Serger Solutions Class...

A just finished the Serger Solutions: Trouble Shooting Techniques class at Craftsy/Bluprint.  This was a real eye opener for me.  I currently own a Juki MO-1000 4/3/2 serger.  When I purchased it a couple of years ago, I thought that I wouldn't have any difficulty not having a computerized machine.  I was wrong.  I have never owned a serger where I had to determine the setting on the differential feed.  Yes, this is my third serger but I went from Bernette Funlock 4/3 serger without differential to a Husqvarna Huskylock 936.  The 936 had everything. Oh, you could change the setting but when you selected the fabric type and/or stitch, it automatically changed the settings for you.  Yeah, I was a bit spoiled.

I need to play with my serger a little more.  I feel like I have a better understanding of the differential feed and will be able to correct some issues I've been having with it when sewing knit fabrics.  Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of other things to learn in this particular class.  I will be watching/listening again as there is a ton of information and I have no doubt that it will take a bit for all of it to sink in.

The link above is directly to the class at Craftsy.  However, you can also watch it on Bluprint.  Here's the link - 7 day FREE trial on Bluprint.

Happy Stitching!

Juki MO-1000...

My MO-1000 has finally made it's way home.  I was having the very common pedal issue where it runs without the pedal being depressed.  Mine was running full speed ahead as fast as it could go.  Since I was having other issues, I decided to take in for service rather just replacing the pedal.  Now, my needle threader works again and I have a new pedal.  I'm ready to go.  I haven't mentioned much about my serger since I got it 2 years ago.  You can find that post here.  Life changes did have me putting it away for a while. 

Since it's repaired now, I'm going to do some tutorials on the various feet that you can purchase for the machine.  Here are the feet that I have:

1.  Elastic Presser Foot
2.  Blind Stitch Presser Foot
3.  Cording Presser Foot
4.  Beading Presser Foot
5.  Gathering Presser Foot
6.  Piping Presser Foot
7.  Universal / Blind Stitch Presser Foot
8.  Curved Pearl Foot

You can find the 8-piece foot kit here.  The set does come with instructions for each foot.  You know that sometimes the instructions are so great.  I will be researching each foot and what type of applications can be done with each.  Hopefully, it will be a really good learning experience and I will be able to translate into my own sewing. 

So, following along with this series.  I will be posting as much as I can.  At this point, I'm thinking that it will be once a month.  I'll just have to decide how often.  I'm not sure about the beading and pearl feet but let's see what I information I can find.

Happy Stitching!

New Juki Feet....

My dear sweet husband purchased a set of Juki serger feet for my new serger:

From left to right:  beading foot, gathering foot, universal blind hem guide, elastic tape sewing foot, piping foot, cording foot, blind hem guide, and curve/pearl foot.  The feet even came in it's own little storage case with instruction sheets in 7 languages.

I'm looking forward to learning the uses for each foot.  Hopefully, I will be able to check out the features of each foot.  I will be starting with the universal blind hem guide, blind hem guide, and the piping foot.

I would love to hear any tips from anyone who has experience with any of these feet.

Happy Stitching!

Juki MO-1000 serger...

So, in my last post I admitted to purchasing the MO-1000.  In reading through the manual, there was a new-to-me stitch which I have had to investigate uses.  The stitch is a 3-thread super stretch.  For it to work, you have to have a stretch thread in the lower looper.  I think the thread that I had was a polyarn and it worked fine in creating the stitch.  Regular thread did nothing for this stitch except create an ugly stitch with lots of loops.  All the remaining stitches on the machine are straight forward, typical stitches that you find on a serger.  Due to sickness, I have not had time to push this machine yet but I'm ready to start using it.

Back to the 3-thread super stretch.  I sent a plea to the Juki serger list and didn't get a reply other than it's a 3-thread stitch and wouldn't be good for clothing.  Of course, my thought is that is what it was designed for.   What else do you use stretch fabric for?  So, I'm going to plan on making a knit top in the near future to test this stitch.  I'm not pushing too hard.  The worst spots for stretching will be the sleeves and the neck.  The hem will have to be done on the sewing machine unless I get creative and use a flatlock somehow.

I searched the internet for information on the 3-thread super stretch which lead me to Serger Pepper and the Serger Stitches Cheat Sheet.  The cheat sheet states that this stitch is for swimwear, leotards,.....   Doesn't it sound like it would work for leggings or yoga pants or whatever knit garment your thinking about?  This is the only site that I could find that references this particular stitch.

Now, are you interested in the differences in the 3-thread super stitch verses any other 3-thread stitch?  Most 3-thread stitches require either the left or right needle and both loopers. The three thread super stretch requires both needles and the lower looper.  This does require that you machine have the ability to block the upper looper.  It makes me wonder if any machine that has this ability can create this stitch.

What are your thoughts on this stitch? Have you tried it?  If so, how did it work out?  Hopefully, I will get to share the results from my test soon,  I'm trying to figure out what I did with the pattern that I was working on.

Happy Stitching!

Next Round of Serger Testing....

Over the weekend, my husband and I took a road trip to Ohio for me to look at additional sergers.  The place that I went to had two of three sergers that I was wanting to look at. The machines I wanted to look at were the Juki MO-654de, the Juki MO-655, and the Juki MO-1000.   Unfortunately, the MO-655 was sold before I arrived.  So, I played with the Juki MO-1000, the Juki MO-654de, and the MO-114D. As far as I could tell, the MO-654de and the 114D were the same animal in a different box.  All three machines performed well with the variety of fabric that I took with me to play with.  The fabric that I took was a denim, a heavy fleece, a tightly woven home decor fabric, quilt weight fabric, a super stretchy polyester knit, a cotton knit, a light weight cotton.   I think that is it.

Since all three machines performed well with very little adjustments, I decided to re-thread the all three of the machines.  This is something that must be relatively easy to do.  I did not expect any of the machines to be difficult to thread.  I can thread the 936 with ease and it has a very complicated threading path.  The MO-654de and the 114D are identical inside.  What I found a little difficult with both of these machines was the upper knife placement.  It was far easier to thread the needles with the upper knife flipped out of the way.  With both of these machines, I felt like I had fat fingers and needed to use the tweezer to accomplish the threading (I did this on the 936 also).  Threading the M-1000 was a breeze.  The upper knife placement was in a different spot (more like the 936).  It mostly threads itself.  All you need to do is put the threads in the right spots and it will thread it's own loopers.  This machine as a manual needle threader, also.

I ended up being the most comfortable with the 114D and the MO-1000.  I have no doubt that this was because some of the features are similar to the 936.  

After some consideration, I did make a decision and it was:

I was really interested in the air threading.  If I were younger I would have definitely purchased the 114D.  Having the machine thread the loopers is so much easier on the old eyes.  Ok, I am fully aware that I took the easy way out with this.

I have no doubt that I will miss all the electronic on the 936 but hopefully, I love this serger too.

Next, I will go through my at home testing.

Happy Stitching!

First Serger Test...

A couple of weeks ago, my sewing buddy and I went to the local Babylock dealer to look at the Eclipse DX:

It took a bit to get anyone's attention when we arrived at the shop but I was patient because I really wanted to look at this machine.  Finally, a salesperson broke away from a one-on-one sewing lesson to see what we needed.  I explained that I wanted to look at the Eclipse DX.  Of course, it turned out that the machine was missing the manual, the power supply, and the foot pedal.  Yes, this made it a challenge but the salesperson finally located the power supply and the foot pedal.

I had brought a baggie of fabric to test the stitching with.  It was a fair selection of fabrics - denim, quilting weight cotton, home dec cotton, stretchy knit, and fleece.  On the heavy fabrics and the knits, the stitching was pretty much perfect. However the quilting weight cotton and the home dec cotton, the stitching didn't seem quite right and I was unable to adjust the needle tensions to correct.  I'm willing to admit that this could have been a user issue.  There was no manual available to check the tension settings and I'm really spoiled with having an electronic display.

Then, I decided to re-thread the machine.  This turned into a major challenge and we waited for the salesperson to return.  I'm not sure that the salesperson appreciated the fact that I had cut all the threads so I could thread the machine myself but she did finally explain to me what I needed to do.  Once I understood the procedure, it was pretty easy.  The hardest part of threading the loopers was getting enough thread into the hole with enough slack to thread the machine.  I was amazed that the machine could thread the loopers 100%. I did miss the fact that this machine also had a needle threader.  I had this machine threaded in less than 5 minutes on the first try.

This machine was very pricey.  This particular dealer had the machine listed ~$2500.  If you had a trade=in, the price was about ~$1100.  I'm not sure about the price even with the looper threading and the needle threaders.

I have located another dealer about 2 hours away that carries both of the Juki models that I'm interested in seeing and carries the Babylock machines.  I suspect that the Juki MO-1000 is a twin of the Eclipse DX.   It would be very nice to see all three machines and test them at the same time.

I really think hands on playing with the machines is the only way to go.  If I can't thread the machine or adjust the tensions by myself, I won't use the machine when I get home.  I'm still wondering just a little bit if I'm going to miss having the electronic display or having a free arm.

Have you used this particular machine?  I would love to hear about the pros and cons.

Happy Stitching!

Serger...

I have given up on my Huskylock 936.  It just doesn't seem to be reliable any more.  It is 13 years old and has been used a ton but I would have liked it to have lasted a little longer.  I did have issues in the spring and took it to the dealer who did their best with an aging machine. They told me then that it might last a few more years or a few months.  Looks like the latter is it.

This sent me to the internet to see what type of sergers are available.  Then, I decided I needed to make a decision on what stitches I would actually use.  Well, folks, I can tell you the list is fairly short.  In all the years I owned the 936, the stitches I used the most was a 4-thread overlock and then the 3-thread overlock.  Oh, I did play around with other different stitches.  The few times that I used the cover stitch I was never able to get it to stitch correctly.  In fact, this past spring, my sewing buddy and I went through a bunch of stitches with the 936.  Would I use a 5-thread safety stitch or any of the 2-thread stitch option?  Yes, I can definitely see uses for them.  I can't say why I never used these stitches. Getting a machine with a 2/3/4 thread options is fairly easy and relatively inexpensive.  The price goes up when you add the double chain stitch and the 5-thread options.   So, my thought is that I would probably use them if I had them but will most likely just go with a 2/3/4 thread machine.  I could yet surprise myself and go with something entirely different.

I am intrigued by the air threading of the loopers and have decided to visit the local Baby Lock dealer.  My sewing buddy and I will spend an evening looking at machines.  Since these machines are more or less the cadillacs of the serger world, it should be interesting.  I haven't looked at this brand of sergers since the mid-80s.  After looking at the various models and at the short list of stitches that I know I will use, I've decided to look at the Eclipse DX.  It is a 2/3/4 thread with the air threading of the loopers and you can still manipulate the tensions should you choose.  I have no doubt that I will be shocked at the price of these machines.

I also decided that I wanted to look at the Juki sergers.  My first serger was a Bernina Funlock that was made by Juki.  It was a great little serger until I got serger envy and had to replace it.  So, here are the two models that I'm interested in:

1.  The MO-655. This is a 2/3/4/5 thread serger.  It does not have a cover stitch option.  It does have the options of the double chain stitch and the 5-thread safety stitch.  This machine is relatively inexpensive.  I do think that it is an older model which is reflected in the price.

2.  The MO-1000.  This machine feels like it is the cream of the crop.  It is a 2/3/4 thread with air-threading of the loopers and needle threaders.  Oh, what a temptation.  This one is great for aging eyes.

Unfortunately, there are no Juki dealers nearby.  I found a place about 40 miles away but it looks like it's in someone's house and not an actual dealer.  I did call but didn't get a return call back.  The next shop is around 100 miles away.  Of course, there is always the Amazon purchase for a Juki but I would prefer hands on testing before making a purchase.

Anyone used any of these machines?  I would like to hear about the pros and cons of each.

Happy Stitching!

Serger: Two Thread Narrow Overlock...

Have you tried the 2-thread narrow overlock stitch?  This weekend I had a lot of 1/4 yard cuts of fabric that needed to be washed.  The stitch that I would normal use is a 3 or 4-thread overlock or whatever stitch was currently set up but I decided to branch out and try something new.  So, I looked up the information on the 2-thread narrow overlock.  Here's what it looks like:

This sample has already been washed and the 2-thread narrow overlock did the job of stopping the fraying very well.  I'm so happy that I decided to step outside my comfort zone and try something "new" to me with my serger.  It's really a shame that I don't try more of the stitches on my machine.

Unfortunately, the experience of stitching so much fabric brought my machine to it's knees.  I only got the edges of about half the fabric stitched when I started having issues with what seemed like the motor seizing.  I played with it a little and then decided that maybe I should just take it in for service.   My machine is is 12 or 13 years old.  I'm truly hoping that it's not the motor.  They always tell you it is dirty when you take it in for service.  Yep, this is going to be very dirty.  I did try cleaning it and giving it a little oil but that did little to help with whatever the problem is.  SIGH!   I guess Tuesday I will make the hour or so drive to take it in for service.  Now, where is that GPS?

Oh, my sewing machine happily finished stitching the edges of the remaining fabric. It just took another 2-3 hours to finish it up.

Happy Stitching!

How Often Do You Clean Your Serger?

Are you a person who cleans your serger after every use?  I'm more of a it depends on the project. I just finished a project where the serger had to be cleaned many times.  Here's my serger where I'm getting ready to clean it for the next project:

A little pile of the synthetic fabric that was my last project.  I think I cleaned the machine 4 or 5 times while working on that project.  There was a lot of lint produced.

Here are my favorite tools for getting rid of the dusty materials inside the serger - a wool mini dust-it and a paint brush with natural bristles.  Yep, that is all.  I do not oil the machine every time I clean it.



Here you can see some of the fine fibers on the machine.  It is covered inside and outside with this dust.

I start with the mini dust-it to knock out all the large particles. Then, move in with the paint brush and dust inside the machine everywhere I can reach bringing out the little clumps of dust.

Next, I take off the cover and presser foot.  Using both the mini dust-it and the paintbrush, I remove as much of the dusty particles as I can see.  Then, I put the machine back together.

  You can see the little pile of dusty particles that came out of the machine with this cleaning.  It is now ready for the next project and so am I.

Happy Stitching!

2 Thread Capabilities on Serger

Below are the results of playing with my Serger and the 2-thread capabilities:

Above is me playing with the 2-thread flatlock on my Huskylock. If you look close, you can see that I almost have a satin stitch. I was following the information provided in the Specialty Techniques book that I have for this machine. I have the machine set on the widest stitch width and the longest length. The needle tension is set at 0 and the lower loop tension was set at 5. I'm using a 14/90 needle with Signature Decorative Spun Polyester in size 30. You can see that I'm not quiet getting a blanket stitch effect.

Here you can see that the flatlock now looks more like a blanket stitch. The only setting I changed was lower looper tension was changed to 7. Also, I was using a water soluble stabilizer to stitch on. This worked very well.

Here you can see the final result on the blanket. I was pleased with my first attempt at this technique. This would have looked much better if I had had a heavier decorative thread. Sorry, the pic is a little bit out of focus.

This is the very first time that I attempted using the 2 thread flatlock on my machine. I hope that it will not be the last time.

Happy Sewing!