learning to serge, day 1

Holy crap, this machine is terrifying.

I’m really glad that it came pre-threaded. First I tested it out on some scraps. Then I decided to try seaming together the neckband I had previously cut out for a t-shirt…

…and promptly made my first bird’s nest. d’oh.

I guess I need to re-cut that neckband, since I accidentally hacked off a good piece of it.

Figuring out how to remove said bird’s nest was an adventure, but at least I noticed it before my machine ground to a halt. I assume this is sorta like a normal sewing machine: when something goes wrong, stop and fix it.

Anyway. Bird’s nest removed, I decided it was time to rethread. Because obviously a good share of problems come from threading issues, right…? Plus I had to learn this eventually.

Thank god for Youtube, because threading the lower looper was driving me crazy! I didn’t realize that the lever up there (with the two sideways arrows) actually slid outwards until I watched a video. Naturally, the manual doesn’t mention it. I guess I need to get better at reading symbols.

Some thoughts so far:

• holy crap, this machine goes so fast and is so loud and it’s scary
• I definitely am going to be threading it powered off. I feel so clumsy trying to figure out where to put all the threads, and I could easily envision cutting myself on that knife
• wow, I actually needed tweezers
• wow, I’m glad I bought a few cones of serger thread, this thing consumes a lot of thread
• I love my label maker with all my heart – there are some good diagrams on this machine but I need words, dammit
• there’s a lot of new stuff to learn, but it feels tractable
• I’m so excited to get better at using this, because omg can you imagine how fast I’ll be able to make t-shirts?

Things I still have to figure out/practice:

• how to thread successfully with the presser foot still attached (lol): so far I’ve been able to do this correctly but only if I take the presser foot off first
• practice practice practice sewing in a straight line / with a consistent seam allowance
• when do I need to use a regular sewing machine for construction vs this one?