worth the price difference to get the singer! had a knock off. i wanted to knock it off the shelf! the singer works so much better, is easier to thread. stays threaded better too.
How is this device? Any good, or is it only sew-sew?
(Sorry, had to be done.)
Are these things still relevant? My mom and dad both sew, and when I told them that Woot sold Singers on occassion, they both scoffed and said that Singer dropped in quality years ago. Just wondering what other people’s thoughts are.
Happy valentines day sweetie. Now go knit me a sweater!
At least 1 previous woot I can find:
http://www.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=4738728
Edit:
$149.99 today for this machine alone, not the combo like the linked woot.
Singers have been going downhill since Rudy Vallee.
Here’s the official page:
http://www.singerco.com/products/1601/14sh764-stylist-serger
4.3 of 5 stars on Singers website:
http://reviews.singerco.com/7010/1601/reviews.htm
My daughter wants to get into quilting. Is there a use for a serger in making quilts?
Sergers are used to finish seams so that raw edges are finished. They do this by cutting the fabric and wrapping thread around the seam. Also, the stitch stretches so it’s great to use with knits. I have an old serger - they CAN be very difficult to set the tensions right, and of course, if the tension is off, the threads break. They CAN be difficult to thread. The newer ones should be better than mine, though (I would hope so!). Singer has gone downhill for a long while. The best brands now are European. Pfaff, Viking, Bernina are all great brands.
Sergers are not used for quilting. They are not top stitching type machines - they cut the fabric when they sew a seam, and don’t “sew to a point then stop” well at all. They are indispensable for sewing clothing though.
actually u can use sergers for piecing a quilt top if you like… our quilt guild just had a speaker (Tana Mueller from Quilting N Texas) talk about it last month… it can be difficult to get the tension right but it just takes some patience and trial and error…
Sergers are not pieces of equipment that you want to skimp on. This is not a sewing machine. It’s far more complicated and has a lot more moving parts than a sewing machine.
My wife has upgraded from Brother and Singer to Juki, and is much happier. The Brother and the Singer that she used in the past had tension problems, inconsistent stitching, poor fabric feeding, and constantly had to be repaired.
Her new Juki, on the other hand, breaks fewer needles, breaks less thread, has a self-threading lower looper, is easier to clean and service, works faster with more accuracy, and doesn’t make her swear every 20 minutes.
It’s worth it to spend more on a serger.
So this can’t just sew a hem or allow me to make simple curtains? I’m lost.
Nope, cuz it trims the seam as it sews it. Check out the inner seams of any t-shirt. That crazy stitching pattern was done by a serger. To make hems and curtains you’d need a regular ol’ top stitching sewing machine.
If you’re only going to get one machine, get a sewing machine, because you can make it work for just about anything. Some things are faster/easier with a serger, but there are some things it just plain can’t do. I’ve been sewing for years, and haven’t gotten one yet, but when I do, it won’t be a Singer…
Thank God for the comments by my fellow Wooters. I nearly bought this thing as a general purpose sewing machine for my wife. I thought Serger was just a model name…
I’ve used sergers to make hems that are not only beautiful, but also flexible so that you can pull the seam laterally and not have the stitches come undone. You need this for stretchy material. All you need to do is tuck away the cutting blade.
Oh man, I’d buy this if I already didn’t have a serger since this is a higher end model at a lower price. Sergers are so nice and if you have to make a lot of seams, forget sewing machines because the stitches are weak and the bobbin needs constant changing. A serger can sew and trim (or no trim for hemming jobs) with a very strong, beautiful, and stretchable stitch.
I remember seeing that deal awhile back, and ever since, I’ve been kicking myself for not jumping on it. But without the sewing machine, the serger would be useless to me. Ergo, I shall continue to wait, hope, and maybe even pray for the combo to magically re-appear.
YES you can use this to make curtains, YES you can it use to tidy up clothing edges, NO you don’t always have to cut fabric as you serge and YES sergers do excellent seams. Your serger will “finish” the edges of both fabrics as it sews the seams together, saving you tons of time.
The cutting blades on a serger rotate up and away so that if the fabric is already cut, you can just serge it. I used my serger to make my curtains, and curtains are an ideal serger project because you’re dealing with yards of fabric that otherwise would take forever to sew… and you’re sewing with straight lines. (Sergers don’t take turns too well… but they do sew FAST.)
A serger is best purchased as a second machine. I used to work as a machine dealer. When people find out what their sergers are capable of, they quickly become a favorite machine.
Regarding quiltmaking, most quilters do not use a serger to quilt, but sergers do make specialty stitches that sewing machines do not and some people like to make specialty quilts that show off those stitches. Again, a serger makes an excellent second machine behind a sewing machine.