For a while now I’ve been trawling the web and going through sewing books trying to decide whether I should get a serger/overlock machine or not. I think it’s clear that nobody really needs a serger, but that they’re really great to have. After some thought, my considerations were as follows:
- Do I seriously like to sew? And the answer is I really really do! So that was a check!
- What type of fabric do I like to work with? Knits or woven fabric? Since I’m so pregnant right now, I only sew with knits, and I need the stretchy seams that a serger does so well. Currently I’m using a stretch stitch since the zigzags don’t work well for me, the ends of knit fabric tend to curl up which results in some jams and a lot of work for my seam ripper.
- My need for speed! Of all the stages of sewing clothes, I dislike hemming the most. First, my new clothes are almost ready to wear expect for all the darned raw edges so I’m extra impatient at this point! And with my projects now, I have to fold under, measure, press the hem over again to enclose the raw edges, baste, then topstitch. I always hand baste since pressing doesn’t hold down slippery jersey well enough if you just press or pin it down.
Long story short, I figured that no I don’t need a serger, but yes I definitely want one!!!
Anyway, early last month I decided to go ahead and order the Brother 1034D serger on Amazon and have my relatives in the US ship it to me. I chose this since it has the best reviews and is reasonably priced at 229 USD (I didn’t have to pay for the shipping though, lucky me). I will share more about the serger and how it’s working for me once I get started playing with it. My husband and I are picking it up today and I’m just so excited! I’m almost done with my new project, a maternity top using Butterick 5196, and if I’m confident enough I will try to use the serger to finish my seams although I’m a bit hesitant to use it right away for that without a little practice first since the top is coming along so nicely.
On sergers/overlock machines here in Manila, I’ve only seen one type available for sale on the Brother Philippines website here. The model is the M3034D and it’s retailing for 19,995 Php. I really hope sewing as a hobby gets more popular in Manila so that we will have better access to sewing machines, tools, and fabric really soon. :-)
