Would you like a serger that takes the frustration out of your projects?
Would you like a machine that adjusts the tension for you?
Would you like an automatic threader?
It’s hard to believe one exists, but it does. I never used to think it did.
I suffered for a long time trying to find the right serger.
I’ve been sewing for over thirty years and during that time, I’ve worked on both residential and industrial sewing machines from basic to complex.
I have experience with the multi 10 threader machines, to the most basic of sergers, and have spent hours screaming at my machine, trying to figure out what’s wrong with the tension.
I’ve even thrown garments away because I’ve messed up, or rather the machine has messed up because the tension wasn’t right.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bawled my eyes out in my sewing room, hunched over a broken serger. I’ve used several different brands that claimed they were better than the others, only to find they were just as frustrating.
And I have serviced machines for years, worked in a sewing factory, designed my own clothing, and have a lot of experience. I can’t image how the beginning sewer handles poor tension, and threading mishaps.
It shouldn’t have to be so complicated!
Sewing should be enjoyable!
You shouldn’t have to spend hours hunched over, crying your eyes out as you try to adjust your tension on the silly dials.
My last serger was a complete mess. I bought it used, wich is awesome by the way. Any time you can save money, it’s a great thing. Sewing is costly, especially the machines. But this machine was only used a couple times. I thought it was a bargain. Had it been the right brand, it would have been.
But it wasn’t the right brand. It had tension dials, and that meant I had to adjust them to get the serge right every single time I changed the weight of my fabric.
One day I would be working on a silk, and that required a tension adjustment. The next day I’d be working on denim. A whole other ballgame. Not all fabric is created equal.
Working at a fabric store opened my eyes to that. There are different weaves, different weights, and different tensions. In order to serge them properly, you must adjust your tension dials accordingly. That isn’t so easy for experienced seamstresses, leave alone the novice.
No, if you want to sew and be happy, buy a Baby Lock. I had always wanted a Baby Lock Serger, but they are expensive and completely out of my price range.
When I was trying to design a line of workout wear a few years ago, and desperately needing my old serger to work properly, I ended up spending the entire time screaming and crying in my sewing room. Anyone who has ever sewn with 4 way stretch fabric knows the horror of incorrect tension. It MUST serge correctly or you might as well throw it out. Nobody’s going to buy it, and nobody is going to wear it. It will look unprofessional with ugly serge, and threads that pull too tight or are too loose.
I must have scared my husband with all my yelling and crying, while trying to make my old serger work properly. He’d knock at my sewing room door several times throughout the day asking what’s wrong, only to have me scream ‘Get out!’ while throwing serger cones at him. Poor guy! To say that I was frustrated was an understatement.
Then one glorious day, it all changed. I was utterly shocked when I opened my Christmas present to find a Baby Lock serger. It was an Imagine Model BLE1 AT-2 but the model type doesn’t really matter. There are many kinds of Baby Lock Sergers. It depends whether you want a 4 threader like mine or an eight threader, and what you want to use it for. The ultimate is a serger that is also a coverstitch machine so you can make wonderful workout wear with decorative cover seams. A top model for this purpose it the Evolution. It’s the Rolls Royce of Baby Locks. In the end, it doesn’t really matter what model. What really matters is that it`s a Baby Lock brand. Check Amazon for some good prices on these sergers.
Disclosure: Crunchy Menopause is a review site that receives compensation from ShareASale, Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, eBay, and other affiliate networks whose products I review. The opinions are my own. That means if you purchase something through one of my affiliate links, I get a small commission.
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Keep reading and I’ll tell you why Baby Lock is so awesome.
By the way, I just have to say my hubby scored some huge brownie points that Christmas. I still use it today, and I love every minute spent sewing on that baby!
Not only does it look pretty, it feels solid. I’ve never used a machine that sturdy and reliable before. And remember, I’ve sewn for over 30 years, worked on a gazillion machines, both industrial and residential. Worked in the garment construction industry and know the ins and outs of quality manufacturing. So, for me to say I had never experienced such a wonderful machine before is huge.
At first glance, I couldn’t figure out where the tensions were. I had read up on Baby Lock machines, but didn’t really connect the dots. During my yelling fits to my husband at how much I hated my old machine and wanted a Baby Lock because the tension was better, I didn’t quite understand why until I saw my shining baby in front of me.
There were no tension dials. How could I have missed that with the multiple reviews I read on the internet. Perhaps I just didn’t understand what automatic tension really meant. I hadn’t realized there were no tension dials at all. Like NONE!
I was scared to use it. I thought it was like my old serger that was so finicky that it would blow its tension with one wrong touch. Nope! With my new baby, that wasn’t even a possibility.
And I didn’t even have to hand thread it. My Baby Lock has Jet-Air auto-threading meaning the thread gets sucked through a hole with a gust of air automatically so you don’t go blind trying to do it manually. It’s truly amazing.
I can sew through anything even when going from one fabric to another. I can be serging a delicate chiffon dress for my granddaughter one minute, and serging a denim skirt the next. I don’t have to stop to adjust tension, it just knows. It’s a smart little baby.
I have even serged quilts on my Baby Lock. Quilting cotton, depending on its weave can be quite stiff, but my baby keeps going and going without hesitation. I like to serge jelly roll quilt strips a lot, and it never wears my machine out. I can even serge the edge of a finished quilt sandwich without thinking twice. My Baby Lock has the power of an industrial serger. I was shocked!
I can use any type of thread. Some machines only allow you to use the higher quality threads, but not my Baby Lock. I can use cheap serger cones as well as high quality, or I can use both at the same time.
It has made sewing enjoyable again. Instead of screaming and crying, hunched over for hours trying to figure out tension, I can now focus all my energy into my sewing projects.
If you are looking to buy a serger, look no further. You don’t have to spend hours fiddling with tension dials, you have to buy a Babylock like I did.
The most important thing is to choose the best serger, and in my humble opinion, the Baby Lock Serger leads the pack. From one experienced seamstress to another, buy quality. And to those who are just beginning, don’t even give it a second thought. Buy a Babylock and be happy.
You’ll never regret it!
Disclosure: Crunchy Menopause is a review site that receives compensation from ShareASale, Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, eBay, and other affiliate networks whose products I review. The opinions are my own. That means if you purchase something through one of my affiliate links, I get a small commission.