Sergers........Tell me about them
#21
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Bosque County, Texas
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ill tell you what i know- sergers are a wondeful contraption!! they sew, they cut, whats not to love!
BUT- dont get the cadillac of machines like the baby lock with the jet air threading, ive read about it, and most complaints are with that type of serger, that if the air goes out, you cant thread it..well..fer cryin out loud.
i bought my brother on amazon.com just before christmas, for $198.00- FREE SHIPPING! do yourself a favor, dont go for the high end stuff, jus cuz it would be nice to have, do your homework on all the models, brother, janome, whatever. find one thats in your price range too, i know the vikings are waaaaay overpriced. even if it doesnt have all the bells n whistles you want, sometimes a compromise is good!! good luck!
katz
BUT- dont get the cadillac of machines like the baby lock with the jet air threading, ive read about it, and most complaints are with that type of serger, that if the air goes out, you cant thread it..well..fer cryin out loud.
i bought my brother on amazon.com just before christmas, for $198.00- FREE SHIPPING! do yourself a favor, dont go for the high end stuff, jus cuz it would be nice to have, do your homework on all the models, brother, janome, whatever. find one thats in your price range too, i know the vikings are waaaaay overpriced. even if it doesnt have all the bells n whistles you want, sometimes a compromise is good!! good luck!
katz
Last edited by TanyaL; 03-15-2012 at 11:38 AM.
#22
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I am on my second serger. The first was a Bernina one and it was harder to thread. The problem being if one of the threads broke or ran out you had to start from scratch on all four. I traded it in on a more advanced Bernina several years ago and the rest is history. I make at least 20 Linus quilts a month and I make them pillowcase style. I sew the top, back and batting together with the wrong sides out with the serger and then turn the pillowcase like sandwhich right side out and machine quilt it. The serger assures me a neat even small seam all around the inside of the quilt. It is also great for garmet sewing and a necessity for knits. If you are working with a material that ravels excessively running a row of serger stitches around it will solve that problem. The only drawback is that if you use it for a seam it cuts off the excess so you can not pick it out and make it larger again. There are a lot of neat things you can do with a serger including making lace. If you take a class or talk with a dealer they can tell you all of the details. I would have a problem sewing without mine.
#24
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: las vegas nv.
Posts: 2,452
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Nancy Zieman did a 3 part series recently on using your serger. Episodes 2514, 2515, 2516
http://www.wpt.org/sewingwithnancy/sewing.cfm
I have 2. A Bernina bought at the thrift store "as is" for $30. It just needed to be oiled and purrs along beautifully now. I keep it threaded with black thread. The second is a little bit newer Singer. Got it at an end of the weekend garage sale for $3. Just too good of a deal to pass up. Nothing wrong with that one. So this one stays threaded with white. I don't use either one often, but they are nice to have for some things. I serged the edges of the fabric leaders on my quilt frame. Serged the edges of my muslin I use in cheese making.
http://www.wpt.org/sewingwithnancy/sewing.cfm
I have 2. A Bernina bought at the thrift store "as is" for $30. It just needed to be oiled and purrs along beautifully now. I keep it threaded with black thread. The second is a little bit newer Singer. Got it at an end of the weekend garage sale for $3. Just too good of a deal to pass up. Nothing wrong with that one. So this one stays threaded with white. I don't use either one often, but they are nice to have for some things. I serged the edges of the fabric leaders on my quilt frame. Serged the edges of my muslin I use in cheese making.
#25
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Coastal Georgia
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I guess no one owns the BabyLock Evolution or knows the price of it since no one responded to my query on price. That's ok! Today I am going to a sew shop that is an authorized Baby lock dealer and hopefully they will have one to show me and quote me a price.
#26
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I had that air-threading BabyLock on my wish list, but jeepers, if the air mechanism breaks, how do you thread your serger?
I have a really low-end Brother (which I think was manufactured by the same company as BabyLock) that I absolutely love. I can almost thread it with my eyes closed - the first two sergers I had were enough to make you pull your hair out. So frustrating! And if you didn't get it set exactly right, the dern thread would break - you'd have to start all over. This one is a piece 'a cake.
Converting to the rolled hem stitch and back takes five seconds. It's more difficult to convert to the coverstitch look - but I've read that you do better to buy a machine made to do coverstitch if you want to make a lot of t-shirt-type things.
I trim and serge the edges of my quilts when they're quilted and ready for the borders or binding to be applied. Such a nice edge and a good guideline for sewing on the next step.
I made a whole quilt top on the serger once - it was a lot of fun and since it was for a toddler, I bet it will last a long time. The back of that quilt was so neat and clean that I thought about maybe doing another top with colored threads so that all the serging shows on top. That could be pretty.
If I ever manage to buy the air-threaded serger, I would still keep this one around as a backup. Have fun shopping and I hope you find the new toy that works just right for you.
I have a really low-end Brother (which I think was manufactured by the same company as BabyLock) that I absolutely love. I can almost thread it with my eyes closed - the first two sergers I had were enough to make you pull your hair out. So frustrating! And if you didn't get it set exactly right, the dern thread would break - you'd have to start all over. This one is a piece 'a cake.
![Smile](https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
I trim and serge the edges of my quilts when they're quilted and ready for the borders or binding to be applied. Such a nice edge and a good guideline for sewing on the next step.
I made a whole quilt top on the serger once - it was a lot of fun and since it was for a toddler, I bet it will last a long time. The back of that quilt was so neat and clean that I thought about maybe doing another top with colored threads so that all the serging shows on top. That could be pretty.
![Smile](https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
If I ever manage to buy the air-threaded serger, I would still keep this one around as a backup. Have fun shopping and I hope you find the new toy that works just right for you.
![Smile](https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
#27
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Coastal Georgia
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I've done quite a bit of research on this model and have read no such report. The sites I visited that had customer reveiws were all 5 our of a 5. It also has 25 years warranty, 10 years on parts, 5 years on electrical and 1 year labor.
I went today to a sew shop where they are the authorized retailers for the machine and the gal that demonstrated it to me just retired a few months ago from Babylock and is now working for this show shop to demonstrate those machines and more. With a 10 year warranty on parts replacement if something like what you mention happens it will be replaced.
With all this 8-threader does what's not to like. If something as mentioned here happens the manufacturer will make good on it.
I did alot of searching on this model and I have yet to find one negative report. I didn't buy it today but will be doing so in a couple months or so only because I like to pay cash for such things so I have to get my cash together to do so.
I did however leave there with a Rowenta Steamer iron machine and some fabric. :-) You can sew using one thread or eight which is combining serger and over stock together.
After her demonstration of all the features and what you can do with it she showed me some quilts that were quilted on it and also ruffles put on the quilt with that machine.
She told me that folks seem to think you can't put button or zippers and while it is true you can't do buttons you can do some zippers. She showed me a sample they had just done a couple days ago in one of there serger class putting in a zipper in a mini bag they had made.
There are so many things you can do with this serger that it puts to shame any sewing machines on the market as well as other sergers.
#29
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Join Date: Nov 2011
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Mine was $2500 with about 40 feet in a special package. I got it at Ruthies Notions, in Florida at a Nancy Zieman show, and could not go home to AL without it! Like I said, I have the Viking Husky 930 and love it, but I absolutely am devoted to this one! I would sell the Husky, but may keep it just threaded up for utlity. Linda
#30
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The shop I went to wants $3900 new or buy floor model for 2900 plus tax which comes out to $3100 and some change. I'm looking around to get it for alot less than $3900 let alone $3100. I think I can do better. To save $1500 or so I'll drive where ever to do so.
I was pretty sure last night I saw it somewhere online for $1800 which was a sale with $1000 off and unfortunately I failed to save where I saw it. I was shocked when this lady said $3900. I figured more around $2500 for a shop like that since I had seen it online for $1800.
Wish Baby Lock allowed them to sell them online and not just in there shops.
I'm in Georgia near Savannah/Garden City which is where this one was I saw today.
Now I could see paying $3500 or even $3900 if it gave you a bundle to go with it.
I was looking a couple hours ago online and near as I can tell it can be gotten for between $2500 to as high as $3900.
I'm a patient person when it comes to such things and it's just a matter of time until I find it at the price I want it for. At $3900 that is double what I was expecting to pay for it. I have the money to buy it at that price however I choose not to. Its not like its something I must have.
I was pretty sure last night I saw it somewhere online for $1800 which was a sale with $1000 off and unfortunately I failed to save where I saw it. I was shocked when this lady said $3900. I figured more around $2500 for a shop like that since I had seen it online for $1800.
Wish Baby Lock allowed them to sell them online and not just in there shops.
I'm in Georgia near Savannah/Garden City which is where this one was I saw today.
Now I could see paying $3500 or even $3900 if it gave you a bundle to go with it.
I was looking a couple hours ago online and near as I can tell it can be gotten for between $2500 to as high as $3900.
I'm a patient person when it comes to such things and it's just a matter of time until I find it at the price I want it for. At $3900 that is double what I was expecting to pay for it. I have the money to buy it at that price however I choose not to. Its not like its something I must have.
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