--- On Sat, 11/29/08, julian wilson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
<snip>
> what are the advantages of having a serger for use in the
> making of replica historical fabric items?
<snip>
Greetings Lord Matthew,
It took me many years to actually acquire a serger/overlocker for my historical
costumes, which I ended up buying a low-end Brother for my simple needs. It
works well for finishing edges, like I have for my skirts, since I don't always
fully line my skirts, depending on fabric. I have one early 16th century linen
camping dress where I hand sewed the bodice completely, but serged & machine
stitched the skirt, since I found that I do not have the time or patience to
hand sew long seams like on skirts. And since I wanted the dress for the heat
of the summer, the skirts are not lined. I did hand sew the hem up (serged the
edge, then turned once), and hand sewed the skirt to the edge of the bodice.
The serged edges help to prevent the fraying that linen otherwise loves to do.
That said, I most often use a serger when making modern clothing or costumes
for my kids, and it has helped speed up the finishing of edges before I sew the
pieces together with my regular sewing machine. My daughters velvet dress is
nicely finished for the most part, although I did forget to finish some parts,
which need to be done now by hand.
So, in my limited experience, it works best as a time saving edge finisher when
I am not concerned with 100% historically accurate costumes or I am making
modern garments. It otherwise collects dust (thankfully it is usually covered).
My main sewing machine is used a lot more.
Kimiko
(aka Joan Silvertoppe in the SCA)
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