A new Janome serger is on the wishlist for many aspiring sewists. Many see this machine as the next step in their sewing education and expertise. Most people know the serger is used to trim and finish seams in one step, but the creative and well informed will find many more exciting and useful applications!
Sergers have come a long way since their introduction to the home market in the late 1960’s. Many of today’s machines, including the Janome 1100D, contain many options for stitch customization, giving sergers far more functionality than just creating a clean finish on the raw edges of seams. They are great for working with nearly any texture or loft of fabric. Constructing quilts, garments, home dec items and more is easy, and you can choose from a wide variety of fabrics, including wool, fleece, velvet, chiffon, silk, cotton or fur.
The Rolled Hem
With a serger you can create a napkin rolled edge on many different types of fabric, such as satin, silk, chiffon, taffeta, cotton, and batiste. You can even use the rolled hem to create pintucks in the middle of projects, such as those seen in the upper left corner of the place mat seen below.
You can create the pintucks by placing the fabric right sides together and serging a straight line (without using the knife – this can be used as a seam guide while sewing, or lowered completely). The rolled hem is often used to hem bridal wear, and a wonderful decorative effect can be achieved with a slight adjustment to the stitch length. By lengthening the stitch, a Picot Edge is formed, which results in a delicate hem seen on many wedding and bridesmaid dresses.
The Flatlock
Another favorite serger application is the Flatlock. This stitch results in an open flat seam that is perfect for making fleece quilts, seaming fur, joining lace to satin or embellishing ready to wear garments.
The 3-Thread Decorative Stitch
A specialty stitch that is quite popular is a 3-thread decorative stitch. This is created by using a heavier weight decorative thread in both of the loopers, and setting your machine up for a regular 3 thread stitch. It is perfect for creating edging on throw pillows, blankets, quilts, vests, shawls, and ponchos. Simply serge the raw edges with the stitch, and you are done!
Gathering
Creating ruffles or gathering is accomplished very easily with a serger. This is best achieved by using an optional gathering foot, which will assure the perfect ruffles for your project. To create, simply adjust the differential feed and following the instructions included with the gathering accessory.
