Serger Joy!

You may remember that a while back I was complaining about not owning a serger.  I started sewing as a child with clothing and I’ve wanted a serger ever since!  It only took about 25 years, but I did finally get a serger.

Serger Joy!

I knew I wanted something basic, fairly friendly to use and inexpensive.  At this point having a serger is a bit of an indulgence.  So I researched, asked opinions and ultimately spent about $200 I think on this machine.

And then it sat.

Oh the shame.

A new machine and I had no time to learn it and start a project to use it!

But finally I decided over the holidays that I should tackle this baby and start making some of the clothes for Caitlyn that I so desperately want to make for my girly girl.  And so I did!  Starting with this dress from a Simplicity pattern I’ve used before, #0351.

Serger Joy!

I used a single yard of a Michael Miller Stripe, a bit of Laurie Wisbrun’s dot fabric, some left over ribbon from who knows where and my serger of course!

Doesn’t it just make you happy?

Serger Joy!

But then reality kicked in.  Caitlyn wouldn’t wear the dress (I know I know.  She will eventually but for the moment she’s not).  And I REALLY wanted to use that serger to make something she would wear.  So I sucked it up and went to Joanns and took her straight to the princess fabric section.  I knew I found the perfect project when I saw the pre-ruched fabrics.  She fell in love and I had a simple project that I’ve always wanted to do but never have because I didn’t have a serger before.

Serger Joy!

And this time she wore it. 😉  In fact I had to do some trials on the sizing with this one because it just involves the one seam up the side and my skinny minny needed the dress pretty tight.  Plus I had to add the elastic straps as well.  And she was crying when I took it off for the alterations.  She wanted to wear it!!!  I’m never happy when my girly cries but I was a bit gratified by it this time.

Serger Joy!

I used a brightly colored elastic for the straps to make it easy for her to get on and off by herself.  Worked like a charm!

We are going on our first vacation since Caitlyn has been born in the spring…a Disney cruise.  And this will be a perfect dress for that!

Serger Joy!

I’m definitely experiencing serger joy!

30 thoughts on “Serger Joy!”

  1. Cute dresses! Am I the only one who gets giddy seeing the seams all neat and tidy?? lol I love my serger, you will find so many uses for it, even on purses. And of course if you've already used it more then once it's no longer a luxury. Pure necessity! 😉

  2. cute dresses, and i'm sure Caitlyn will be a big hit on the Disney Cruise! i've been considering this same serger for a while now, but a friend gave me her grandmother's old serger, so i feel like i need to try that out first.

  3. That's awesome. I have the same one and it's great. So easy, after you force yourself to learn how to thread it. But if you're looking for things to sew on it, and your daughter likes the comfy stuff, grab the KNITS, girl. Knits are a miracle with the serger.

  4. So cute! I decide yesterday that it was time to make friends with my Serger (I've had it since last June). I got the tension issues figured out and I'm going to use it today to finish up clothes for my girl.

  5. I'm so glad you posted this, I have the same serger too, and I used it until the thread it came with ran out, then it went into the closet over a year ago…
    Considering I've made knit pants with single stitching that keep splitting the seams, and hems that keep coming down, I am going to go get it out of the closet this moment and try to figure out how to thread it again!

  6. My serger is set up so I just have to move my body slightly to the right to serge, and so I do all the time! I make a lot of clothes, though. I love it, and once you've made clothes with it, it is really, really hard to go back to not using it- in fact, once I ran out of thread and couldn't use it, so I did French seams instead- I couldn't stand the thought of unfinished seams! lol!

  7. very cute dresses and she does seem pleased! LOL

    I have a 20+ yr old serger that I need to replace and I'm frozen with the decision of which one to buy, LOL I am glad to hear that you like yours.

  8. How did you learn how to thread the serger? I'd you just follow the manual? I got my aunt's old serger for Christmas and need to learn how to operate it.

  9. Such a darling dress and looks so cute on her – she's enthralled with it! I have an old, old serger that my mil gave me (she used to make custom wedding dresses) and she said, "You'll have to get it serviced because it doesn't work right. I've always had fits with that thing." Now if my mil, seamstress extraordinaire, had trouble running the darn thing, how am I supposed to deal with it? Besides, not much call for a serger when quilting.

  10. I have a very nice serger by singer that I bought at a sale about 15 years ago. I tried using it a few times but was very intimidated by all the threads I think. Anyway it sat for about 12 years in the box. Then for two years I had it serviced every year but still didn't use it. Then one day last year I just looked at it and said enough….I use it all the time now. I am sewing clothes for my grand kids and having a ball.

  11. A serger can come in handy on occasion. I have found I don't use mine as much as I could. The dresses are super cute! Your little one will want to wear the Aeriel one every day on that cruise!

  12. So cute!! I have a serger (that I scored because someone was going to THROW AWAY) but I haven't used it. I have figured out how to thread it (which I've heard is the hardest part), but I haven't figured out the tension and all that yet. Yay for a Disney cruise! We're going on our first in April!

  13. super cute dress on an adorable little! and i love the idea of using elastic for the straps! i'm going to have to find some minnie fabric, if there is any, for my little one. thanks for the inspiration!

  14. Jennifer @ Ellison Lane Quilts

    She is darling! I love the striped dress and the mermaid one is cute too. Glad to know that a good serger can be had for $200. I really want to get into sewing clothing and know that one would make my life easier. I'm filing this away for the future! 🙂

  15. I just got the same serger for Christmas! Now what? I have no idea where to start. I'll be interested to watch and learn from your progress. Thank you!

  16. I have this same serger and it's a dream! Be sure to learn how to remove the stitch finger to create some cool edges. I normally use a 3-thread option using the outer needle to create a 1/4" seam. You have probably already performed a tie-off yet to change thread color but for others who havent…

    Clip the looper threads near the cone, change thread colors and tie off the two threads leaving no more than an 1/4" end on each thread end. THE NEXT STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT! Set the looper tension on both dials to 0 (zero). Don't do anything with the needle threads yet. Then grab the chain tail and slowly run the machine until the new color goes through the machine but not through the needles. Clip the knots on "this" side of them, set the looper tension dials back to 4 and change out needle threads. Then pull all the threads out behind the machine and begin serging again to create a new chain tail. This.is.serger.heaven!

    1. grammytheyeti.com

      Yesterday afternoon, changing thread color on my own serger, I realized my directions were off a bit. "…but not through the needles." can be deleted. You want to run that new color completely through until the chain tail changes into two colors. Then you can change out the needle threads.

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