Should I Buy This Serger? Advice For New Sewers

I often get emails from new sewers asking for advice on buying a serger. I've done posts about sergers before, but I've never done one that specifically addresses buying your first serger. So here it is:

First off, this article is intended for novice sewers who have never purchased a serger and have very basic sewing skills. Advanced sewers have completely different needs so this article probably wont be applicable.

There are too many brands for me to go down the list and do an in-depth review of each one - besides, I've never used half of them. What I can do is give you some advice that will help out with the basics of the first-time buying process.

I tend to over-simplify things, but the way I see it you have two options. You can either buy a new serger or a used one.

Let's start with buying a new serger. For your first serger I think it's a good idea to start off with a cheaper machine. Yes, I said it. Buy a CHEAP machine to start. Have you ever searched for sergers on Craigslist or Ebay? You know all those high-end machines you see on those sites for half price? They all say, "perfect condition, only used once." Those people didn't start out with cheap machines. The truth is, most people don't turn out to be awesome sewers right away and they're not willing to practice. Be honest with yourself. If you're just starting out do you really need a $2000 machine? If you don't like it you're gonna have to sell it at a huge loss, whereas if you buy a $200 machine you can probably resell it for $150 (a very small loss) if you don't like it.

What kind of CHEAP machine should you get?
Get a Sears machine. Don't get me wrong, Sears machines aren't very good, BUT if you pay the extra $50 for the maintenance agreement you can take it in anytime for repairs and tune-ups. I will warn you: the guys who service these things are not very good at what they do so you'll have to take it in three or four times for each repair. But it's free. The Sears machine will cost you about $200 - the same as a Target or Joanns machine. But you don't get the maintenance agreement on the Target or Joanns machine.

What about all those other $200-$400 machines, should I buy one of those?
No. The Sears warranty is invaluable. The bells and whistles on the Super-EZ-Stitch-2000 might look cool, but when they break you're sure going to hate paying an average of $75-150 to get it fixed. As far as cheap machines go, it's Sears or nothing. Think about it this way: when you get that new machine home you're going to want to play with all the fun settings, and there's a good chance you'll mess them all up. If you bought the Target or Joanns machine - forget about it. It's done. The thing will sit in the closet until you pay someone to adjust all the settings or you throw it out. With the Sears machine (if you buy the maintenance agreement) you just take it in and tell them it isn't sewing properly. They'll reset everything for free and even replace parts if needed.

But I found this really neat-o machine on Ebay and the description says it's the same as a $2000 machine, but since it's made by a sister company they're selling for $199 - and it's new in the box: should I get it?
Okay, sure. Ebay sellers are usually the most honest people in the world. Just kidding. I'm telling you - stick with Sears for your first machine. If you get the maintenance agreement you'll get your money's worth out of it. Quit trying to find a better deal and just go with a Sears machine.

What do you think about used machines?
I think you can probably score a great deal on a used machine at an estate sale. Don't be afraid to haggle on the price. But, before you go shopping, get to know the name brands because, at an estate sale or on Craigslist, you should NOT buy a cheap-o machine. You can find a high quality name brand one for the same price as the crappy one. But, since you're getting such a good price I think you should invest a few dollars and take it into a local repair shop for oiling and adjusting.

Should I get a machine with all kinds of options? More is better, right?
To start out I think it's best to go with a more basic machine. You gotta walk before you can run. Keep it simple, learn how to use the basic features really well, then worry about the advanced options later. Superfluous features add to the cost and they add to the list of things that could go wrong. Remember, you're just starting out, be logical.

Do I need a 4 or a 5 thread serger?
You really only need a 4 thread machine. The 5th thread is an added option that most novices wont need. A 4 thread machine will serve as a great starting point for most beginners.

I didn't read the article, I just skipped to the conclusion. What's your conclusion?
Don't buy a new expensive machine. If you're buying new start out with a Sears machine, but be sure to buy the maintenance agreement. If you're buying used, don't buy a cheap machine, go with a good one. But be sure to get it serviced. Start out with a simpler 4 thread machine. You don't need an elaborate 5 thread right away.

They can't all be winners: Outtakes Jan 27 shoot

I like to show where I'm shooting so you can see that these aren't magical spots hidden from the public with perfect lighting. Cars drive by, guys stop and stare, people honk, and the sun get in the way (or worse, it disappears). Most of this week's pics were shot on the Rollins College campus. Most of the campus looks like this: beige buildings, street lights, palm trees, and champagne colored cars. I try to use something I call the 12 inch rule. Which is to simply concentrate on an area no more than 12 inches around the model. So if there's an ugly mailbox 13 inches to the left, no problem because you're only gonna shoot (or crop the pic) to show the area immediately surrounding the model.
I was so excited about this top. Unfortunately, we ran out of daylight and all of the pics I took were really crappy. I really tried to make this pic work. Aside from cropping and resizing I don't Photoshop any of my pics. Once you start messing with the image colors you change the way the clothing looks. Here the overhead light killed us. The model's skin is definitely not that color. So this one will have to wait. I'll re-shoot it the next time I go out and hope to get some better pics. You'd never know it by the model's face, but this was a very busy part of campus. Guys were opening and closing this big heavy door right behind me and it was loud and each time it opened there was a huge gust of wind - not at all ideal shooting conditions. Also, I know the hanging moss in the back makes it look all steamy and warm. Think again! It was about 58 degrees - not tank top weather.
Again, the palm trees and pond sure give the impression of a balmy Florida evening, but it's January and 55-58 is cold when you're not used to it. Don't get me wrong, it aint like Ontario, but for us, it's cold. The lack of sun really made this pic tough. If you look at my Etsy account you'll see more pics of this dress in the same location - except there's daylight. We fought with the sun waiting for it to fall into a position where we could shoot and not blind either one of us. I actually kind of like this picture. The crappy lighting and bleak flash make it look like something out of the American Apparel catalog - funny!.
Anyway, it goes to show, things are not always sunny in sunny Orlando.

Crappy Apartment Complex Photoshoot

Were these pics taken on a ranch? Maybe the park? Or maybe they were taken out in the woods next to a cute little pond? NOPE!!! This batch of photos was taken on the side of a very unattractive apartment complex on a dismal Sunday afternoon.

It goes to show that anyone can take decent pics with just a little effort and a good eye. I've noticed that lots of Etsy sellers have good intentions and try to take good pics of their products, but they fall victim to convenience. "it's too hot, it's too cold, it's too rainy, I don't have time, are all handy excuses. But what it all boils down to is: if you take pride in what you make you should also take pride in how you present it on Etsy.

You wouldn't know it by these pictures but this is the kind of place where two young girls really shouldn't be walking around with a digital camera. In fact, the reason we were shooting here was because the model lost her keys and didn't feel comfortable leaving the apartment unlocked. In addition to the bad location, it was also rainy, kind of humid and super windy. So we made the best of it.

I guess we could have shot the pics against an inside wall, but then we would have had very boring pictures. Instead we took the initiative to take a walk around the complex and find the cute ranch style fence and the retention pond. Before cropping there were crappy cars, beige walls, sidewalks, power boxes, light poles and all kinds of other ugly stuff.

As for lighting, we just had to tough it out and shoot between the clouds to get the warm sun glow. The wind was a bitch, you can even see it in a couple pics.

Don't think for a minute that I think these are professional pictures. What I do think is that they show the clothing and the model in an attractive way. They make the scene look better than it was in person. They also show that I'm proud of what I make and how it looks. I really hope that you'll be proud to wear these pieces.

Indie Design Mood Board

SEE WHAT HELPS ME THINK


Sometimes my head is just too full of ideas to hold everything so I use this simple board and push pins to help gather my thoughts. Here's a look at some of the things I'm thinking about for my upcoming designs and how they inspire me.
Starting at the top left corner and moving clockwise:

I like the photo of the gal leaning against the pole because of the warm sky and sand. I know it's probably colder where you are, but Florida has a way of being the coldest place on Earth (for Floridians).

Next you'll see some individual cut outs. There's nothing really sublime about any of these. I just found a few things I liked over the last few months and posted them. It's kind of like highlighting in a textbook.

The Banner Pilot 'thing' is actually a hand screened LP sleeve that was given to me by Brian at Kiss of Death records. I cut it to about seven inches and stapled around the sides and now use it to hold important papers - I took the papers out for the photo because they looked kind of messy.

Next, in the top right corner is the rotating color wheel. I don't care how well you know your contrast and analogous colors, this is a very useful tool - get one.

Below the color wheel are a couple of Jo-Ann's coupons. You never know when you're gonna need a new pair of scissors and 40-50% off will sure help. Keeping them on the board reminds me that I have them.

Under the coupons is a free pamphlet on grommets I got at Jo-Anns. It's free knowledge, why not grab one? I've also got a bunch of pins jumbled up there and a few fabric swatches from my Fall collection.

The pattern is really cool. It's from the 60's. I generally don't use patterns, but I really liked this one. I tried using it and, like many commercial patterns, it didn't fit me right. One of these days I'll make the necessary changes.

You can just barely see a postcard from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some people like the pyramids, some like France, I like South America.

Next you'll see some sheet music. You might have guessed, from all the guitars in my pictures, that we're pretty musical over here. I've started playing the fiddle. Some people call it a violin, but I play the fiddle. The sheet music is a popular Irish jig called the Swallow Tail Jig.

At the bottom left you'll see more pics that I like. I mostly like the lighting. I'm always doing photoshoots, and am in no way a photographer, but I like to try to add a little something extra to my pics.

Finally, in the middle, you can see a set of my own illustrations. They're nothing fancy, but in school you gotta learn to do it, so I try to draw stuff out from time to time.

There you have it. That's what's making me tick at this moment. I change this thing all the time. I'm always looking for new things and ideas. If you design anything I recommend you try using one of these things.