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  1. #1
    JCHaywire kc7fys's Avatar
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    Are there adequate benefits to a serger for the hammocker?

    I have been looking at a few sergers and surfing HF a bit on the topic. Check in. Do you use a serger machine? What kind? Do you think, for the outdoors gear making person, there's a reason to have a serger machine? What brand do you recommend?
    Thanks!
    Jonathan in St. Paul
    Haywire is my trail name, but I can't change it. Ha.

  2. #2
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    Everything I do is straight stitch. I haven't found a need for anything else.

  3. #3
    JCHaywire kc7fys's Avatar
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    That's more-or-less what I was thinking. Even the nicest stuff professionally made appears to be simple stitches.
    Haywire is my trail name, but I can't change it. Ha.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    The place where a serger excels is when working with stretch fabrics. The other place is for finishing edges of the fabric. IMO it is almost strictly a _sewing_ machine and has little application for the standard DIY bear maker. If you were looking to do commercial work that might make a difference. But unless you _sew_ I would think the investment would not be worth it.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

    We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series

    Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies

    Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint

  5. #5
    canoebie's Avatar
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    I love our serger. I use it for lots of things. Mainly because of the convenience of a finished edge. It is quick and easy. My wife has it though. I did not buy it.
    “Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
    ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

  6. #6
    JCHaywire kc7fys's Avatar
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    PRELIMINARY VERDICT: I'm going to stick with my JC Penney 1510 and invest in some basic lessons through Community Education. I have made a few items, but have to admit I'm still not versed in the basics of zipper installation, seam usage, etc.
    Haywire is my trail name, but I can't change it. Ha.

  7. #7
    Senior Member MarshLaw303's Avatar
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    SERGER is nice for clothes as it finishes the edge and sews the seam in 1 pass. it eliminates the need to roll a hem which reduces the bulk of the seam. it is only an issue with clothes as bulky seams can be uncomfortable. however, a serger could be used on seams that would typically need multiple passes for strength. i think a pack would be a great product to use a serger on. you can get a lot of stitching on there in one pass and have a finished edge on the inside. most companies use gross grain to finish the inside pack edges, but that adds a lot of weight (ok "lot" is a subjective term). for hammocks and quilts i don't see any advantage or reason to use one at all so it depends what you plan to make.

    -Tim

  8. #8
    silentorpheus's Avatar
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    I use my wife's serger exclusively for finishing edges. She has it threaded without the final needle that actually sews the hem, so any hems need to be sewn with a standard machine first. After that, I use the trimming blade and clean up all my edges. Works great for ripstop in my opinion, seeing as you don't have to worry about burning/singeing the edges, or wasting the time doing long rolled hems. The thing sews FAST (sometimes too fast, gotta watch it like a hawk) and leaves a clean professional edge.

    It's more a matter of style over function. A stuff sack with unfinished, fraying hems works just as well as one where the edges were sealed with a candle flame. Little rolled hems work even better ... but knowing that if I turn my stuff sacks inside out the hems will look like the stuff you buy off the shelf at the camping store - makes me smile.

    All that being said, if I didn't already have one in the house, I woudn't really see the need to get one. YMMV.

  9. #9
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    re

    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?

  10. #10
    Senior Member MarshLaw303's Avatar
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    i don't own a serger and would never trade my machine in for one. i do think if it was all you had you could still make some nice gear. the serger can't do everything a machine can, but most of gear making is straight lines so again if it was all you had i think you would do ok. if i was buying something and had to choose, sewing machine, but thats what i know.

    -Tim

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