Can see alot of thread at the seam

A serger (overlocker) is not a sewing machine. If you look at the inside seams of a purchased t-shirt, you will usually find a serge stitch that was created using a serger (overlocker). A serger/overlocker usually uses 3 or 4 threads to create that stitch. It also trims the fabric at the same time it finishes the fabric edge. The serge stitch is a chain stitch that, if you pull a particular thread, the entire stitch will come undone.

Your sewing machine is not able to create that same stitch. Your sewing machine may have what is called an "overlock" stitch, but it will use only 2 threads (the top and bobbin) to create that stitch. You would have to consult your owner's manual to see if it can make an overlock stitch.


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The BERNINA Serger Overlocker line BERNINA

Not sure what you are trying to do with your serger. An overlocker will ALWAYS finish the raw edge of the fabric. However, you can certainly serge t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc. Serging knits is fantastic because the serger stitch allows for fabric stretch without popping the thread. It is easy to sew patterns that require a small seam allowance, like 1/4". Just remember that the blades must ALWAYS be activated (trim off part of the fabric) or you risk breaking the loopers. You can use either 3 or 4 threads. Using 4 threads gives just a bit more security to your garment to prevent popped seams in active wear worn during sport events, etc. Using 3 threads is ok for garments that don't experience stress on the seams.

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I've even made a quilt using jelly roll fabric on a serger. A serger is ok for this type of quilt because the pinpoint accuracy of strip quilting is not required as it would be for stitching together blocks that have points & seams that must match. It is very difficult to get very accurate seams on a serger, probably partly because it stitches so much faster than a sewing machine.

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I am assuming this is a simple stretch waist band with elastic about 2cm wide attached to a skirt or trousers. You need to measure your wist and cut elastic that length plus 2cm. Then join the two ends by overlapping them 2cm and zig zagging the elastic together with regular sewing machine. Now mark the elastic in quarters, ie hold it flat with the join in the middle and mark each edge with chalk or a fabric removable marker. Then put the marks together and mark the edges again so you have 4 marks equally spaced. Now do this for your garment too. It may be bigger in back so mark front and back, then half this to find the side quarters. Put elastic on inside of garment against raw edge and pin the quarter marks on elastic and garment together. Set up overlocker for 4 thread wide seam. Test seam and adjust tensions if necessary. Now you need to serge the edge of the fabric and elastic together, trimming the fabric but not cutting the elastic and stretch the elastic to fit the garment as you stitch. Elastic on top, fabric right side down underneath. Take out pins before you get near them! Start by lifting the front of the presser foot with your finger and placing fabric and elastic under, then start stitching on and straighten up once the seam is onto the elastic. Dont lift the pressure foot, you just stitch, stop, stretch the elastic to the fullness of the fabric, hold it and seam forward a few inches, then stop and repeat the process. Once right round go over your starting point, then turn and serge off the fabric edge and chain off. Cut, pull the chain to pull it flat and tie a hald hitch in it right up close to fabric. Now turn the elastic band to the inside of the garment. You need to secure it. Usually a straight stitch just onto the lower edge of the elastic with sewing machine from outside.

For knits with lycra in, you are best to thread up four threads and seam with the 4 thread marrowing stitch like this, preferabbly with ball point needles in your overlocker, size 80. Use cones of polyester thread, 3,000 metres or 5,000 metres rather than normal thread. (Although if you have trouble matching thread colours you can use a small reel on the left needle as this is the thread that will show on the right side of the garment.)




Start with your machine tensions on 5, both needles in and threaded, stitch length of 2.5 and no differential (set it on zero) and test stitch. Using stretch or ballpoint needles is a good idea too to avoid any deflection and skipped stitches. Then practice serging on some fabric scraps, double layer and look at the seam, if it is tunnelling (pulling up the fabric), then move the cutting blade to the left. Test again and if still tunnelling, then loosen off the tension on the top and bottom loopers by a half number and test again.

If the opposite is happening and the threads are looping off the edge of the fabric, then move the cutting blade to the right to trim less fabric, test again. If still too loose, then tighten up the top and bottom looper tensions by a small amount and test again.

You want the seam to lie flat, the two looper threads to meet right on the cut edge and the needle thread to be just visible from the right side when you press open the seam.

There is always a small amount of adjustments needed on an overlocker when setting up for a new project as every fabric will behave differently. Don't tighten up the tension on the needles much past 5 though, or you may get thread breakage.

If you find that the seam is flutting then you can use the differential feed to adjust for this too.

There is some good overlocking info on Debbie Cosgroves website, www.sewing.about.com, with images which may help too.

Are you wanting to use the serger to sew a hand knitted sweater together? or do you mean a sweat shirt knit or other knit fabric. If it is the first option, I'd say don't bother, as you can't do it with the blades working because it will cut your knitting and the wool will unravel in the seams.

If it is the second option then I would start with the following settings.

Four thread stitch, so both needles and the upper and lower loopers threaded. Set tension on all four dials to 5, stitch length to between 2 and 3, and differential on zero. Move the cutting blade over to the right for a wider seam. Now test stitch on some fabric scraps double layer and see what the seam is looking like.

Now you want to adjust a couple of things: firstly width of the seam. Is it the size you want? If you'd like it a little narrower, then adjust the cutting blade back a little to the left to narrow the seam slightly - just depends on the fabric weight. For example if it is a loose open weave like boucle you would want a wide seam to make sure it holds the fibres fully.

Now you can adjust the upper and lower loopers to get the thread wrapping around the edge looking nice. Look at the seam and the fabric inside it. Is it tunnelling and pulling up the fabric? if so, release tension on both loopers a half number to put more thread into the seam. Test stitch again and see if the loopers are meeting nicely on the cut edge of the fabric. Upper and lower looper threads should be meeting right on the cut edge so if this isn't happening and one showing on the other side, then tighten the looser one by half a number and test again.

If the threads are hanging off the edge then you have the choice of moving the blade to the right to cut less fabric off, or tightening up the looper tensions to pull in the thread.

That's it, hope this helps you to master your serger.

If you'd like some images and further explanations of other stitching you can do with your overlocker, then Debbie Coswell has some great information on line at www.sewing.about.com, just search "overlocker" to find the specific pages.


Good luck

Have you used an overlocker before? If not, I'd suggest that you obtain a user manual for it as they are completely different to a sewing machine and at some point you will need to rethread it. You can purchase one from here
http://pages.sewing-machine-manuals.com/173/PictPage/3923709707.html

This machine makes three and four thread seams, which is a combination of two needles and two loopers. For the three thread seam you can use either the left or right needle which gives you different sized seams. For the four thread you use both needles, one goes through the middle of the seam and the other is on the left side securing the seam. On most overlockers you are able to move the cutting blade too and this will reduce or increase the amount of fabric being trimmed from the right side.

This page http://sewing.about.com/od/sergersoverlock/ss/serger.htm will give you some general information on sergers/overlockers too.

So adjusting tension is a matter of changing the tension on the top and lower looper threads to close up against the cut edge, or moving the blade over to make the seam a little wider or narrower. You may also need to finess the left needle tension so that the seam doesn't pull apart, I always test serge two layers and then pull open from the right side and see if the needle thread is showing (it will show a little bit but you dont want it so loose that it pulls open. Only tighten the needles in very small increments though, as you'll break threads and needles if you turn them up too tight.

Hard to explain without seeing what your machine is seaming now. But as a rule of thumb, start with all four tension dials (or 3 if doing a three thread seam) on 5. If the tension dials are correctly calibrated then this should give you a pretty good seam. You may wish to lengthen the stitches, I usually work with stitch length of 2.5 (same as your sewing machine stitch length) Stitch length will be a dial on the right side beside the flywheel or in front of the blade area. The blade adjustment should be a little knob near the blade area too. There will be a lower fixed blade and a moving upper blade which sits against the lower one, they work like scissors to trim the fabric. So to adjust the blade, you will need to take the pressure off the upper blade, then wind the knob to move it left or right.

Different weights of fabric will behave differently on the overlocker so you do need to adjust tension for each new project. For example, if seaming a jersey knit you'd use a four thread seam, this gives elasticity and strength and you can join two garment pieces with this seam. You'd probably make a 6mm or 7mm wide seam, the left needle will secure the fabric and the loopers will encase the fabric smoothly while the right needle secures them and gives extra strenth to the seam.

But on organza for example, I would make a very narrow three thread seam using the right needle as the organza will roll inside the overlocking if you cut the fabric too wide.

And on something like curtains I would neaten the edge with a wide 3 thread seam using the left needle to get a very wide seam, the fabric wont roll so you'd need to loosen the two loopers a little to smoothly encase the cut edge.
For example, on this image above you can see that the looper threads are laying a little off the edge of the fabric in places, particularly the lower looper, (the side that looks like Y's where you can't really see the middle needle thread), so I would tighten the lower looper about .5 on its dial, then test again.

I hope that this makes sense to you, you will need to test serge, and adjust one dial at a time, test again and look at the result, then maybe adjust another thread until you are getting a smooth looking seam.

A rolled hem on any overlocker is formed by using the right hand needle only, and the two loopers to form a narrow three thread seam. You also need to retract the seam width finger as Trial2962 said. This is a little finger that sits on the stitching plate and the loopers form the stitching over it. By retracting it, the looper threads can form a narrow seam and in fact, roll the fabric inside the seam. You need to move the cutting blade as far right as it will go so you are trimming as wide as possible from the needle, turn the tension on the top looper rigth down to 2 so it is very loose and this thread wraps around to the underside. And tighten the lower looper tension to about 7 so it hardly shows and sits right up against the needle thread. Adjust and test until you get the seam looking like this, then turn the stitch length dial (on the right side by flywheel) down to 0.5 to close the seam right up tight. Lastly, if you can source it in the right colour, buy woolly overlock thread and run this through the upper looper only, this thread is fluffy and when not under tension, relaxes and "fills" out so the seam appears like a continuous coverage over the fabric.

You will need to practice a few runs and go slowly on corners, a curve is obviously much easier to serge than a right hand cover so if you can, cut the fabric with curved ends, much easier to get a great finish. When you chain off at the end, you need to unravel the tail threads and pull them inside the seam for a few mm with a needle to get a smooth finish, then trim the tail and seal with a drop of Fray Stop.

Can you wind the lower cutting blade to the right to cut less fabric and therefore fill out the stitching? On most sergers the lower blade position can be adjusted sometimes with a little knob or dial. You need to raise the top blade out of the way first, usually you put pressure onto it to release the spring holding it up against the lower blade, then swing it up to do this. Then wind the adjustment on the lower blade and move it to the right to cut less fabric then test serge. Your manual should give you more specific information on this and should be your first 'go to".

I would adjust my looper tensions to suit the fabric and width of the stitch I'm trying to achieve so yes, the settings you've been given are average tensions but its okay to vary these too. From left to right, I'd set 4, 4, 4, 4 and test serge again and see if this pulls the looper threads in against the fabric if moving the blade hasn't tightened up the stitching.

Sergers are more variable than a straight stitch sewing machine so its okay to move tension knobs a bit, just turn each a half number each time you adjust, then test serge and look at the stitch formation. Your needles tension should be fine at 4, leave them alone.

I'd suggest if you can find one, go to a "Getting to know your serger" type class as there is lots of techniques such as seaming on a curve, turning right angles, both inside and outside and making rolled hem edges that are very helpful serger skills to learn along with making adjustments and troubleshooting. Or go to you-tube and search some of these techniques for videos. Also www.sewing.about.com is a great sewing resource and Debbie has pages on sergers/overlockers here too.

When I'm starting a new dressmaking project I will spend 10 mins on the overlocker/serger, changing the thread colour to suit the garment, then test serging and adjusting the stitch tensions to suit the fabric. I have 4 cones of thread each in white, black, beige, grey, pink and pale blue and these threads will give a suitable finish on most fabric colours and prints. Then there is wooly overlocker thread, this is a fluffy thread that you can use for rolled hems as the thread relaxes once stitched and "fills" out the closely stitched edge covering the rolled fabric edge and is another whole area of fun to try out.

Often I'll just use a three thread to neaten the raw edges of a seam I will press open. Or I will assemble a whole knit garment using the four thread stitch, so much faster then stitching seams, then neatening. Jersey knits and sergers are made for each other.

As an aside the D on your machine model would denote "differential feed" too - briefly differential feed is adjusting the amount that the two feed dogs move under the foot and means you can "hold back" the fabric as it is stitched (0.5), or "stretch" it out (1.5 or 2 setting). Really handy for loose weave fabrics that stretch as you serge them, you can compensate using the differential feed setting. And in reverse, you can create a "lettuce" or wavy edge by turning the differential feed up.

I hope that this helps you out with your Brother 1034D and hasn't just confused you. Good luck.

no, you need the blade in place and cutting to give an even cut fabric edge. Set up for a three thread using the right hand needle, take out the left hand needle. move blade over to the right so it is cutting wide. Most overlockers there is also a thread finger you need to change on the foot, or a little lever you flick to move this finger forward into the stitching area. Check this on your manual as each make is a bit different.
If you can source it, put wooly nylon thread into the upper looper (knot it onto existing thread and just chain it through, the knot should go through the looper eye fine). Now turn the tension on top looper down so it is looser and tighten up tension on bottom looper, so needle 5, top looper 2 and bottom looper about 7.

Now test serge, the fabric cut edge should be wider than the overlocking seam so the fabric rolls under inside the stitching. Adjust the two looper threads so that this is happening, you want the bottom looper thread to nest right up against the needle stitch and the top looper thread to wrap all the way around too.

Once you've got this happening, turn the stitch length down to 0.5, to close the stitching right up. On some fabrics you'll need to adjust the differential feed too if the fabric is "waving" a bit.

Uneven stitches or sometimes loose when serging could indicate that one of the tension devices is faulting, so if this machine is not new and its doing this, it could need a service. Can you get a regular smooth three or 4 thread seam out if it???

It is always good to just recheck the threading path, make sure the thread aerial is up and that a thread hasn't got caught back on the thread stand somewhere if you're getting something wonky happening, threads stream off overlocker cones through the machine so anything wrong in the thread path will throw off the stitching.

• the factory default settings are 4,4,4,4 and M
• Change the needles
• use a can of air spray ( compressed air can sold in computer stores) to ensure there is no fabric or dust under the needle plate