You might be familiar with a sewing machine, but some of you might not have heard about a serger. But, almost all of you would be familiar with an overlocking machine.
An overlocking machine is also a sewing machine, but it is used to strengthen the sewed joint.
Both of these machines have their purposes, and no one is replacing the other one, but both machines have some features in common while others are indifferent.
If you want to know about these machines, you are reading the right article.
What is a Sewing Machine?
As it is clear from the name, a machine used for sewing purposes is called a sewing machine. For the sake of stitching clothes and fabrics, sewing machines are a great help.
These machines can be manual as well as automatic that are electrically powered.
Features of a Sewing Machine
As you know that engineering inventions are for the purpose of bringing ease to our life, so is the purpose of the sewing machine.
There are many kinds of sewing machines coming in various features and comforts. The prominent features are stated below:
Automatic switch paddle
Modern sewing machines are mostly automatic, and they have automatic switch control.
This switch is usually in the form of a paddle that can be controlled using your foot. It has become quite easy to operate the machine using this switch.
Portable
Modern sewing machines are very lightweight and portable, and the handy size allows you to move them easily, and you can place them anywhere and use them according to your ease.
Proper lighting is very important while operating a sewing machine.
Therefore the portable facility allows you to move it to an area where lighting is proper if you can’t replace your low light.
Needle threader
Modern sewing machines have the facility of pulling the thread through the hole of the needle, and due to this feature, you can save your time from the job of entering the thread in the needle hole.
Speed Control and efficiency
Whether it is an automatic sewing machine or a manual machine, you have the facility of controlling the speed of your running needle through the fabric.
These machines are also very likable in the sense of efficiency and are categorized as ergonomic.
Needle positioning
A sewing machine also allows you to improvise the position of its needle according to your need.
If the stitching lines have some distance between them, you can adjust that distance using the needle positioning system.
Including these prominent features, many common features allow you to speed up your sewing works and do it efficiently.
You can adjust the thread types and tightness or looseness of the thread, and much more.
Pros of Sewing Machine
Sewing machines have a lot of pros as they have revolutionized the field of sewing and stitching. A few of them are stated below:
- In this era of fashion variability and style, you can easily sew yourself a nice wearable according to your desire.
- If you don’t like something in a ready-made design, you can temper that design.
- Torn clothes can be repaired with ease.
- Sewing becomes ergonomic.
- Sewing becomes accurate.
What is Serger?
A machine that strengthens your existing joint by overlocking it is called a serger. It is a sewing machine, but it uses multiple threads and seams your fabric. You can also cover the raw edges by overcasting them using a serger.
So, if you want to create a new joint or finish the existing one, you can use a serger for that.
Features of a Serger
This efficient machine has a lot of features that it provides you while working on it. A few prominent of them are listed:
Variable thread input
A serger uses more than one thread in its operation. Sergers provide you variable thread input features. It means that you can use two, three, or more threads for your job at a time.
The number of threads justifies the strength of the overlocked joint. According to your feasibility and requirements, you can opt for yourself.
Pressure Variability
The greater thickness and strength of the fabric demands a special pressure value while overlocking. You can adjust that pressure because the sergers allow you to change the pressure value.
The pressure can also be manually changed by adjusting the screws.
Strength to joint
A sewed joint can have stresses induced within it when it is used.
Greater stresses can cause the joint to damage or tear apart. Hence, it is mostly desired to add strength to the joint.
Serger machines provide strength to the stitching, and this problem is solved.
Air threading
This feature makes your life easier by automatically gathering the threads using air as a source. Providing you comfort, this feature saves you from getting stuck in the grind of manually assembling the threads.
Adjustable stitch sizes
Now you can adjust the lengths and widths of your stitches as these machines provide you this facility with all other features. Sometimes you have to increase or decrease the width of the stitching and also its length.
In this way, you can have full control and can improvise your stitch designs.
Tension control
Modern sergers automatically adjust the upper and lower tensions of the threads according to the need.
As different stitches ask for different thread tensions. So now you don’t have to adjust them manually as the machine can do it on its own.
Ergonomic
Modern life demands work efficiency. Sergers, due to their high-speed offering, is very ergonomic. It will hardly take you 10 minutes to finish the overlocking of your dress if you know how to operate a serger, which is not that tedious.
Pros of Serger
Like sewing machines, sergers also have their own benefits, which solve many of our problems related to clothing. The pros of these machines are stated:
- They provide you with secure and durable stitched joints and add strength to them.
- Provide speed and efficiency.
- They offer a very fine finish to your fabric.
- They can save you from threading frustrations.
- They are very beneficial for stretchable clothes.
Difference Between Sewing vs Serger
The key difference between both machines is that the serger cuts the clothes while binding them while the sewing machine simply stitches them.
In other comparisons, a serger is very fast in speed and ergonomically better than a sewing machine.
These machines are different and have different purposes as one usually stitches while the other binds the fabric. But both of them come in the category of sewing machines.
You can perform many sewing machine jobs on a serger, but you can not replace a sewing machine with a serger.
Similar features
As both these machines come in the category of sewing machines, there are many things common in them, and there are many jobs that both these machines can perform. These features are:
- Joining fabric (either gathering the fabrics or making a joint by stitching them; both these machines can do it)
- You can also perform piping on your fabric using both machines.
- Hem knitting can also be performed by both these machines.
- Both these machines are ergonomic as they efficiently finish the job.
- Both of these machines provide flexibility.
- Great accuracy is also a common feature.
There are many similarities and differences between these machines.
Still, the important part is that they are both great inventions, and by offering these features, they have provided great comfort and ease to your job.
Which one should you use?
As I mentioned earlier, both these machines have many different purposes. Hence, one can not be the replacement of the other. Although you can do some of the jobs of one machine using another but not all jobs.
You can do a lot of stuff using a serger, but some of the basic sewing jobs like zip stitching and fine single thread connections can not be achieved using a serger, and you would need a sewing machine for that.
But, a serger creates a relatively durable and fine seam, and if you are to choose between a serger and a sewing machine, then I would recommend using a serger.
Trust me; it will only be in benefit and not lose.
Conclusion
In the modern age where automatic machines are being invented to minimize manual work, these two machines have their significance.
Both these machines have their pros and cons and distinct and similar features as well.
If you are concerned about knowing about them or want to start working on one of them or both, the above information is very useful.
Also, if you want to buy one, then you’ve read a wholesome piece of information.
Now whatever is your purpose of reading it, I think it is accomplished, and now without further ado, you should head to the working or purchasing phase.
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