equipment
Daunting equipment……….
Goodbye old friend and (gulp) welcome new one.
My old and beloved Babylock serger has seen better days and needs work. Who knows how much or what that will cost? I asked this question over the Thanksgiving holiday and was
still pondering the answer when UPS delivered a new, Singer Pro 5 serger to my door. Many thanks to my sweet son who says he is “investing” in the project.
Here’s the new beauty.
It’s has many more bells and whistles than my old machine. “How hard can this be?” I thought.
Hahaha…..six Youtube videos, much sweat and many re-threadings later I am VICTORIOUS.
It was definitely more complicated than I imagined. The manual which accompanies the machine is very detailed with a great chart for settings for the zillion stitches this machine does However, easily deciphering the machine parts and which part was doing what was tripping me up. I resorted to two things that made it much easier. Using my handy dandy labeling machine, I labeled the dials, numbered the sequence from each thread spool, and used four different colored threads so I could clearly see what was happening.It was time consuming to be sure, but gave me a greater understanding of the parts and how the machine works. I’m expecting we will have a successful working relationship because I took the time to do this. I found an excellent tutorial on YouTube from “Dana’s Corner.”
Not only does she thread one for each spool & beginning with the lowest tension possible sticking for several inches, moving the tension slowly up to the very highest level. The strips of cloth are market with pencil at each transition enabling the user to identify the perfect tension for that particular spool and needle or looper. Brilliant!
Most of the videos I watched on how to thread and adjust serger tensions have the demonstrator labeling the various loopers and machine parts leading me to wonder why the manufacturers don’t just do that in the first place.
The sewing machine is a Janome Heavy Duty. It’s pretty simple, works well and can handle thick fabric. I also have a Bernina which has many more bells and whistles but it’s more suited to basic quilting than this heavier duty machine.
My current workstation. It’s a work in progress.
Leftover from quilting days there is an excellent cutting table, cutting mats, straight edges, rotary cutters and fabric scissors which no one in my house would dream of using on anything else. (they value their lives).
My final word on the subject of equipment - get the best you can afford. It will make your sewing experience so much happier!