Serger quilts

[Jean Sewing Machine]

Have any of you ever tried a serger quilt? I saw a YouTube video on a Quilt In A day, a gentleman made a whole quilt in a day including quilting it on a longarm. He pieced the top using a serger. It seemed like it was a very long day, but he did it. Since I use my serger so much for sewing, I am wondering how it would do for piecing a quilt top. Any thoughts on this?

[toggpine]

I will sometimes serge the seams if the fabric is delicate or has a tendency to fray. I would imagine that a whole quilt could be done on a serger. The seam allowances would be bulkier with the additional thread. A block pattern with strips or squares would be pretty doable. I'd probably leave the triangles/pinwheels/circles off of the serge list. The seam intersections would be mighty thick.

Let us know how it turns out if you try one!
Cathy

[Jean Sewing Machine]

I will sometimes serge the seams if the fabric is delicate or has a tendency to fray. I would imagine that a whole quilt could be done on a serger. The seam allowances would be bulkier with the additional thread. A block pattern with strips or squares would be pretty doable. I'd probably leave the triangles/pinwheels/circles off of the serge list. The seam intersections would be mighty thick.

Let us know how it turns out if you try one!
Cathy

I might try it. The ones I've seen online were log cabin style quilts with wider logs. Some used a flatlock style egde that showed on the front, an interesting concept.

[Slokarma]

Nancy Z has a video on this. I don't remember if she said or someone else commented, but besides being a bit bulkier, which probably could be lessened some depending on stitch choice and thread, I remember someone commenting on it being tougher to rip out mistakes.

[rebeccas-sewing]

Slokarma, I could definitely see that being a problem! I might try it on something small just to see how it finishes before contemplating a large serger project. It would certainly give one strong seams, especially if it's being washed lots and lots. I imagine anything for baby gets lots of washing so it might be good to do a trial on a baby quilt!

[Bubby]

Yes, the ripping could be a real headache, couldn't it! I always have to rip something out on every quilt I make.

[madampolo]

If you can believe it, I bought a serger off the TV's QVC site. When it arrived, I said that it was much too complicated for me. It is still in its case never used. That's been about 10 years now. I do wish I knew how to use it. The quilt I saw was one that had the seams showing on the top, and they used decorative threads. I am going to search for those videos. Maybe it would inspire me to give the serger a try. It should still be ok since it's in a case.

[Denis]

I've been thinking about doing this and making a duvet cover.

Kay Wood has a book on making a 6 hour quilt using a serger. You can use a regular machine but have to go over each seam twice using 2 different stitches. Here's the Youtube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOTV-YSF-48

[Slokarma]

This is not the video I was thinking of, so I'll keep looking.

But here's the link: http://www.nancyziemantv.com/serging...-serger-quilt/

[Jean Sewing Machine]

If you can believe it, I bought a serger off the TV's QVC site. When it arrived, I said that it was much too complicated for me. It is still in its case never used. That's been about 10 years now. I do wish I knew how to use it. The quilt I saw was one that had the seams showing on the top, and they used decorative threads. I am going to search for those videos. Maybe it would inspire me to give the serger a try. It should still be ok since it's in a case.

They are only complicated to thread, once you master that process, they are so easy and fast. I have only bought BabyLocks ( on my 4th one in 20 years) because they use an air threading system, one two three you're done. And I've become a master at ripping out serged seams. Can you tell I 've had plenty of practice doing that? Don't be afraid, if you need to build strong garments quickly, the serger is the way to go! Since I make costumes, I wouldn't get my jobs done without one of these because they sew 3 times faster than sewing machines.