Serger Do's And Dont's

Serger Do's and Dont's

4/17/2021

36 Comments

• Use good quality synthetic cone thread. Lesser quality threads are made up of short fibers, break easily, and leave more fuzz. You can also use regular spools of sewing thread in your serger if you're in a pinch for color matching your fabric. In this case, I prefer to use a thinner thread such as Mettler or Guttermann.
• Practice serging with threads that are color matched to your machine's tension dials to become familiar with making tension adjustments.
• Change needles frequently, using correct type & size for your machine. A universal size 14 is considered pretty standard but I sometimes use a size 11 or 12.
• Insert needles in the proper direction and up as far as they will go. When removing needles use the appropriate screwdriver and loosen the screw just enough to remove the needle. Leave screw at that semi-loose position until you put another needle in its place. If you tighten down the screw each time you remove a needle you may eventually form a burr. A burr can prevent needles from going all the way up into the hole.
• For most standard sergers you will want to thread machine in this order: Upper looper first, Lower looper second, and Needles last. In general, the right needle is threaded first and the left needle second. If either of your loopers need to be re-threaded it is best to unthread the needle(s), rethread the looper(s), and then re-thread the needles last. If you don't want to un-thread and re-thread, then you’ll need to make sure the needle threads are brought to the top of the throat plate and placed under the foot to the back of the machine, after you re-thread a looper and before forming a stitch. This is VERY important! If needle threads are caught behind a looper when your loopers are re-threaded, the looper thread will simply break again. Following this rule will prevent lots of serger frustration.
• Oil as specified in the manual. Clean face and lower area of machine with a soft brush. I like to use a 1-inch paint brush for cleaning the face and a stiffer nylon sewing machine brush to clean the blades and lower area. I also use a vacuum while brushing and avoid canned air.
• Change needles regularly. You can usually "hear" a needle get dull. a dull needle makes a popping sound. Dull or damaged needles can also snag fabric and cause runs or holes.
• When re-threading or starting off with a new stitch formation, take the first few stitches by hand to make sure the stitch forms and everything is running smoothly before using the foot control.
• Make some sort of obvious notation to serve as a warning if you disengage the cutting blade for a particular technique. I like to write a note on post it note paper that says Warning! Blade Disengaged! I leave it on my machine until I have re-engaged the cutting blade.
• Test your stitches on long scraps of the same fabric before sewing on the actual project. You will waste more thread with short test pieces as you'll have to chain on and off while testing. Use a long piece, stitch a few inches, check, adjust as necessary, and continue until you're satisfied with your adjustments.
• Avoid using pins with a serger or be sure to use them parallel to the seam, far away from the blades. Pins and serger blades are mortal enemies. Keep them away from each other at all costs!

• Don’t turn the handwheel backwards once needles have been threaded. You will tangle the threads and make a mess.
• Don’t pull hard on the fabric from the front or back. This can cause the needles to hit the loopers, causing burrs on one or both.
• Don’t sew beyond the edge of the throat plate when the cutting blade has been disengaged. Remember the warning system described above.
• Don’t re-thread the machine without following the proper threading order. Remember the rule about always threading needles last!
• Don’t use inferior quality threads or old cotton threads. Cotton thread is usually a poor choice for any serger project. Tension on serger thread can make cotton snap and break easily.
• Don’t neglect oiling! Most sergers require some, if not more oiling than you may think. If your serger has been sitting for a while be sure to oil before using. Too little oil is not a good thing but too much is not good either. Check your manual for specific oiling details. I like to periodically oil the blades of the serger with a cotton swab. This helps clean off residue and makes blades last longer.
• Don’t serge at an erratic pace, meaning fast, slow, fast, slow. Instead, stitch at a steady, even pace. Stitching at an even pace will make the threads jiggle less and the tension will be more even. This is particularly important on sergers that are more in the budget range price wise.

Thank you so much Joanne for all of these tips! I really learned a lot of dos and don'ts. Since my two sergers were used and bought online, my knowledge has been just through the manuals.

Hi Gail! I'm so glad this was helpful. Serger manuals tend to be pretty skimpy. Aside from basic threading information and a few technical diagrams, they don't really inform the user about the ins and outs of serging. Stay tuned for more info to come :-)

Great reminders, especially oiling and needle sizes! And just plain using them!

Great to hear from you Pat! I'm glad to know this info was helpful for you. Oiling is super important! I once had a student whose machine was frozen due to lack of oiling. She felt a little sheepish because she co-owned a machine shop with her husband and knew better. A good oiling and she was up and running again!

Thank you for the do's and don'ts. I have been having trouble with my lower looper in which the thread keeps breaking. I used cheaper thread when I started with the serger. The lower looper started breaking after I worked on some fleece. So I took it into my Brother Dealer and they will give it a tune up. Thank you for the cleaning tip.

Hi Paula! If timing is off or there are burrs somewhere, that can cause thread breakage too. Machines need TLC now and then. Consider it a trip to the sewing machine spa :-) Thanks for reading the post and leaving a comment.

Hi Joann, It's in the shop, thanks for your comment.

Hope you're back to happily stitching soon Paula!

Thanks, Joann. I think I need to oil my Serger. Haven't done it in awhile.

Hello Clovis! One of the reasons sergers need more oiling is because all the accumulated fuzz soaks it up. Your manual should show the important points. Essentially, it is wherever metal rubs against metal. While I've never seen advice to oil the blades, I've been doing it for years, just like I oil my scissors and shears. Give your serger some TLC and it will serve you well. Happy sewing!

Can you put the dues and don’ts into a PDF that I could laminate it and put under my surgery please I think it would help all of us to have it really handy next to our machine

Your wish is granted Karen! I've added a link to a PDF download so you can print these tips. Enjoy!

thank you, I never recall seeing anything about oiling my serger and since my reg. machine says i do not need oil, i did the old assume thing and have NEVER oiled my serger. this is truly a treasure trove of information. I learn something new every blog post.thank you

So glad to hear from you brendalynne1 :-) It's really helpful to know you are learning from each post. Thanks for taking the time to write!

Hi Joanne, I am looking forward to the SMP Virtual Hoop Fest that you are going to present at. Thanks for the Serger Dos and Don'ts. I printed off a copy for each one of my sergers

Hello Gail! The SMP Hoop Fest will be a lot of fun, I'm sure of that! It was great to hear from you!

Thank you so much Joanne for your great information for our sergers. You are so generous with your knowledge and I appreciate all the information that you share with all of us. You are an earth angel....

My oh my Theresa! Your kind comments made my day! Thank you!!!

Great list of do's and don'ts, JoAnne! Thanks!

I'm super glad to know you found these helpful Susan! My next tip sheet will have information about 2, 3, and 4 thread serger stitches. Stay tuned!

Joanne thanks for the reminders. The only place I have heard of oiling the blade was when I purchased my old Berninia serger in 1996. The one point was oil your blade! I have done it on all sergers since. After oiling I run a scrap of fabric through to make sure any excess oil is off before using my good fabric. I oil my machine as you said every where metal touches metal! Your comments are always so good on maintaining our valuable equipment! Thanks!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Genny! Knowing what TO do and what NOT to do can same lots of time and frustration. I just want you and everyone else to enjoy the time spent in your sewing space. Your tip for running scrap fabric through the machine is a very good one. Thanks for mentioning it!

Thank you for the info. Gotta dust off my serger.

Hello Kathleen! I'm glad to know this tip sheet prompted you to dust off that little baby! Happy stitching!

Thanks Joanne! Love your blog and all the detailed instructions.

Your comments are very much appreciated Janet! Thanks so much for taking the time to write!

Hi Joanne, Just printed the serger info. Will be so nice to have close by to review before I begin a new project. Thanks for the printed version, very helpful.

Glad to offer something helpful for you Christy! It was great to hear from you :-)

I have a Brother overlocker and the loops are hitting each other and get jammed. Is there a way to fix this myself or do I need to take it to a technician?

Hi Rachel, sorry for the delay in responding to your question. If your loopers are misaligned and actually touching, that is indeed a job for a technician. Sergers require perfect timing to form the stitch properly. Hope you get it fixed and are ready to serge some nice projects once again!

thanks for the great article, keep up the good work

I just bought an old (1987?) Singer Ultralock. I’ve never used a serger and had heard a lot of horror stories about them so I figured this $60 would be a good place to start. I also figured I was buying a $60 headache. I took this baby home, spent a few hours cleaning (so much lint and dust!), threaded her up, and to my amazement she ran like a charm! I still need to work on tension, and buy some decent serger thread, but that will be fun. You mention oiling above - I can’t find anywhere in the manual that says I need to oil the machine. Is it possible this little baby doesn’t need oiling?

Are there any common misconceptions about serger usage? What are the corresponding "Don'ts" to dispel these myths?

GOOD

Are there specific techniques for managing curves and corners when serging?

nice for information, thank you !

Leave a Reply.

Author:

Joanne BankoFreelance Sewing EducatorI'd love to stay in touch with you!Click Hereand Sign up for​Sewing News, plus tips, tricks, and notifications about new blog posts.

Archives

December 2025 November 2025 August 2025 June 2025 May 2025 March 2025 February 2025 December 2024 October 2024 September 2024 March 2024 February 2024 September 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 January 2022 December 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 November 2020 October 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 March 2018 February 2018 December 2017 September 2017 August 2017 June 2017 April 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 October 2015 September 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 March 2015 January 2015 October 2014 July 2014 May 2014 March 2014 January 2014

*As a believer in full disclosure, I'd like you to know that Blog posts may contain affiliate links for products and services I know and trust. Purchasing items through a link marked * results in a small commission for me, with no extra charges for you.

Categories

All

RSS Feed