What produces a better finished product (say, a tee-shirt) a regular sewining machine or a serger? I?

Question

I also would appreciate answers examining the differences... what exactly does a serger do that a non-serger doesn't do? Thanks in advance. Do fashion designers, professionals and small business seamstresses use sergers or something else? what are the disadvantages of a serger / and a regular sewing machine.

Answer 1

Sergers are highly specialized machines that stitch, finish raw edges and trims the seam all at the same time. For working with stretchy knits (like t-shirts) it is hands down the best way to sew them because the stitching gives with the material. I can serge a t-shirt together, ribbing, finishing and all faster than I can cut it out. For roll hemming napkins, table cloths, scarves, etc, a serger is by far the better machine for the task. For regular dressmaking, the serger is used to finish edges, but because of the narrow 1/4" seam allowance, it is not usually used as much for seaming. Many fabrics need a greater seam allowance to handle seam stress. A regular sewing machine can accomplish the same tasks as a serger, but it is not as fast. If you decide to add a serger to your sewing arsenal, a simple straightforward 4/5 thread with a differential will pretty much do all you need. Coverstitch is fun for embellishing, etc, but it is one of those bells and whistles where you have to switch out parts and reset your machine and probably is not worth the extra money. Also, there are a lot of barely used sergers out there for resale that would do the basics. I have a 20 year old White, but Babylock and Bernina have had sergers out for years, too and you can find them used at cheap prices. Gail Brown has written several serger basic books and I highly recommend looking them up at your library, so that you get a basic idea of what a serger can do.

Answer 2

You can stitch all kind of fabrics and most kind of seams on a regular sewing machine.
Sergers are mainly or only for stitching and finishing of seams where two pieces of fabric meet.
I never worked on a serger, never felt the need to even try one.

If you are a beginner at sewing, I would buy a regular sewing machine, not a serger.
Once you know about the basics, you can buy a serger on the side.

Answer 3

sergers finish the items seams. binding them off so they do not unravel, fray. like the inside of a sweatshirt were the cuff meets the sleeve. using a regular sewing machine your seams will not be as "finished" looking , may fray but you can still double stitch around them to help stop that. i used only a regular sewing machine for years, now i do "finish" the larger seams with the serger. if you are a occasional sewer i would stick with the regular basic sewing machine. i make almost all my kids their clothes so the expense of a serger was well worth it.

Answer 4

when you make a mistake on a regular sewing machine ,you can always rip it out and do it again. on a serger there is no margin for error as it sews and cuts the seam at the same time . I have an overlock st on my BERNINA sewing machine and there are different feet that come with it and it overlocks the edge perfectly after sewing the straight seam. it takes a little longer but worth it.