Are there adequate benefits to a serger for the hammocker?

[Ramblinrev]

A serger can not do what the standard thread injector can do. With a standard machine you can sew baffles on the interior of a quilt. That is not possible with a serger. At best the stitches would be wrong for the application creating a bulk that would be undesirable. At worst, the cutting blades of the serger could not be disabled and you would end up slicing your your quilt into nice smooth strips that are sewn together. If you can only have one machine... opt for a traditional sewing machine. If you want to splurge and add another machine to your arsenal go for the serger. But for the money you are better off using the traditional machine over the serger.

[silentorpheus]

Let me ask this a different way.

If one had a only a serger could they make gear with it or would you have to have a regular thread injector as well?


I have been told they excel at stretchy fabrics of which we only use a few (and can make do with on a normal machine) and from another that they are really just for edges that fray of which I'm not sure we mess too much with???


I get the impression the two machines are almost always used the way a construction professional would use two power drills. One setup for screws, and the other for the pilot holes even though they could really do the same job if you wanted to take the time to change setups for every hole or job.
Compare that to say a set of pitchforks and a shovel, they are kind of similar but not really interchangeable at all.
Or maybe I'm way off base?

I would think that having ONLY a serger would be very limiting in what you could make. A serger is an overlock stitch machine, as opposed to a standard lockstitch machine. With a serger you may or may not be able to sew a flat felled seam, and I definitely don't think you can do bar tacking or any other zig-zag stitching. Basic seams, hems, etc. are fine, but that's only half of what one normally needs to do.