Skip the Pins

Keep your pins in your cushion

There are many situations in sewing where pinning is an absolute necessity; laying a tissue pattern on unstable fabrics to prepare for cutting, holding a sleeve in place to ready for basting, holding various layers of fabric together, holding trim in place, etc. But there is a time when pinning will hold you back. When using Lycra blend fabrics, you need to be able to access its stretchable qualities and pins can get in the way.

For fast and smooth serging, skip the pinning. It can be a little scary at first to face a long, unpinned seam at the serger, but remember that your hands can do the job even better than pins. You need flexibility and control of both layers as it is being fed under the presser foot. You should also be aware of your notches and use them only as a point of reference. Never forcibly stretch one layer of fabric to make notches match.

Align the beginning and ends of each seam before serging, making any necessary adjustments every 5 to 8 inches to keep the ends even.

The feed dogs stretch and pull the underneath layer of fabric as the presser foot is pushing and holding down the upper layer of fabric. The two layers are not being fed evenly and therefore one side of the fabric can be longer than the other at the end of your seam.

While serging a stretch fabric seam, continually adjust the feed of the fabrics under the presser foot to keep the layers even. Hold the layers of fabric together behind the presser foot with your left hand. Gently pull the fabric from behind, just enough to put tension on the fabric as it moves under the presser foot. Use your right hand to guide the fabric (do not push) in front of the presser foot.  

Pins should not be in control of your stitching; you should be adjusting the way the fabric is being fed into the machine the entire time you are serging.

Happy Sewing,
Christine