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Overlockers - advice please!

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Comments

  • reggieq
    reggieq Posts: 24 Forumite
    Try contacting the manufacturers.
  • wasbrokegettingbetter
    wasbrokegettingbetter Posts: 68 Forumite
    I read a thread a few days ago about overlockers. I never realised what they could be used for. I thought they were just for finishing seams.
    Now I want to buy one as it should solve a lot of my sewing problems,
    Can anyone recommend a good user guide as I want to make the best possible use of a major purchase
  • Rikki
    Rikki Posts: 21,625 Forumite
    Mrs_Flittersnoop wrote: »
    ooh good luck then Rikki! I hope you enjoy your new baby.

    Mrs F xx

    Its all set up and I'm ready for the off. :j

    I need to buy some different cottons, the collection of colours I have at the moment make an interesting looking stitch.:rotfl:
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  • culpepper
    culpepper Posts: 4,076 Forumite
    I know you are all sorted but for anyone thinking of the sewland overlockers, they are very basic. I have one which just about manages to sew two layers of cotton and although it does actually overlock,you do need to be able to take it apart to tighten the lower needle watchamacallit as it works loose.
    Fine for making very light underwear or dolls clothes but not viable as a long term investment.
  • Mrs_Flittersnoop
    Mrs_Flittersnoop Posts: 447 Forumite
    Rikki wrote: »
    Its all set up and I'm ready for the off. :j

    I need to buy some different cottons, the collection of colours I have at the moment make an interesting looking stitch.:rotfl:

    Yay, well done! Don't go mad buying loads of different colour cottons if you intend just to use the machine for seam finishing etc - you can manage with just the basics, cream, white, grey and black, most fabrics can be finished almost invisibly with these (you might want to add blue and rose as well later on).

    I get most of my threads from https://www.empressmills.co.uk although I have to say their online shopping basket is a bit odd - you might be better off giving them a ring, they're pretty quick and efficient.

    Good luck, I hope you're having fun with it.
    Mrs F (who's just sat and unpicked an overlocked seam, not fun :mad: )
  • Sweet_Pea_2
    Sweet_Pea_2 Posts: 691 Forumite
    I did a dressmaking course a few years ago and I used an overlocker at the college for the first time. In the class they had a few which were all threaded and set up ready to go with white or black cotton.
    I would say that if you wanted a garment to look really professional you would need to match all the cottons, so if you had to buy four spools for your overlocker as well as thread for your sewing machine, would this not make it very expensive?
    An overlocker is something I keep considering whether to buy and I have come to the conclusion that I just wouldnt use it enough to justify the expense. Its definately on my "wish" list for the future though.
  • Mrs_Flittersnoop
    Mrs_Flittersnoop Posts: 447 Forumite
    Yes it does make it expensive, which is why I suggested the basic colours which go with practically any colour of fabric. I do use matching thread if I'm making something special but otherwise if you get just, for example, grey, white, black and maybe navy or a brighter blue, you'll find that you can get away with those most of the time. It's a long time since I bought any clothes at all so I haven't got any to check but my guess is that ready-to-wear items don't always match exactly all the time, or else they use nylon invisible thread.

    Overlocking thread is cheaper than sewing machine thread as well, if you look at the link I gave you will see you can get HUGE spools of 120s overlocking thread for the price of one 'normal' reel of sewing machine thread. Overlocking is speedy and takes up a lot more thread than the normal stuff, but you could always (if you were patient, unlike me ;) ) buy a couple of big spools and wind half of them onto another empty spool.

    Hope this helps
    Mrs F
  • Rikki
    Rikki Posts: 21,625 Forumite
    Mrs_Flittersnoop wrote: »
    Yay, well done! Don't go mad buying loads of different colour cottons if you intend just to use the machine for seam finishing etc - you can manage with just the basics, cream, white, grey and black, most fabrics can be finished almost invisibly with these (you might want to add blue and rose as well later on).

    I get most of my threads from https://www.empressmills.co.uk although I have to say their online shopping basket is a bit odd - you might be better off giving them a ring, they're pretty quick and efficient.

    Good luck, I hope you're having fun with it.
    Mrs F (who's just sat and unpicked an overlocked seam, not fun :mad: )

    Thank you for the advice on the basic colours to buy.
    I will check out empressmills. What is the delivery charge?
    I tend to use jaycotts quite a bit. Their delivery is £2 and orders over £25 free. Not that I intend to spend that much on cottons.:eek:

    I have the machine threaded in the dial colours for ease of trying out the different stitches. :)
    £2 Coins Savings Club 2012 is £4 :).............................NCFC member No: 00005.........

    ......................................................................TCNC member No: 00008
    NPFM 21
  • Mrs_Flittersnoop
    Mrs_Flittersnoop Posts: 447 Forumite
    Hi Rikki! Yes I did the same thing (matching colours to dial) for the first few times I played with my machine, made life a lot easier to see where to thread it up.

    Anyway, I've actually just had a delivery from Empress Mills, the first I've actually placed for years :D since their spools last so long. I bought 6 1,000m bobbins of ordinary overlocking thread and two smaller 250m bobbins of a fancy thread for decorative overlocking, they put all eight bobbins into a normal sized Jiffy bag and the postage costs were a blanket £2.80. (there was actually £1.40 worth of stamps on the envelope, but I suppose they have to make a packing charge too). My postman also managed to squeeze the whole thing through the letterbox without waking me up :o

    I'd forgotten about Jaycotts! They seem to offer a good service too.

    Mrs F xx
  • Rikki
    Rikki Posts: 21,625 Forumite
    I have found this one with free delivery. www.sewdirect.com I will have to check out and compare the prices.

    I really fancy going on overlocker day somewhere. Empress Mills do them but thats a long way. I will keep looking. :)
    £2 Coins Savings Club 2012 is £4 :).............................NCFC member No: 00005.........

    ......................................................................TCNC member No: 00008
    NPFM 21
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