Tag: baby lock evolution serger

Serging Pants with a 5 Thread Safety Stitch

Serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch might be one of my favorite new uses for my Baby Lock Evolution serger. This stitch combines a 2 thread chain stitch with a 3 thread overlock. You need to have a serger capable of both a chain stitch and an overlock stitch to create this stitch. 

The 5 thread safety stitch makes a strong, secure seam and is commonly used in ready to wear garments like pants. Take a look at the inside seams of some of your store bought pants. The 5 thread safety stitch is probably one of the stitches you will see. The seam in the photo below is from one of my favorite pairs of stretch woven pants (I bought at Kohl’s.)

Serging Pants with a 5 Thread Safety Stitch

Since this seam method is commonly used to construct ready to wear pants, I thought it was about time I gave it a try. This was the first time I have serged a garment with the 5 thread safety stitch. Most of the garments I have serged were made from stretchy knits that I seamed with a 4 thread overlock and hemmed with a coverstitch. 

Burda 6607

My project was a pair of maternity pants for my daughter using Burda pattern 6607, View C. The pattern wasn’t specifically written with a serger in mind, but it was easy to adapt. I used a stretch woven fabric with an unknown fiber content for the pants. It was probably a poly blend, maybe with a little wool. I prewashed it in my washing machine in cool water and dried it on low heat in my dryer. It washed up really nicely. I used a rayon lycra blend for the stretch tummy panel.

burda 6607

Prepare Pattern Pieces

I began by altering the pattern pieces to fit my daughters 5’2” frame. Then I cut out all the pieces from my fabric.

serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch

Back Darts

I used my sewing machine to make the darts. Everything else was done with the serger.

Serger Set Up

I set up my Baby Lock Evolution serger for a 5 thread safety stitch, which is a chain stitch combined with a 3 thread overlock. I used the far right needle (C3) for my chain stitch and the left needle (O1) for the 3 thread wide overlock. This seam finishes about ⅜” wide. Depending on which needle you use, you can also make this stitch ½” or ⅝” wide. I used standard serger cone thread in all positions. Using a scrap of the pant fabric, I tested my stitch. I was happy with the stitch that was produced by using the settings from my quick reference threading guide.

serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch

Side Seams

I pinned (with Wonder Clips), then serged each leg front to leg back at the side seams using the 5 thread safety stitch.

Seam Allowances

The pattern calls for a ⅝” seam allowance. The L mark on my knife cover indicates a ⅝” seam allowance from the left overlock needle (O1). But my seam for the 5 thread safety stitch is at the C3 needle position. The C3 needle is ⅛” to the left of the left overlock needle, so I guided the raw edges of my fabric along the first line to the left of the L mark on my knife cover. About a ¼” of the seam allowance was trimmed off with the blades.

serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch

Here is a photo of the serged side seams.

Inner Leg Seams

I pinned, then serged the front to the back of each leg at the inner leg seams, still using the 5 thread safety stitch.

serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch
serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch

Crotch Seam

I turned one leg right side out and inserted it inside the other. Then I pinned and serged the crotch seam with the 5 thread safety stitch.

serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch

I turned the pants right side out to evaluate my progress.

serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch

Stretch Tummy Panel

Next I made the stretch panel for the tummy. I serged the back pieces together and then attached them to the front panel piece using the 5 thread safety stitch.

Then I pinned the stretch panel to rest of the pants and serged them together with the 5 thread safety stitch.

serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch
serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch

Fixing an Oops

At this point I realized I forgot to leave one of the side seams open at the top edge for the waist casing. So I got out the seam ripper and ripped out a few stitches. I secured the end of the seam with a few tacking stitches on my sewing machine, so the chain stitch didn’t pull out.

Waist Casing

This pattern didn’t have a separate casing piece for the waist. The casing was formed by folding the top edge down, and stitching it in place. Because the edge was curved and the raw edge was wider, the fabric was wavy when I turned the edge under. 

In a woven fabric garment I would have run a row of basting stitches along the raw edge and pulled on those stitches to gather the edge and ease it into the garment hem. But the tummy panel was a stretchy knit. So I didn’t ease it in first. I eased it in as I serged using my narrow cover stitch.

Switch Serger to Narrow Cover Stitch

I set up my serger for a narrow cover stitch using standard serger thread and the standard presser foot. Sometimes I use the cover stitch foot for this technique, but this time I chose to leave the standard presser foot on my serger.

I serged with the wrong side of the casing facing up, so I could see the raw edge of my fabric and make certain I caught the raw edges of the fabric in the stitches. The looper stitch ended up on the right side of my garment and the needle side of the stitch on the inside of the waist casing. 

Easing the Curved Edge

To ease in the raw edges on the curved hem, I very gently stretched the casing as I serged. I grasped the casing on both sides of the presser foot and simply stretched it until the raw edge was flat and then serged. Basically I used the same technique to stretch the casing as I do when I apply elastic to the raw edge of a garment with a serger. 

easing the curved raw edge of a casing using a serger

Ending the Cover Stitch in the Round

I did my cover stitching of the casing in the round. But because I serged with the wrong side of my fabric up, I couldn’t use my special technique for ending a cover stitch in the round. (see link in resources section at bottom of post.) If I did it this way I would have pulled my needle threads to the right side of my garment and then I would have had to pull them back to the wrong side again with hand sewing! So, I used the standard method to end the cover stitching.

The photo below shows the cover stitch on the casing at the side seams. On the left you will see the overlap at the beginning and end of the cover stitch seam at one side seam, with the needle threads showing on the wrong side of the garment. On the right you will see the opening in the casing at the other side seam which was used to insert elastic.

serger cover stitch waist casing

Standard Method for Ending a Cover Stitch in the Round 

Stop serging when you have overlapped your beginning stitches by a few. Turn the handwheel toward you until the needle is at its lowest point. Then turn it backwards until the needle is at its highest point. After doing this the threads should have released from the stitch fingers, so the fabric can be removed. Firmly grab the threads at the base of the fabric and the fabric and remove the fabric from the serger. Be sure to hold the threads firmly or you may inadvertently pull out some of your cover stitch as you pull. Always leave several inches of thread tails at the end of your cover stitch. Don’t trim them short or you may find the cover stitch unraveling easily from the end. 

Press Casing and Insert Elastic

The casing hem was a little wavy after stretching and serging it. So I gave it a light press and all the ripples disappeared.

After pressing I inserted the buttonhole elastic into the waistline casing.

Here’s what the finished casing looked like with the elastic inserted.

serged maternity pants
serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch

Pant Leg Hems

Last step was to finish the leg hems. Since the fabric in these pants looks “dressy” I thought the pants needed a truly “blind” hem. I switched my serger over to a 4 thread overlock stitch using standard serger thread. I serged the raw edge of the hems to keep them from unraveling. Then, I turned them up an inch and pressed. The last step was to stitch the invisible hem in place by hand.

Completed Pants

Here is a front and back view of the maternity pants. Sorry, the photo isn’t great. These pants did not photograph well without a body in them!

serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch

Here are a few photos of the pants on our store mannequin. I lifted the shirt so you could see the tummy panel. The pants are a little baggy on the mannequin (even with the “batting” baby bump added to the mannequin). It’s hard to believe that they will be tight on my daughters belly near the end of her pregnancy!

serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch
serged maternity pants 
serged maternity top

Serging Pants with a 5 Thread Safety Stitch

I hope you enjoyed learning about my experience serging pants with a 5 thread safety stitch.  

serging with jen

Resources

Method for finishing off a coverstitch in the round: https://overtheedge.blog/tutorials/finishing-off-a-cover-stitch-in-the-round/

A helpful article about choosing the right serger stitch for your project: https://www.threadsmagazine.com/2011/12/01/choose-the-right-serger-stitch-for-your-project

How to Serge a Maternity Top Using a Sewing Pattern

serge a maternity top

I have exciting news – I am going to be a grandma!  My serger will be busy this year making maternity and baby things. And the first project I have to share with you is a maternity top for my daughter, the mommy to be. Follow along with me and learn about serger presser feet, attachments and techniques as I show you how to serge a maternity top.

The Pattern

For this top I used Burda pattern 6607, View A.

burda 6607

Serger Stitches, Techniques, Presser Feet and Attachments I Used to Serge a Maternity Top

  • 4 thread overlock with standard presser foot for seams
  • 4 thread overlock with standard presser foot for stabilizing shoulder seams with clear elastic 
  • 3 thread rolled hem with standard presser foot for thread chain belt loops
  • 2 thread narrow cover stitch with cover stitch foot and fabric guide attachment for neckline hem, sleeve hems and bottom hem

I made this maternity top completely with my serger, but you could substitute a sewing machine twin needle for the hems if you don’t have a cover stitch capable machine.

Prepare Pattern Pieces

I used a super soft, brushed polyester matte jersey for this top. Because it liked to stick to itself, It was a little finicky to layout smoothly for cutting. But my serger handled it well. 

serge a maternity top

Set Up Serger and Test Stitches and Settings

Using the fabric scraps leftover after cutting out my pattern pieces, I tested my stitches and settings. I used Maxi Lock serger thread in the needles and Gutermann Bulky Nylon in the loopers. My stitch settings for the 4 thread overlock were as follows: stitch length 2.5, stitch width M (which is about 6) and differential 1.

baby lock evolution serger

⅝” seam allowances

This pattern calls for mostly ⅝” seam allowances. But a typical four thread overlock seam allowance is closer to ¼”-⅜” wide.  I just used the knives on my serger to cut off the extra seam allowance. If you notice in the photos below I am lining up the raw edges of fabric with the L marking on my knife cover. On my machine the L marking is ⅝” from the left needle position on a four thread overlock stitch using a stitch width of about 7.5. I serged with a stitch width on M or 6.0, so my seam allowances were a little shy of ⅝”, but that little bit of difference was just fine for this soft stretchy knit.

Order of Construction

The pattern instructions were not written specifically for a serger. So to save time and minimize changeovers between overlock stitches and cover stitches, I altered the order of the steps listed in the pattern. Here’s how I serged together this maternity top.

Serge and Stabilize Shoulder Seams

The first step was to serge the shoulder seams. I stabilized the shoulder seams with a piece of ¼” wide clear elastic. This elastic was originally part of a hanging loop in another garment that I no longer needed. I like to reuse whenever possible. 

serger stabilize shoulder seams

Stabilize Seams Using a Standard Presser Foot

There is a slot on the standard presser foot for my Baby Lock Evolution which can be used to guide elastic and insert it directly into the seam as I serge. If you don’t have a foot with a slot or guide, you could always baste your elastic in place by hand or with a sewing machine before you run it through your serger.

stabilize shoulder seam with serger standard presser foot

The elastic or twill tape is fed into the slot in the toe of the presser foot from the top. Then it is fed under the foot and out the back along the groove on the underside.

If you look closely at the photos below you will notice that I didn’t insert my elastic correctly when I stabilized the shoulder seams of the maternity top. Somehow I put the clear elastic through the slot from the bottom, over the front of the foot, under the needles and under the back of the foot. I don’t know what I was thinking that day, but at least it worked!

The serger applies the elastic or tape to the side of the seam that is up when you serge. I serged with the back side of the shirt up so the clear elastic would be on the back side of the seam. During later construction steps, I turned the shoulder seams to the back so the elastic ended up next to the wrong side of the fabric instead of my daughters skin. You’ll also notice that the elastic is completely encased in the serger stitches because it’s only ¼” wide. If you are using the standard ⅜” wide clear elastic, some of it will extend past the seam line. 

stabilize shoulder seams with clear elastic and serger

Attach Binding/Facing 

I cut my binding/facing wider than the pattern instructed. I thought it would be easier to handle. It was easier to handle through the serger, but it created a little bit of a problem later, which I will explain in the hemming step. Notice here that I just skimmed the raw edges of the fabric to neaten them up. The seam allowances at the neckline were only ⅜” so I didn’t need to trim much off.

serge a maternity top

Attach Sleeves to Front and Back. 

Next I pinned and serged both sleeves to the front and back of the top. 

serge a maternity top

Side Seams from Bottom hem to Sleeve hem

Then I serged both side seams and sleeve seams from bottom hem to sleeve hem.

serge a maternity top
serge a maternity top
Belt Loop Chain – 3 Thread Rolled Hem 

I serged the belt loops before doing the cover stitch hems, because switching from a 4 thread overlock to a 3 thread rolled hem is an easy changeover. The 3 thread rolled hem chain works as well for a delicate belt loop as the hand stitched thread loops as instructed in the pattern. However, I prefer to use my serger to make the belt loop chain. I serged about a yard of rolled hem chain, even though the belt loops only use a few inches each. I set this belt loop chain aside until the last step of this project. 

To make a belt loop chain using the 3 thread rolled hem setting on your serger, set up for a standard rolled hem. You will be serging a rolled hem without any fabric. The presser foot should be in the down position or the stitch won’t form properly. Grab the chain behind the foot and gently pull straight back as you serge to keep slight tension on the thread chain. You will need to stop a few times to reposition your hand as you serge the yard of chain.

serger rolled hem chain

Hems 

I serged all of my hems with a narrow cover stitch using my left and center needles at a stitch length of 4. Since all of my side seams and sleeve seams were completed prior to this step, I serged in the round. If you would like to learn how to finish a cover stitch in the round see my tutorial at https://overtheedge.blog/tutorials/finishing-off-a-cover-stitch-in-the-round/

I measured and pinned my hems to the desired depth. Most of the time when I serge I use clips instead of pins. But for 1¼” deep hems like this I like to use pins. Because the knives are disengaged while cover stitching I don’t have to worry about a stray pin causing damage to my knives

serge a maternity top
Presser Foot and Fabric Guide

When I hem with a cover stitch I like to use my cover stitch foot. You could use a standard presser foot, but the cover stitch foot has good visibility. I also like to use a fabric guide when I cover stitch hems. The guide helps me keep the depth of my hems even as I serge.

Setting up the Fabric Guide

I placed the fabric guide on the bed of the machine and loosely inserted both attachment screws. With the wrong side of the hem facing up, I placed the raw edge of my fabric a little to the left of the left needle and on top of the fabric guide. I positioned the fabric guide so that the raised lip rested against the fold of the fabric. Then I tightened the screws to lock the fabric guide into position. 

serger fabric guide
Bottom Hem

Starting near a side seam, I positioned my bottom hem right side up under the presser foot with the fold up against the fabric guide. I serged all the way around the bottom hem.

serge a maternity top

Here’s what the top side and underside of the narrow coverstitch hem looks like.

narrow cover stitch

Sleeve Hem 

The sleeve hem requires a little more maneuvering in the round because it is much smaller than the bottom hem. I turned my sleeve inside out and serged from the right side of the hem. I serged a little, then stopped to reposition the fabric, and then continued these steps until the hem was complete. You could cover stitch the hems flat before you serge up the side seams if you find this difficult. But then you have an additional changeover between overlock and cover stitch. I opted for less changeovers and completed my sleeve hem in the round.

cover stitch in the roung
narrow cover stitch

Neckline Hem 

In an earlier step, I told you I made my neckline binding/facing wider than called for in the instructions. Well, when I completed the cover stitching near the folded edge of the neckline, I realized that the facing wanted to flip toward the neckline and stick out. My solution was to add an additional row of cover stitches near the bottom edge of the facing. I love how it turned out! The neckline is much more interesting this way! The first row of cover stitch was stitched with the edge of the neckline aligned with the right edge of the presser foot. I completed the second row of cover stitch with the right edge of the presser foot aligned with the left stitching of the first row of cover stitch.

serger cover stitch
serger cover stitch
serge a maternity top

Attach Belt Loops 

The last step of this project was to attach the belt loops for the ribbon belt. Using a hand sewing needle I attached the belt loop chain to the side seams at the marks. My ribbon was wider than the ribbon stated for in the pattern, so I attached my belt loop chain on either side of the marks to accommodate the extra width. I put a knot in the end of my chain before threading my needle. Then I inserted the needle into the seam line from the inside near one marking, pulled the chain though to the right side, inserted the needle near the other marking from the right side and pulled the chain through to the wrong side making a loop. I put a knot in the end of the chain at my desired loop length and cut off the extra chain.

serger rolled hem chain belt loop

Serge a Maternity Top

Here is a photo of the finished top on my dress form.

serge a maternity top

Here are a few photos of the maternity top with a “batting baby bump.”

serge a maternity top
Serge a maternity top

I made it as a store model, so it has to be on display for a month before I can give it to my daughter. I can’t wait to see her and her baby bump wearing it!

serging with jen

Resources

Baby Lock – Stabilize a Shoulder Seam with Serger

https://babylock.com/learn-and-create/inspiration/stabilizing-knits-on-a-serger

Theme: Overlay by Kaira Extra Text
Cape Town, South Africa