WATCH THIS If You Can't Afford To Buy A New Serger 

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I'm 75 yo and I've been sewing since I was a little girl. I've never owned or used a serger. People rave about how wonderful they are, and I'm sure they are useful, but, I've never felt the need to own one.

Excellent video, sweet Claire. I sewed for eons without a serger. Decided to get one a few years ago. Use it all the time. Love it . . . but it certainly did not change my life or magically turn me into a professional seamstress. You are so right . . . the sewing machines these days do just about everything a serger does. A serger is not necessary in order to produce a lovely garment. Btw, I am one of those people who watch every one of your videos. Love your content. Bye for now.

Claire you are looking so very well now, good for you. I hope your life is good for you now xx

I’m new to clothing sewing, have made drapes etc but not clothing yet. Needed to hear that it’s not really necessary to get a serger. I was a bit concerned that I might be starting out on the wrong foot without one but really couldn’t afford one. So it’s reassuring to hear from someone who knows more than I do. Thank You ❤️

Your last tip is your best tip! FOMO is something we can all opt out of! That said, my server is old, basic,, and reliable and came to me for $50US by way of a garage sale. I am now in my late sixties and thanks to RU-vid videos on how to thread and service it, I have no plans to ever replace it! ❤

I bought a serger on credit in the 80s - $25/month. In the past year, I’ve picked up sewing again but the serger is still sitting in its box.

My first serger arrived today! Can't wait to sit down and unbox it.

Local quilt groups members often have machines….one lady I know buys and repairs and resells very reasonable…..I bought my first Janome online…a complete rebuild from the manufacturer for $175 US. It’s great and a work horse….just got my second a $6-700 US machine from a local lady on Facebook marketplace for $125 it’s an upgrade from my first. But I do agree that having one is not a must if you can’t….ive been sewing for over 50 years and didn’t have a serger until the last 7 years. Love your channel….im disabled also…and I really appreciate you! 😊 Susan Mattern, New Mexico, USA

So true Claire. I purchased a serger and I hardly ever use it. I gravitate to doing everything on my sewing machine. I have it tucked away in a corner. It’s not a true necessity.

This is such great advice and helpful information. I sewed for decades before a friend gave me an old Bernina serger. I do find it useful at times, but it’s very tricky to thread and not always worth the trouble and time. It’s great seeing a new sewing video from you😊

Great video! I was very fortunate that my local sewing shop where I purchased by sewing machine had a nice used Janome serger for sale for $50 bucks….they had cleaned it and showed me how to do the basics…threading…overlocking…even how to hem! Best fifty bucks ever spent!

Thanks Claire, very reassuring. I only sew with wovens...mostly my favourite rayon. I'm a mere intermediate sewist and couldn't ever justify the cost of a serger. Zigzag isn't a wonderfully neat finish on fabrics that fray however I prefer to hand wash my rayon tops as it's much gentler.

I might get serger one day but for right now I love my side cutter. It cost less than $50.00. It’s mainly for wovens and that is mainly what I sew. Mine is the brother SA147. I tried the ones that have plastic square box similar to a walking foot. I wasn’t pleased with those but love my Brother Sa147. It works with most of the over cast stitches on your sewing machine. It works like an overcast foot but just like a serger it cuts off excess material and it wraps the stitch around the edge.

I've been sewing for decades and only bought a serger about 10 years ago. I just cannot get on with it, too hard to thread, tension problems etc. So I`m back to using french seams, which finish light garments beautifully. I intend to find a charity or club that may be able to get some use out of it as I won`t. You are looking very well Claire 🥰

I got mine on Facebook marketplace. I wanted the same Janome serger as on British Sewing Bee. Set myself a limit and got one for about £150. I then took it to the sewing machine repair shop for a once over. Blades were changed, and I think it cost me £40 in total. But it works a dream. I don't use it much, but I love having it available.

I've got a Singer serger , from Aldi's for under £ 100 ,nearly two years ago if I remember well . Works great . The only issue I had with it , that little black wheel that regulate the length of the stiches or something of the sort , has no marks ,so you have to fiddle for a while until you get it right . I did it and haven't touched it since because I don't use specialty fabrics and no need for new adjustments . I am happy with it .I don't believe in the concept " the expensive ones are the best " . If you are skilled in your craft , any tool would be good . Some of my photo albums covers are made of grey board 3 mm thickness , 2 mm batting and linen or vinyl/ leatherette , those layers would be sewn together and for that I use a sewing machine called ALPHA ,I've bought it 14 years ago for 82 Euros while living in Spain . Works like new , no repairs need it so far , just oiled once a month ,literally a tiny drop of oil and remove the fluff at the end of the day when I am done sewing . Beside , a sewing machine that has the zig zag stiches and a 1/4 " walking foot would do the job splendidly and would lock those fraying edges . Thank you for taking the time to upload this video , very useful and lots of common sense in it .

Nice to see you Claire. Such good advice, especially to cut out the sources that induce the FOMO. The lure is strong though isn't it!💗

I've been sewing for decades and do not have a serger. Partly because I mostly use woven fabrics. But, the other thing is that I am a bit intimidated by sergers with their multiple spools of thread, it looks complicated. I love your idea of spending an afternoon just practicing with my machine - I was given a vintage machine recently and this is what I will do to get familiar with how it works.

I have an overlocker and prefer other ways to finish the inside of my garments. A French seam is my favourite for lighter fabrics - it is used on high end clothing. Hong Kong for unlined jackets. The other ways are more simple.

I have just seen your video for the first time in a long time. You are such a breath of fresh air. I am so happy to see you on the other side of your challenges. God Bless you and thank you for sharing your insight.

Hello! Enjoyed your video. Very true what you said. I found that out. I purchased Brother 1234D about ten years ago. I used it some but it sat around. I do quilting now but have found a wonderful use for it. I love to use the cone thread for piecing and quilting. I back the serger up to my sewing machine, sitting the cone thread on one of its four cone thread adapters. From there, I thread my sewing machine. It works beautifully! Thread is expensive.

My Mom and my boys went in together to buy me a surger, unfortunately the bought me an overlocker. Its sat in my floor for 2 years so far. I did buy myself a surger. I sew a lot of t-shirt to wear for work, so for me I can sew them on the surger.

Ok. People can yell at me, but I’d like to present another opinion. First, let me say I sewed many leotards and stretch fabrics for aerobics in the ‘80s and they were great. I also sewed many lined, structured, tailored suits , slacks, and dresses without a serger. A few years ago I bought a Babylock Victory, and I’m in love. I’d previously had a Viking serger and it was so hard to thread that I tended to stay with one color of thread, but I got lots of compliments on my sewn garments when I didn’t get many compliments before I used it. But the Victory is a dream. I’d tried a simpler Babylock and did not like it. I bought the Victory during Covid when I couldn’t thread the Viking, and many sewing machine companies have 1/2 off sales all during May for Mother’s Day.

I love my serger, I use it to finish all edges on knit and woven. I got my first one as a 21st gift and it still works like a trooper. I have upgraded to a Brother in the last 12 months as my Huskylock needs new blades and as a 34 year old machine they are no longer available. I agree though that the sewing machine has many stitches that work just as well. Sometimes I dont have the desire to rethread my serger to an appropriate colour so I use an edge stich on my regular machine.

I got my first serger a couple years ago at 62! I can’t say I love it yet. It’s still scares me but I’m getting over it. I still prefer French seams.

Great advice, Claire...I've missed your videos!

I bought my serger 25 years ago and I couldn't do without it. I'd buy a used one if I needed another one. Older ones are better anyway. I agree on the coverstitch machine. Big expense for one stitch. But it is one stitch that it does well. I sew quite a bit of knits so it does get used every time. I never could get a twin needle to work right on my regular machine.

So lovely to see you back! 🥰

I had a basic Janome serger and never used due to the frustrating threading, felt it was a waste of $, then was gifted a babyloc air thread, and I can say I love and use it all the time but they are expensive for sure, I do believe you don’t need a serger to do most sewing task

Very informative though I don’t sew 😅

I got mine from a friend of a friend who's partner passed away. It's an old industrial Rimoldi from the 40s. I love it now, but I had to put about 40 hours of work into restoring it. Crazy hard to thread the devil too.

Very thoughtful and considerate message. I'm consiidering buying one, annd funny ennough also a Jaguar for similar reasons to you, but having the same sewing machine as you, I'm using the overlock stitches - which are on most machines - I'm making do, it just taking longer to go through the process. And yes, money is a reason, as i splashed out on on sewing machine thinking i wouldn't need a serger. However, I'm now starting to sew jersey knits, so i may go ahead and make life easier for myself. It's a good idea to research all the affordable machines, rather than just go and buy. Thanks for the thoughtful video.

These are great tips! I think even if you can afford a serger, it's worth trying some of your ideas to find out for sure whether you want one. It's a big investment of space as well as money. Thank you!

I don't have a serger, my 50 year old machine does straight and zig zig, no lightening stitch, no cutting threads 🤣 I use a twin needle to imitate serger finish. This gives a very satisfactory edge and dtops fraying

Great tips! I sew 99% jersey and knits. Used to have problems with my moderately priced singer sewing machine all the time with it. Finally bought the cheapest serger (also singer) available on a bargain. Changed my sewing experience completely - until: I invested in a rather expensive sewing machine where you can change the pressure of the sewing foot. It sews jersey like a dream. Of course I still use and like my serger, since I already own it. But had I invested in the better sewing machine first, I would not have felt the need to buy a serger.

I won one in a sewing contest a couple of years ago. I still haven't used it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought one.

There is a type of serger foot you can buy for certain machines that even trims the waste fabric as you stitch, I think it's called a side cutter. I'm not sure if its really like a serger, but might work if that's why you want one.

I got mine from Lidl about 4 years ago, it's a basic singer model, payed less than £100, it's nice but not necessary, lovely to see you again Claire, ❤

Lovely to see you back Claire. You always give sound and grounding tips...wish I'd seen your videos before I got into the fomo. I have a love hate relationship with my Serger.. I wish I didn't love the finish it gives! I have a tiny space with an embroidery machine (do I really need that?) and two sewing machines (do I really need 2 or 3 including one in the cupboard that I alternate?!) I can't decide what to part with to make space!!

Great video

Great videos today, Claire. Thank you!

I don't know what you're doing Claire, BUT, you're looking lovely, skin all bright and glowy, hair thick and glossy. Thanks for the tips, I wish I had them years ago,

Another option: if you live in a over 55 community, many have a sewing room with machines for the residents.

I thought a cover stitch machine and a serger were the same thing all this time. Live and learn! I just realized further in your video you mentioned the side cutter thinga majiggy. I can't find my post about it. sorry I jumped ahead!

Hi, just passing through. I needed all the encouragement from this video about 10 months ago when I gave in to the idea that I had to have a serger. The common issue of tension troubles has plagued me as well. I'll watch your linked video as you recommend. Thank you.

Great to see you.have you moved yet?

I have just purchased a serger, to neaten seams I normally do zigzag stitch, pinking or french seams, depending on materials I'm using.

Yes, stop watching serger videos! Makes perfect sense 👍🏼

Thank you! Take care

Thanks for the helpful advice.

You're looking great Claire. I haven't seen any videos for about a month so I'm wondering did you get to move? I love my serger, well worth the price I paid. My coverstitch machine I bought and haven't used it yet. Almost 2 years old. To tell the truth I keep forgetting I have it.

I dont know how to thread my brother.

What about those attachments for your regular machine that cuts off the extra seam when using an overlook stitch? Are those OK for the odd job?

Is a serger different to an overlocker, I am annoyed I bought an overlocker, it would be more useful as a doorstop