Created by Lillia Whittington
As we come to the end of hobby month with Janome, I wanted to share with you a fun and exciting way that you can use your serger in the new year! Now, I know sergers can be intimidating, but trust me, this project is an easy and fun way to get to know the types of stitches your serger can do. In today’s tutorial, we will be doing two types of serging, an overlock stitch and a narrow or rolled hem. These two stitches combined will create fun details on your t-shirts or other projects throughout the year! Here’s what you need:
- t-shirt , I thrifted mine from our local secondhand shop
- Four serger cones, I like to use these.
- Serger needles
- Pins (If desired)
- Chalk
- Ruler
- Scissors
- AirThread 2000D, or any Janome serger that can do an overlock and narrow hem stitch
Prepping the Shirt
To prep the shirt, I put the shirt on and measured from the original, hempline to where I wanted the new lettuce hem to be. To help visualize the adjustment, you can tuck the fabric into the shirt, pin, and then check the desired length. If you like it, proceed to cutting (Figure 1)! Be sure to set aside the cutoff pieces to test the serge on. This is a very important step that we will talk about next.
Testing the Serge
Anytime you change the settings or stitch on your serger, you want to make sure that you run a scrap of the fabric you’re using through the machine. In this case, the sleeve or cut edge of the t-shirt hem scrap is perfect. Using the manual, this is page (#) in your AirThread 2000D, adjust the settings to a narrow hem stitch. This stitch is traditionally tighter and you see it on things like evening gowns, baby cloths, and edges of silk scarves. I set my machine to the following settings in Figure 2.
Now that my serger is set, the magic can happen! To achieve a lettuce hem, the material needs to be knit, or set on the fabric bias. For my t-shirt, I have a stretch of about 25%. This type of stretch allows for a beautifully curly lettuce hem when I am done!
The trick with the lettuce hem is to stretch the fabric as it is going through the serger. You will have to position your hands behind, gently pulling the fabric through, then in front, pulling the fabric 75-100% of the length. Watch the video below to see the motion I am talking about.
Now that we have the motion down, let’s serge! For the sample, don’t be surprised if you have to try it a few times to find a stretch, tension, and look that works for you. The lettuce hem that comes off the initial serge should look like a gentle wave, not a curly lettuce hem. To achieve the curly hem, take your sample over to the ironing board, and using a hot iron set to highest steam setting you will pump steam 1 inch (2.5cm) above the sample. Pump steam until the desired curls show (figure 3).
Finishing the T-Shirt
Now that we’ve practiced, it’s time to do it on your t-shirt! Performing the same motions from the sample, complete your cut hems on your t-shirt. Pro Tip: work with the pressor foot touching the wrong side of the fabric, and the feed dogs touching the right side. Think of working inside the circle’s circumference instead of the outside. This helps prevent you from serging over your fabric in places. (Figure 4)
Now that you’ve serged and steamed your hemline, it’s time to enjoy your new shirt! This is a great way to upcycle thrifted t-shirts, add flair to your kiddos wardrobe, or finish a hemline on a knit project. It’s also a great way to experiment with your serger! As always, happy sewing, bestie!
