A couple of weeks ago, I had a seriously good post day ...

My first ever overlocker!

Or is it a serger? I never know what to call this thing. I'm English so overlocker, but I live in the States, so serger. I'm going with serger purely because it's two less syllables and therefore easier to say and type.

Aaaaanyway.

I was the very lucky recipient of a Juki MO-644D as a birthday present from my incredible inlaws. It stayed in the box for a week until I had some time to sit down with a manual and thread it. The actual threading was relatively straightforward, although I initially had some stitch problems ... But, once I'd gone for a walk around the block and got a little bit of perspective about how much it actually mattered in the grand scheme of things, clear rational thought saved the day and I realised I simply hadn't pulled the thread through one of the tension doodahs correctly.

Up until now I've sewn all my knits on my Janome Sewist 500, which has done the job effectively - particularly when I discovered the knit stitch. But there was something lacking in the robustness of the seams and the finish just wasn't very neat.

Oh my goodness the serger is a revelation. I did the terrible thing of not testing anything (I had never touched a serger in my life before I opened the Juki's box) and just, um, going with some reviews I read online. Eek.

I'm not going to review it in any shape or form as I have nothing to compare it to and no experience. All I can say is that it is kind of like the sewing apparatus version of a bull in a china shop. There is no finesse here (particularly with my novice cackhanded handling of the thing), but it is SO quick and the end result is so pretty.

Juki's maiden voyage was on this metallic plum Shadi skirt. It's a very simple knit skirt from Named Clothing - literally one pattern piece, cut twice, two seams and an elastic waistband. Due to the lack of serging prowess here, I basted the seams first for everyone's safety and before I knew it I had a skirt. It probably took an hour and it's lovely due to this gorgeous fabric from Tessuti.

This is the second pencil skirt I've made out of this fabric. Initially I used the Mabel skirt pattern from Colette Patterns, but I burnt it badly, tried to make a feature of the seams, which failed, and I actually prefer the security of having a nice tight elastic waistband rather than the self fabric style used in the Mabel. So Shadi it is.

Things I've learnt

Basic operation of a serger
Always always test the heat of the iron before putting it to your lovely finished garment.
I love me a pencil skirt.

See you soon x

Shiny Shadi meets shiny serger