Since March is National Quilting Month, I thought it fitting to share the latest serger quilting technique that I have been experimenting with – one seam flying geese with a serger.
While I was surfing the internet I came across an interesting YouTube video of Jenny Doan from Missouri Star Quilt Company. She was showing how to create a one seam flying geese block using a sewing machine. I immediately decided that the serger would be a great tool to use for this technique. I couldn’t find any internet resources about using a serger to make a one seam flying geese block. So maybe I am the first person to try it with a serger? Probably not, but it appears I am the first person to blog about it…..
One Seam Flying Geese with a Serger
The one seam flying geese block is a three dimensional block. The block is made from a rectangle and two squares and has just one seam. Each geese block/unit is twice as wide as it is tall. The angled sides (or wings) of the geese are folds in the fabric. This method has no lines to mark, no subcutting, and makes perfect points. How easy is that?!
Pros and Cons of the One Seam Flying Geese Block
Pros
Accurate
Fast
No markings or paper to remove
No bias edges
3D adds texture
Very little waste
Cons
May need or want to stitch down the wings of the three dimensional geese
Some seams are a little thicker due to the folded fabric
Jen’s Experiment with Serged Flying Geese
I pulled a charm pack from my stash. The charm pack was from Boundless Fabrics and called Dutch Garden III. The blues and yellows were so fresh and cheerful compared to our dreary February weather! With a few simple cuts and a little serging, I quickly transformed the 42 squares in my charm pack into 42 flying geese units. Chain piecing the blocks on my serger was quick and easy. I found making them kind of addictive – I just wanted to keep making them!
With a little fabric manipulation, pressing and trimming, I transformed all of the blocks into one seam flying geese.
I Have a Bunch of Flying Geese – Now What?
Most people begin with a pattern when they create a quilt. Sometimes I do too. But not this time. I serged all these geese without a plan for what to do with them. I simply laid out all the blocks and moved them around until I liked the arrangement. These geese decided to become a table runner.
Sashing and Borders
I serged the geese blocks together in groups of two and added sashings and borders.
The Results of my Experiment
From the front side you might think the table runner was sewn with a sewing machine. But from the back side you can see all the neat and tidy serged seams.
My one seam flying geese blocks became my cheerful Spring Migration Table Runner!
Every year my fellow employees and I sew up holiday aprons to display in the store. For my 2021 holiday apron I made the Gather Together Serger Apron by Baby Lock.
The Gather Together Serger Apron pattern was based on a sewing pattern by Pat Bravo of Art Gallery Fabrics, which was adapted for serger construction. See links to both apron patterns in the Resources section of this post.
How I Used My Serger
I serged the entire apron using only my Baby Lock Evolution serger. It’s a great apron pattern to try making with your serger. You can use your serger to make as little or as much of the apron as you like.
Edge Finishes
I used a variety of edge finishes to complete this apron, which utilized different stitches and/or attachments.
Overlock stitch to keep raw edges from unravelling
Rolled hem stitch for ruffles
Wave stitch for fabric flower
Hem sides of apron with ¼” plain hemmer attachment and chain stitch
Encase edges of bodice and make neck straps with a double fold bias binder and chain stitch
Gathering and Ruffles
I gathered the ruffles using two different techniques.
Four thread overlock technique which makes adjustable gathers, similar to a double row of basting stitches using a sewing machine. This technique is perfect for gathering fabric where you need to adjust the gathers to fit.
Narrow cover stitch technique which makes permanent gathers. The gathers created by the cover stitch are much fuller than those created by an overlock stitch. However, they can not be adjusted.
Long stitch lengths and differential feed are used in both gathering techniques.
Seams and Construction
I serged all seams using a chain stitch.
Feet and Attachments
I used the following feet and attachments to construct the Gather Together Serger Apron:
Double fold bias binder 36mm
Plain hemmer ¼”
Cover/chain stitch foot
Clear foot. The pattern did not call for this foot, but I like it’s visibilty. I thought the visibility of the foot made it easier for me to attach the double fold bias binding to the apron bodice.
Standard foot
Photo Overview of my Gather Together Serger Apron
Wave Stitch
I used the wave stitch to finish the edges of the fabric flower. Metallic thread in both loopers gave the edges a bit of holiday sparkle. If your serger isn’t capable of the wave stitch you could substitute a rolled hem or three thread overlock stitch.
Three Thread Rolled Hem
I used a three thread rolled hem to finish the edges of the ruffles, with metallic thread in the upper looper.
Gathering The Bodice
The bodice of the apron was gathered using a four thread overlock stitch. After gathering with my serger, the bodice still needed a bit more gathering. Gathers created with the four thread overlock are adjustable. So I slid the fabrics along the needle threads adjusting the bodice edges to the proper dimensions. See link about gathering in the Resources section of this post.
Hem Sides of Skirt with ¼” Plain Hemmer Attachment
I love to try new things with my serger. Using the serger plain hemmer was a new experience for me. I hemmed the side edges of the apron’s skirt using the ¼” plain hemmer, a chain stitch and a standard presser foot. My practice piece turned out perfectly. It must have been beginner’s luck because the first hem on the actual project took me three tries to get it right. I figured out that I needed to generously turn/roll the edge of the fabric in advance and keep it turned as I fed it into the attachment. Then the plain hemmer worked really well. The second side hem of the apron looked beautiful on the first try! See the link in the Resources section for tips for using a serger ¼” plain hemmer.
The plain hemmer rolls the hem to the top side as it is serged. So you feed your fabric into the attachment with the wrong side up. The needle thread will be seen on the back side of your finished project. The chain looper thread will be seen on the right side of your project.
Finish Edges of Bodice and Create Straps Using a Double Fold Bias Binder Attachment
I followed the video class/instructions to make the apron. However, instead of making the top edge and neck straps all one piece, I bound the top edge first. Then I bound the side edges of the bodice and continued the binding from the sides to make the neck straps.
Gathering Ruffles Using a Narrow Cover Stitch
I used a narrow cover stitch along with the cover stitch foot to gather the narrow ruffle strip, bottom ruffle skirt and flower. The narrow cover stitch gathers fabric much more tightly than gathering with an overlock stitch. But the cover stitch gathers are not adjustable like the gathers made by serger overlock stitching.
Construct Seams
I used the chain stitch to serge the seams of the bodice, skirt and waistband/ties. Serging with a chain stitch is very similar to using a sewing machine straight stitch.
I attached the narrow ruffle and bottom ruffle to the skirt of the apron using a chain stitch too.
Gather Together Serger Apron
I hope you enjoyed learning about how I serged my Gather Together Serger Apron.
Surfing the internet one day, I stumbled across a photo of a cute little girl’s dress that reminded me of candy corn. Right then I knew my baby granddaughter needed her own version of that dress. Instead of a regular dress though, it needed to be a onesie dress. Onesies are the perfect base for a baby dress or shirt because they stay tucked in and don’t ride up and expose little belly buttons! And of course, I had to use my serger to make it. After a little experimentation I figured out how to serge a onesie dress that stretches at the waist. This blog post is a summary of my process. In the future I plan to create more detailed instructions for this style onesie dress using several different serger techniques. So stay tuned!
The Typical T-Shirt or Onesie Dress
There are many great tutorials on the internet for making cute onesie and t-shirt dresses. The typical method for creating a onesie or t-shirt dress is based on gathering a piece of cotton fabric with long basting stitches and then stitching the gathered fabric to the t-shirt or onesie. I’ve made t-shirt dresses like this before, but I’ve found that the woven fabric skirt limits the stretch of the waist seam. In the previous dresses I’ve made, the waist seam stretches very little or not at all. If the t-shirt is loose and baggy there is usually enough wiggle room to get the dress on a child without popping seams, even if the seam doesn’t stretch. But with a close fitting onesie, it’s really difficult to get it on a baby if the fabric at the waist doesn’t stretch.
How to Serge a Onesie Dress that Stretches at the Waist
To create my candy corn skirted onesie I wanted to use a couple of cute woven cotton polka dot prints. So I had to figure out a way to add a skirt to my onesie without losing the stretch around the waist. I decided the best way for me to do this was to use my serger, along with an elastic foot to gather the top edge of the skirt using elastic.
I also used a ruffling foot to simultaneously gather and attach the bottom ruffle to the skirt.
The ruffling foot and elastic foot are presser feet that help you gather fabric or attach elastic to fabric. You can gather fabric or attach elastic to fabric using a serger without these specialty feet. The feet just make the process quicker and more professional looking.
Supplies
Baby onesie – I used size 6 month long sleeved by Carters
4½” x 45” wide cotton print fabric for main skirt
Two – 2½” x 45” wide strips of cotton print fabric for bottom ruffle
⅜” wide elastic – 2X the width of the onesie (where you will attach the skirt) plus 6”
Serger thread for overlock and rolled hem stitches
Optional – 1” thin fusible knit knit stay tape – 2 x the width of the onesie (it helps to stabilize the onesie where you cut it so the edges don’t stretch out as you handle/serge)
Supply Notes
Since I added a seam at the waist, the onesie did get a little shorter (about ½-¾” shorter). Keep this in mind when selecting your onesie. You may need to select a onesie that is a little bit longer than the length you actually need.
I made the skirt on the onesie shorter so the onesie looked more like a skirted shirt than a dress. I wanted more of a shirt that she could wear with pants. Feel free to make your skirts any length you desire.
Tools
Serger capable of 4 thread overlock and 3 thread rolled hem
Elastic foot for serger – helpful, but not required
Ruffling/gathering foot for serger – helpful, but not required
Serger accessories and manual
General sewing supplies
Sewing machine for basting (optional)
Summary of Steps
The steps below are a summary of the steps I took to make my “Candy Corn Skirted Onesie” for the blog post “How to Serge a Onesie Dress that Stretches at the Waist.” This style onesie consists of cutting apart the onesie and inserting a gathered skirt.
Step 1: Seam the Bottom Ruffle
I used a narrow three thread overlock stitch to seam my two bottom ruffle pieces together into one long strip.
Step 2: Finish Bottom Edge of Ruffle
Next I used a three thread rolled hem stitch on my serger to finish the bottom edge of my long ruffle strip.
Step 3: Gather Bottom Ruffle and Attach to Main Skirt
I simultaneously gathered my bottom ruffle and attached it to the main skirt piece using the ruffling foot for my serger.
Step 4: Gather Top Edge of Skirt Using Elastic
I used my elastic foot and elastic to gather the top edge of the skirt fabric. There are many variables that determine how much fabric will be gathered to the elastic using an elastic foot – things such as the type of fabric, the type of elastic, how the fabric is guided into the foot, etc. Because of these variables I factored in a some wiggle room and used a little more fabric than I actually needed for the skirt. Because I could easily cut it to size in a future step (step 6). It’s much harder to add fabric than to take it away!
Step 5: Prepare Onesie
I measured down 1” from the armpits and marked a line across the front and back of the onesie. I also added a fusible knit stay tape over the cutting line to add stability to the future cut edges at the waist. Then I cut the onesie apart at the line.
Step 6: Prepare Skirt for Attaching
I measured the cut edge of my onesie and cut my elastic gathered skirt piece to match (2X this measurement plus 3/4” for seam allowances.)
I serged the short edges of the skirt seam together using a standard four thread overlock stitch.
Step 7: Insert Skirt and Serge Waist Seam
I placed the wrong side of the skirt against the right side of the bottom half of the onesie, lining up the raw edges. Using my sewing machine, I basted the skirt to the onesie bottom.
Then I placed the right side of the top half of the onesie against the right side of the skirt, lining up the raw edges of all three pieces (the top half of the onesie, the skirt, the bottom half of the onesie.)
Next, using a standard four thread overlock stitch, I serged all the way around the waist seam.
And that is how I created a fun and functional serger onesie dress that stretches at the waist. But I wasn’t quite done yet. There were a few more things I needed to do.
Step 8 – Make a Matching Hair Bow
I took the scraps of fabric leftover from the skirt and made a matching hair bow.
Step 9 – Find a Model and Take Photographs
Isn’t my model cute?!!! I call her my Candy Corn Cutie. The candy corn skirted onesie is the perfect outfit for my granddaughter to wear this October!
How to Serge a Onesie Dress that Stretches at the Waist
I hope you enjoyed my post about How to Serge a Onesie Dress that Stretches at the Waist.
Serge a lettuce hem quickly and easily using a three thread rolled or narrow hem stitch. You only need a few things to create this lovely hem: a serger with a rolled hem stitch, some thread and a piece of knit fabric.
Lettuce Hems Using a Serger
Can you guess why this ruffled hem is called a lettuce hem? Maybe because the edge of the fabric waves and curls like the edges of a lettuce leaf?!
The lettuce hem is created by stretching the fabric as you serge the edge. It can be used on the edges of light to medium weight knit fabrics. The greater the stretch of the fabric, the more the hem waves and curls. I use this technique to transform the hems on t-shirts, scarves and more.
Which Serger Stitch to Use for a Lettuce Hem?
I’ve used two similar (but different) stitches to serge a lettuce hem. Both the 3 thread rolled hem and the 3 thread narrow hem will work. Both are tiny hems. The serger is threaded the same way for both stitches, but the tension settings are different. Consult your manual for how to set up your serger for these stitches. On my serger the stitch selector is set on “D” for a rolled hem and “C” for a narrow hem. Click on the link to my napkin tutorial below for more details about the difference between the rolled hem and narrow hem. https://overtheedge.blog/tutorials/quick-easy-serger-napkins/
How to Stretch the Fabric as you Serge
Some people use the differential feed on their serger to create some extra stretch in their hems. Adjusting your differential feed to a setting less than 1 will create some stretch in your fabric as it feeds through the serger.
Others prefer to stretch the fabric manually. Keep your differential setting at normal (N or 1). Gently and equally stretch the fabric in front of and behind the needles as you serge, but let the feed dogs move the fabric. You will need to stop and reposition your hands as you serge around your fabric. If you try to pull the fabric through as you serge you may cause the needles to bend or break.
For my lettuce hem baby tees I had better results when I stretched the fabric manually.
Serge a Too Cute Tee from a Too Short Onesie
My granddaughter was gifted a bunch of really cute newborn onesies when she was born. But she grew out of them very quickly. The onesies were too cute to put away, so I turned the too short onesies into too cute tees! I guess you could call this a quick and easy “onesie refashion” project.
I started by cutting the onesie off at the leg openings.
Next I set up my Baby Lock Evolution serger for a 3 thread narrow hem (stitch setting C) and a stitch length of 1.5. I used Maxi Lock thread, but you could choose more decorative thread for your loopers if you desire.
I serged the bottom hem of the t-shirt in the round, trimming off just a slight amount of fabric and stretching the fabric in front of and behind the needle.
After serging, I gave the hem a good stretch to help it “lettuce” even more. Then I buried the thread tails in the hem and trimmed off the extra thread tails.
Isn’t she a cute little wildflower in her new t-shirt?!
Now my granddaughter can get a little more use out of those too short onesies as too cute tees!
Quilt as you Go (QAYG) is a term used to describe the process of piecing and quilting each block in a quilt as you assemble it. In QAYG when the quilt top is done, so is the quilting!
QAYG with a serger is similar to QAYG with a sewing machine, but the way the pieces are layered and assembled is different. The end result is a reversible project where all the layers are connected at the seam lines. And it’s fast because you save a step. The “stitch in the ditch” machine quilting is done at the same time the layers are serged together.
Typically, you assemble your quilt in strips or log cabin style, working from the middle outwards, or side to side or top to bottom. This technique is not just limited to quilts. I’ve made placemats, lap quilts, picnic quilts, table toppers, table runners and tote bags using quilt as you go with a serger.
Why would you want to try Quilt As You Go with a Serger?
It’s fast. Some people refer to this method of quilting projects as “fun and done”.
A four thread overlock seam is approximately ¼” wide, which is a typical seam width in a quilt. The serger compresses the seam so the multiple layers aren’t too bulky. And it’s secure due to the 4 threads in the seam.
It’s great for projects with simple quilt designs without complicated seams.
Project Inspiration
I’ve done a variety of different projects with QAYG on a serger. Below I’ve included photos and information about several of my own serger QAYG projects. And you can find many tutorials and YouTube videos on the internet for inspiration.
If you would like to try a strip placemat without the center panel see the brothersews tutorial. You will find a link in the resources section at the bottom of the post.
Is it a Table Runner or are they Placemats?
These three reversible Halloween placemats I designed can be used individually as placemats or overlapped and laid out as a table runner. One side is orange and one side is green. I quilted the center panels on my sewing machine with a spiderweb design. Then added the borders using the serger quilt as you go technique. Instead of traditional binding, I serged the edges with a decorative thread.
Lap or Baby Quilt
Serge this reversible lap or baby quilt together quickly and easily. It’s also a great quilt project to donate to charities. And you could serge the edge with a decorative thread like I chose to do, instead of binding it the traditional way. The width of the strips is only limited by the batting and it’s maximum quilting distance. I used a polyester batting that could be quilted up to 6” apart. So I cut my strips 6.5” wide x WOF. This project used 9 strips of fabric on the front, 9 strips of fabric on the back and 9 strips of batting. The finished size of my ladybug quilt is approximately 42” x 52”.
Heirloom Creations and Sara Gallegos of the Decorative Stitch have some helpful youtube videos on making lap or baby quilts with this method. For more of a log cabin style quilt check out Kay Wood’s video on youtube. See my resources section for links.
Picnic Quilt
I decided to scale up the serger quilt as you go technique to make a bigger picnic quilt. At first glance the quilt below looks like a traditional quilt. It is actually assembled in strips just like my lady bug lap quilt. This project was a bit more involved, but worthy of trying. I used cotton batiks for the top, a super thin batting, and a water resistance nylon for the back and binding. It was a gift for my daughter who uses it frequently for the beach and just hanging out in the yard. When I have some extra time, I plan on writing up a pattern for this design.
Table Topper
I made this patriotic reversible table topper using the serger QAYG method. The pattern came from the book, Simple Serger Sewing. I applied the binding to the front with a sewing machine and then turned it to the back and hand stitched it in place. This method begins in the middle with a pre-quilted center square and then works its way outward using triangles and border strips. See resources section for more information.
Tote Bag
I designed this tote bag by experimenting with an extra panel from my serger QAYG placemats and a bunch of extra jelly roll strips. It was a fun experiment! Some day when I have time I may write up a pattern for this serger QAYG tote.
