Know Your Overlocker

Know Your Overlocker aims to teach you how to get the best from your Overlocker.

Level:

2: Improvers. You should have experience of sewing machines, and basic dressmaking, and be able to bring your own overlocker.

Know Your Overlocker – Course description

Overlockers are amazing machines that can stitch, trim and neaten seams all in one operation. Yet so few owners fully understand them or use them to their full potential. Most people who have overlockers only use them for neatening edges but they can do so much more.

Other functions include sewing in elastic and lace trims, creating decorative seams on sports and casualwear, rolled hems on evening wear, and making home furnishings. Not to mention being able to sew up jersey fabrics quicker and more neatly than your normal domestic sewing machine.
But overlockers are more complicated than normal sewing machines. They require a good understanding of how changing the tensions creates different stitch types. So I’ll teach you to understand how the tension settings affect the stitch type and quality, how to recognise and obtain correct tension. We’ll also look at different stitch functions and their applications. So you really do get to know your overlocker and discover just how versatile they are.

What will I learn?

-Know what all the parts do
-How to thread it and obtain the correct tension
-Sewing woven & knitted fabrics
-Basic edging and seaming operations using 2, 3 & 4 threads
-Flatlock and blind hemming
-rolled hems
-How to add decoration to your clothes
-The afternoon session will give you time to review and practise the techniques covered earlier.

You must be able to bring your own 4-thread overlocker to this class.

This is always a popular class – the previous 3 dates sold out within days, so book early!

Who is this aimed at?

• anyone who owns an overlocker and is scared to take it out the box
• anyone who hasn’t been able to thread their overlocker
• anyone who doesn’t know how to obtain the correct tension for a project
• anyone who would like to use their overlocker for more than just neatening edges

Course arrangements

You must be able to bring your own 4-thread overlocker* to this class. Also, please bring samples of a variety of fabrics such as heavyweight (denim or furnishing fabric, jersey knit such as an old T-shirt, and silky polyester, organza or fine crepe such as an old scarf or evening blouse.

• If you don’t currently own an overlocker and would just like to see what they can do before you buy one, then please get in touch.  I can arrange for you to use my spare machine, or to provide a separate demonstration.

Links to related blog articles

If you’re considering buying an overlocker, then here’s my reviews of the Juki MO-644D Overlocker and the Singer Overlocker 14SH754.

Overlocker Tension

Pembertons Sewing Machine Centre