Welcome back, 2021 let’s do it! As the pandemic is not enough we were surprised with a massive snow storm in Madrid last weekend and everything is still pretty much collapsed right now when I’m writing this post. You really need to keep your head up...and your hands occupied while waiting for some better times! So let’s go with some sewing related talk here.
Today I’m writing about a topic I get asked about a lot in class: overlockers (or also called sergers). So I figured it would be a good idea to gather my thoughts about the subject in a separate post. In this post I’m going to talk about how I would choose which overlocker to get if it’s the first time you’re choosing a machine like that. And in the next post I will share with you some of my favorite overlocker tips!
Of course there are many resources available online and with a bit of investigation you will probably find many blogs that talk about everything related to overlockers (their different stitches, how to thread them etc). I’m just sharing my particular point of view and experience here...if you’ve been around for a while (or if you’ve ever attended my classes) you probably already know that I don’t like to over complicate things, haha, so I’ll try to indicate you some easy to follow steps if you’re trying to decide which model you should get! You can also check out my previous sewing machine review post if you’re interested in advice about choosing a sewing machine.
Image from www.threadsmagazine.com
An overlocker does two very useful basic things: it creates neater finishings on your sewing projects and directly sews knit fabrics as the overlocker stitching is stretchy and does not break even when the fabric is stretched. As the overlocker trims fabric edges with the built in knives the result looks way more professional than the usual zig-zag option on your regular sewing machine. Of course there are other things you can use this machine for but as I mentioned, I’m all about not over complicating things, haha. If you want to check out different overlocker stitch options you can read this handy post at Threads Magazine
These two things I mentioned sound pretty amazing, right?! For a person who has been sewing for some time, knows that he/she really likes this hobby and feels like they want to step up their sewing game, an overlocker is a great tool. I want to remind you that it’s not an essential machine for a home sewer though...not everybody needs one and you really shouldn’t get an overlocker just because “everyone has it”. But if you have the combination of money, space to put it and time to actually use it, of course, go for it!
My Btother overlocker at my sewing space back when I was working from home
I had my first introduction to overlockers when I took a training course and properly learned how to sew before working some time in garment production, about ten years ago. The overlockers I learned to use were the industrial ones and looking back I’m glad that I didn’t have a previous experience with a domestic overlocker at that time as the domestic ones are way easier to figure out (the threading that most beginners are afraid of is quite clearly (and in color!) marked on all modern domestic overlockers) and I would have probably freaked out when I had to use the industrial ones.
Basically they work in the same way of course but the industrial ones are very fast and there are no guides about threading so you better know what you’re doing, haha. In retrospect I’m of course glad that I had to learn to thread the “hard” way as I really learned it for life! I also saw clearly how you can best learn anything related to threading an overlocker (or any skill actually!): just keep on threading it and fixing the mistakes...again and again. When I worked in production we had to switch between the machines and there was a good possibility that you would encounter an overlocker with some kind of threading problem that was left for you to solve. So annoying back then...so useful to build a skill when thinking about it now, talk about silver lining, hahaha.
Anyway...I got my own domestic overlocker a couple of years after that and it was due to work obligations too when I needed to sew some clothes for a garment shop. I bought the Brother 1034D about 7 years ago and it’s the machine I’ve been using both for my personal sewing and for the sewing classes I used to teach from home too. I think it’s a good quality machine for its price and it has definitely served me really well during the years.
The other overlocker I’ve been using for a long period is the Juki MO-644D that my mother has at her sewing room and when I’m in Estonia I use it for my sewing too. This model has a higher price point and you can see why...it really goes nicely through all types of fabric, it’s sturdy and smooth.
I’d say that choosing an overlocker is easier than choosing a sewing machine...basically because overlockers do mostly the same things so you probably don’t need to compare the different stitches etc. I mean of course there are machines with extra bells and whistles but I’d say that for what you need that machine these are not super important.
The two machines I’ve mentioned represent quite well two different categories of overlockers: the Brother is a lower class machine and the Juki is a middle class machine. Of course there are the expensive air threading models but I honestly don’t have experience with this type of magic machines and I assume that most of the people don’t have the budget to get them anyway (but if you do I’m sure that a machine retailer can show you all kinds of cool machines...you can also take a look on this site on the lower part if you filter by price, haha).
So when people ask me which overlocker they should get I usually first ask how much they can spend. If you’re low on budget but you know you’d like to get the machine I’d say just go for something like my Brother. I paid about 250 euros for it back then and it works well! I’ve been using it a lot and it really works nicely, I can’t say anything bad about it (and it actually has one handy thing I haven’t seen on any other overlockers: the presser foot lifting knob is on the right side of the machine, sooo much more comfortable than having it on behind the neeldes!). I’d have to have quite a lot of extra budget or some very important long term work task to consider buying a new one to replace it! As long as you go with a known machine brand (at this price point for example Brother, Elna or Janome) you will be ok.
In Spain they also sell these cheap overlockers from Singer (or other models by Silvercrest) at Lidl supermarkets and many people are happy with them. I can totally understand that and if you’re an occasional sewer this machine can be very helpful but my own experience with these has not been the most positive one. I don’t want to say that it’s a bad machine, it’s just a cheaper machine so you basically get what you paid for (or well, you won’t get what you didn’t pay for, haha). I regularly teach overlocker courses at the academy where people can come with their own machines so we can take a look at them so they can directly learn how to thread them and work with them in class. I have to say that practically every Singer/Silvercrest machine I’ve had to thread in those classes has given me some headaches, haha. I have now figured out the important points I have to check on those before even starting to hustle with their tension but yeah, you don’t really see this kind of problems with quality machines.
I mean if you'll get to know your overlocker and learn how to troubleshoot its possible problems you will be good with any machine. But if you can save up just a liiiitle bit more I’d get one of those overlockers I talked about before, you’ll notice the difference.
If you have a larger budget and you’d like to get an overlocker at the middle range price point I’d highly suggest you the Juki MO-644D as this machine, as I already mentioned before, is a really smooth one. When my mother got it the price was around 500 euros and I think that the machine is well worth it. Why would I recommend getting a machine like that? Well you most probably will buy only one overlocker so if you can spend the money...just do it. If you are willing to put this amount of money on the table you probably already value your time and honour your craft, you won’t be disappointed. Overlockers are not like sewing machines, I doubt that you will change yours like you would upgrade your sewing machine (then again, everyone is different so don’t take my word on that, haha, maybe one day you decide to go for that expensive air threading overlocker, who knows!). So once you do decide to get a nice machine like that you will thank yourself for the comfort it will bring you. Again, brands I’d go after at this price point are Juki, Janome, Elna, Pfaff, Bernina.
My students who live in Spain ask me if they should get an overlocker that has a brand service close by if they have any trouble in the future. I’d say that most sewing machines and overlockers are actually pretty similar so your machine will be serviced anywhere, you don’t have to go to a Juki retailer to fix your Juki. So I would say that just go with a good brand, if the machine needs to be fixed you can do it almost anywhere.
So as you can see I’m not entering into specifics here about stitches etc. That’s because I believe that 99% of overlockers will do what you need them to do which is basic 3/4 overlocking stitch. But I did divide the basic machines in these two price points. Now, would I say that the Juki that costs double compared to the Brother is two times better? Hmmmm….I guess it depends on what you consider “better” but the short answer for me is NO. Both machines do the same things and they do them well. It’s just that the more expensive one is more comfortable to use, it’s precise and it’s stronger + smoother. It really depends on the money you can spend! If you can only spend 250, go for the Brother (or similar), you’ll be fine. If you have the 500, go for the Juki (or similar) you’ll be very happy. Does that make sense, haha? It’s like with cars...all of them transport you from point A to the point B...but I’m sure you’ve driven a car that’s more comfortable and noticed it was really nice. Now, it depends on you and your budget which one you will be driving, hehe.
As I mentioned before I’m a very basic overlocker user. I want my machine to do well what it’s supposed to do and that’s it. I’ve been using both machines for years for a lot of sewing and I can say that I’m happy with both of them. Of course overlockers have other presser feet you can use to for example apply cording or gather fabrics so you can use your machine for even more things. My Brother actually came with these extra feet...that I haven’t used up until now, oups! I guess I’m just so lazy that when I have to gather something I prefer using my regular sewing machine (and then I can also check out if I like the result and if I do need to unpick something it will be only 2 threads not 4 like when using an overlocker!).
Most of the overlockers work with 2, 3 and 4 threads and this is what you need for all your basic sewing. There are also the models that can work with 5 threads, these essentially sew a straight stitch and overlock at the same time. I don’t really find this option necessary in home sewing where it’s preferable to first try on garments for example and then finish the edges. I did work with this type of machines in production as they do two things at the same time and save your precious working time. But at home I don’t think it’s worth the extra price.
My mothers sewing space including the industrial straight stitch Juki, Janome coverlocker, Juki overlocker and the basic Juki domestic sewing machine (I use this one for sewing lingerie when I’m in her place). She also has a very wide custom made high table for cutting and pretty garden view from big windows that let all the natural light in…it’s pretty much a dream sewing space, haha.
Another type of overlockers available are a mix of overlocker and coverlocker. Coverlocker is the machine that does the typical chain stitch (it can be a single row or two/three rows) you can see on the t-shirt hems for example. This stitching like the overlocker stitching is flexible and can be stretched. That’s why it’s used for hemming knit fabrics (if you don’t have a coverlock machine, like most of the people, you can either use a zig-zag stitch or twin needle on your regular sewing machine). So there are machines that are a combination of both of these machines. I haven’t worked directly with a machine like that but I’ve read in various places that it’s usually not very easy to switch from one function to another (I mean it’s not pushing a button and calling it a day) which might cause you to only use one of the functions (while you did pay an extra to have two of them). I know myself and if it’s too time consuming I just won’t bother...but hey, that’s only me, haha.
I bought my Brother overlock from Sewing Machines Direct when they still shipped this model to Spain. Right now they don’t and it costs quite a lot more here but one of my students at the overlocker course had bought the same model at Amazon UK which does ship to Spain and she got a better price there. Sewing Machines Direct has different Janome, Brother and Elna models that look really good! In Spain you can get the Juki overlocker for example from Seoane Textil or at different online shops.
So if you’re not sure if you need an overlocker the first thing I would do is to try one out yourself. You can usually test them at sewing machine retailer shops or you can also go to sewing classes and try them out there (as I mentioned, I do teach specific overlocker courses at Historias Hiladas Madrid and you can also try out these machines in our regular classes).
I hope this post has been useful for you and I’m sure you’ll be very happy when you do decide to get an overlocker...it’s especially great for sewing with knits, I’m sure you’ll love the experience. In my next post I’ll write about a couple of tips about these machines that have made my sewing life easier!
