I bought a serger...now what do I do?

I have read through the manual that came with it (a Brother 1034d) and, um....am still confused about a few things:

1. What thread am I supposed to use? With my regular machine, for quilting and clothes making, I had been trying to find 100% cotton thread. But the manual mostly talks about rayon and poly threads. Is that what everyone uses?

2. The accessory package contained four cone like objects...what are those for?

3. When sewing clothes....do I only serge the seams or is it just for finishing the seams? If just for finishing...do you just keep a basic thread (White? Off white?) on the machine at all times? Buying four spools of thread and threading that sucker for every project frightens me a bit. My goal for the machine was mostly for clothes.

4. Any resources that you particularly recommend for using the serger? I got a book called Ready, Set, Serge but it doesn't talk about clothes at all.

Thanks!

Bonnie

I have the same machine. Mine came with a DVD. Admittedly I didn't watch the main one but I did watch the part about ruffling and I thought it was pretty helpful.

1. I think most people use polyester thread, it's stronger and more elastic than cotton. I have white, black, and ecru. I also plan to get a darker gray/taupe color as well. It sounds expensive at first but I've been using these same cones since I bought the machine at least two years ago. I have also used cotton thread but only when I plan on being able to dye the finished object. There is also something called Wooly Nylon or Polyarn (same idea but polyester instead of nylon) which is very soft and springy, almost like yarn, you only use it in the loopers (makes the zigzag part) which is nice for doing rolled hems, finishing fleece, baby garments, anywhere you want a supersoft seam.

2. I think you stick those on the thread pins to keep the cones from rolling around. If you are using regular spools then you don't need them. Also those short mesh tubes are for using the fuzzy yarns like wooly nylon, don't lose them!

3. As I mentioned above I only use a few basic colors since it's rare that the serging will show. I have on one occasion run off a few bobbins so that I could do a rolled hem in a matching thread. You can use it for finishing or for actual seams. I find that it depends on the fabric especially woven or knit and and where the seam is. Any seam that will bear weight I generally serge and then do a second line on the regular machine unless I know I'm going to topstitch it later. But there are times when I'm in a hurry or doing a repair, etc and I just use the serger, haven't had any problems except occasionally the thread shows because I didn't use matching thread. The biggest problem with threading for me was remember the order to thread in so I just wrote the numbers one through four right on the machine! It's really not hard once you do it a few times just takes a little longer than the regular machine. Someone I know ties the new thread to the old thread and then carefully runs it through. I've tried that and don't find it any faster.

4. Ask questions here. Use your scraps and just test. I usually leave all my tensions on 4 for one or two layers of quilting cotton. I learned a lot just by messing up the tension and then following the steps in the book on how to adjust the tension so that the stitches are perfect. I kept that page of the manual open for a long time! Try adjusting the width and length and the differential. One at a time of course, so you can see what those do to the same fabric. Then you'll start to get an idea of how to adjust when you use a different fabric. Recently when I work with a new fabric I write down the tension settings on a scrap piece of the actual fabric once I get it to my liking and then I pin it on the idea board above my machine. That way if I use the same type/weight of fabric I have a good idea where to start. I have a scrap of home dec canvas with one serged edge pinned to my board with the tension settings written in permanent marker.

Just dive in. For the longest time I didn't feel like I needed it or wasn't sure I would use it or how. Now that I've had one for a while, I wouldn't want to be without it! And not just for knits. I find that it's a great time saver and I feel more like sewing in those few minutes the kids let me!