Happy National Serger Month!
At Thimbles, we know a great serger is an indispensable tool in any sewist’s toolbox. Sergers can sew, trim, and finish garments—quickly!—and they’re perfect for creating neat, durable, and often fancy edge seams. They work wonders with stretchy fabrics; essentially, if you want to sew clothes with a professional finish, you need a serger.
We have a wide selection of Baby Lock and BERNINA sergers suitable for beginner to advanced sewists. If you’re curious about which serger might be right for you, call us or stop by the shop so we can help you choose. And don’t forget to read Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Sergers (But Were Afraid to Ask) to learn more about sergers!
Before we get into great serger projects for beginners, let’s talk about our new group, FitNice Sewing Sisters. Inspired by our recent classes with Judy Kessinger (if you missed those classes, don’t miss the upcoming Serger Blouse, Jacket or Coat with Judy Kessinger and Dress with Judy Kessinger), the FitNice Sewing Sisters group meets on the third Monday of each month to draft new patterns and help each other with fitting adjustments. Judy also joins us via Zooms to provide further guidance. The group is a fantastic way to familiarize yourself with clothing creation and working with sergers.
Now, let’s talk serger projects for beginners! We previously wrote about the Best Serger Projects for Beginners, and we’re back this year with even more of our favorite beginner serger projects. We hope they inspire you to explore more serger machine projects!
Sydney Serger Crossbody Bag
The Sydney Serger Crossbody Bag is a fantastic project for learning several cool techniques with your 4-thread overlock machine. While it requires a small amount of stitching with a sewing machine, 99% of the bag is made with a serger. If you’re feeling inspired to start a serger project, we’re teaching a class on the Syndey Serger Crossbody Bag on June 1. Technically, this may be more of an advanced beginner project, but since it’s a class we’re including it because we’ll be there to hold your hand!
Napkins, Three Ways
The team at We All Sew have a tutorial to sew three different napkins using sergers. All three napkins use the versatile BERNINA L890 Overlock, Cover and Chain Stitch Serger. The Flatlock Patched Napkin (top right, in taupe, cream, and gold) features a 3-thread flatlock wide stitch, the Mitered Corner Napkin (top left, in orange) features a 3-thread overlocker stitch and a 2-thread narrow coverstitch, and the Frayed Edges Napkin (top middle, in burgundy) features a 2-thread chain stitch. The Frayed Edges Napkin is the simplest and quickest, so we recommend starting there!
Serged and Corded Story Time Pillow
Baby Lock’s Serged and Corded Story Time Pillow uses the Baby Lock Vibrant Serger and a 3-thread flatlock or flat stitch to construct a nifty pillow with pockets on the front. However, opt for more sophisticated fabrics (like the Bali Batiks Fat Quarter Bundle or Shimmer Metallics Fat Quarter Bundle) to create a pillow adults will love. Those pockets are great for storing television remotes, mobile phones/tablets, or even some wrapped sweets—we won’t tell!
Tissue Cases
We All Sew’s Tissue Cases are an adorable and classy way to travel with tissues—especially now that allergy season has arrived. The tutorial calls for a bernette 64 Overlock machine, but you can also use the BERNINA L450 Overlocker. This is a super fast and easy project that uses very little fabric. We love these as little gifts as well!
Plant Cozy
Baby Lock’s Plant Cozy tutorial calls for a 4-thread serger like the Baby Lock Vibrant, Victory, or Celebrate. Featuring a fun top edge that uses decorative metallic thread and contrasting outer fabric and lining, these plant cozies are a fun way to dress up your houseplants and easy enough for beginners to serging projects.
Do you have a favorite serger project you return to again and again? Let us know!
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