Sergers have been in high demand recently as an increasing number of people are resorting to completing their sewing projects in the comfort of their own homes.
As easy as it may seem on TV or when someone else does it, sewing is a chore that requires you to put in a lot of effort and time.
One type of sewing machine is the serger. The main function of a serger is to cut and sew together two pieces of cloth.
But do sergers need a special thread and why exactly would they need it? To answer your question, we have put together this article today.
Read on to find out more about this amazing sewing machine!
What Are Sergers?
Before we get to the main question, let us clear any doubts that you might have regarding a serger.
Also known as an overlocker, these sewing machines typically use more than one thread, all of which are used to sew fabrics together. Sergers can either be used to add finishing touches or it can also be used to sew a whole piece together right from the get-go.
A serger – or an overlocker (whichever you feel more comfortable with) – can use from two to eight threads at the same time. Most of the time, how many threads your machine will use depends solely on the make of it and what purpose you are using it for.
With a different stitch option, you will be able to use a varying amount of threads together. However, we would like to mention that you should not use a serger in the place of a normal sewing machine. Doing so will disable you from carrying out simple sewing tasks such as stitching zippers, making buttonholes, and so on.
Do Sergers Need Special Thread and Why?
Below we will be taking a closer look at the answer to this question and, if the answer is yes, we will also be seeing why that is so.
- Yes, Sergers Need Special Thread, and This Is Why
As mentioned before, sergers can both cut and sew your fabric and generally works with multiple threads at a time.
Cheap and low-quality threads have a lot of lint on them. Equipping your serger with this kind of thread will only cause the lint to collect at the place where the machine cuts off the thread.
This in turn will make your serger look dirtier and will also get in the way of a smooth sewing experience.
Moreover, good-quality threads are also more durable than cheaper ones and will therefore ensure that your fabric stays together for a longer time.
You do not necessarily need a special thread for your serger, but it is highly recommended that you always purchase good quality, expensive threads for your machine for reasons stated above and more.
How to Keep Your Serger in Good Condition
Now that we know how important your serger is, let us take a look at what you could do to keep it in better condition for a longer time in order to increase its shelf-life.
- Rotate Spools
One of the most common problems that people who own a serger face is that they run out of threads at different times. This could be very troublesome since the main point of a serger is to be able to use multiple threads at once.
What you could do to prevent this from happening is to rotate the spools of thread every now and then. As you might already know, the looper at the top of a serger runs out the fastest because it uses more thread.
In order to prevent this from happening, switch the upper and bottom looper threads on a regular basis.
- Stick to One Color for the Upper Looper
A lot of times, beginners opt for four different colored threads, and that too is just for the upper loopers. In the end, they usually never use more than one thread color, and as a result, the money that they spent on buying the other threads goes to waste.
We would suggest you stay with a particular color for the looper at the top, and opt for a more neutral shade for the rest of the threads that are to be used on your garment.
- Stay Wary of Pins
Going over a pin while you are in the middle of sewing something is a very common incident albeit it is not a very pleasant one.
However, the struggle is twice as hard for those who own a serger since even a small nip at a pin with the machine’s knife will require you to get the knife changed.
Moreover, your machine might also get jammed with the pin stuck somewhere in the middle.
Last but not least, sewing over a pin is also extremely dangerous since the pin might even come towards you and this will only hurt your fingers.
In order to prevent any of these from happening, we would suggest you go for pins that have a noticeable head. This is so that you can see how far the machine knife is from the pin until you have to remove it.
Conclusion
So, by now you should have the answers to the question- “do sergers need a special thread and why?”
We hope we were able to answer this question as properly as possible for you so that you can have an easier time sewing on your serger from now on. Thank you for reading till the end!