So I bought a serger last year. I set it up and used it to finish seams. It took me over a week to get the settings right and get it working the way it was supposed to. I never did figure out how to sew and serge at the same time! I can only sew a seam on the machine, then take it to the serger and finish the edges. If I actually tried to sew a seam and serge the edges in the same swipe, I got the “ladder” effect.
Now that I am trying to have a “handmade Christmas” (mostly due to the fact that ex husband who is now “renting a room from me” is laid off and unable to pay rent and dear daughter and granddaughter also live with me and only help minimally with the bills, I have no extra money for gifts this year, but that’s a story for another day), I thought I would get the serger figured out and use to to help zip through the mountain of gifts I plan to make.
Silly me, decided to take a “Craftsy Serger Class”. Well, I’m only on the third lesson and am ready to throw the damned thing out the window! (if there was a window in my dark little sewing space, I probably would have!) I spent almost 6 hours yesterday fussing with it. Trying to go through the lessons and learning the settings, threading, and needle placements.
My goal was to get it mastered so I could use the serger for quick seaming (like on the 6 pairs of pajama pants and 12 infinity scarves I intend to make).
At about hour six.. dear granddaughter came to me for help with her math homework. I felt her “looming” behind me while I cursed and cut threads… and turned to see what she needed. Her response was “I kind of needed help, but maybe you’re not the right person to ask right now”… poor baby! I told her it’s exactly what I need to do right now, help someone else because obviously I’m not doing very well with what I’m trying to learn!
Sixth grade math with fractions, solving for x, and converting decimals was exactly what I needed! Math always works. It’s logical, dependable, and predictible! I spent an hour helping her with the most challenging parts of her math, then took a deep breath and went back in for a second try. No luck. Disaster! Frustration, threads everywhere, and more cursing! Finally at 8:30pm I walked away. Left the fabric sitting in the machine, turned it off, brushed all the strings from my slacks and turned on the T.V.
As I walked past the machine this morning on my way to the kitchen I’m sure I heard it laugh at me! Sitting there with it’s four spools of thread and all it’s dials and adjusters on it! I just kept on walking, ignoring the feeling of defeat.
I’ve been on the Craftsy site all morning, reading the questions and issues others have had. I think I’ve got it figured out… (she says with a very small voice full of fear)… and I’m going to try again this afternoon! If you don’t hear from me for a few weeks, I’ll be curled up in the fetal position under my sewing table rocking back and forth while the Serger sits on top of the table gloating!
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