Naive serger thread question

[vkberes]

My serger is finally shipping out today and i need to get some thread. i went to joann's and it was a little pricey so i am going to order it online. since i have never touched a serger before i have no idea how many cones i will need at a time. it is a 4 thread so am i correct that i need 4 cones? does wooly nylon make a huge difference on knits? do i need all 4 cones of wooly nylon or do you mix. soory for all the questions and thanks for any answers!

[rubidoux]

you will probably want four cones of your basic colors, though your serger may also have the capacity to do a stitch with three threads (if you're really broke you can always get the fourth cone later). i like to have enough white, natural, and black to do four threads with. but then i use the same thread for my sewing machine and it lasts forever. i think most people use a decorative thread (wooly nylon or something more colorful than the basic white/nat/black) for only one of the cones. i haven't tried it yet, so i don't know which thread that is.

i believe that joann's is having a 50% off thread sale this weekend. i can't remember if it's fri and sat or sat and sunday, but it will probably end up better for you than buying on line. i'd get there early though. at my joann's the thread choices get slim early. i'd recommend the maxilock cones.

have fun serging!

[425lisamarie]

I use WN in my loopers for stretch and softness Especially for diapers. But if you are trying to stretch your dollars you can just use it in your bottom looper, so that you have the soft thread touching the skin.

[jaye_p]

I would get either 4 cones of serger thread, or 2 cones of thread and 2 cones of wooly nylon. I use wooly only in the loopers, and usually I will put it only in the upper looper (just b/c that's what I've always done, I don't know if there is a good reason for it or not). Sometimes I will do wooly in both loopers though. For your needles, get the huge cheapo cones of white or black or tan. You really can't see those stitches anyway, unless you look really closely. If you're doing visible serging, you'll want colors that match or look good with your fabric for the loopers.

[vkberes]

Thanks for the heads up on the sale as well as the info! I checked and the sale is Friday and Saturday.

[onediaperinmama]

I use plain Maxi-Lock on all four cones. I hate threading woolly nylon because it is so puffy so I use Maxi-Lock on almost everything

[tippytoes26]

I agree.. there is no reason to use woolly nylon unless you are just going for a decorative look. woolly nylon is expensive and gets used up very quickly. Just regular ol cone thread will get the job done quite nicely on a budget.

BTW.. I haven't used it on diapers because I had a diaper business and wanted to make sure I was using quality thread, but for clothing and just about everything I made for our own use.. I just use the cone thread I get at walmart. It's cheap, and easy to get. For me to get maxi lock, I have to order online and pay shipping, or drive 45 minutes to the store adn 45 minutes back. Anyway.. I've never had any problems with the cones at walmart. If you actually look at the thread, the maxi lock stuff is superior so when you have the funds and you are ready to really get down to business, I recommend that. But, for practicing and for projets that you aren't going for a decorative edge.. (for example.. say you are making some shorts or making a bib that you will turn the serging to the inside) .. the cheap walmart cones are just dandy.

Oh.. and ..just about any thread will work. Even your smaller cones. It's just that sergers use thread so quickly that you get more value if you buy the big cones. But if you get in a bind and only have littel spools.. your serger will be just as happy with those. Check around the trading post.. sometimes you'll find mamas unloading cones of maxi lock and cones of woolly nylon for cheap. Expecially if they bought the really really big cones on co-op and just bought too much.

Amber

[vkberes]

So to get it straight, regular maxilock threads serge just as well as wooly nylon on stretchy fabric? I am forever scarred from trying to sew knits on my regular machine and I am trying to make things go as smooth as possible.

[onediaperinmama]

Are you talking sewing machine or serger.

[vkberes]

i'm talking about using wn on my serger.

[jmreinke]

I use Maxi-Lock for my dipes, and WN for the colors that match the Maxi-Lock. If I can't find WN to match the ML, then it is all 4 ML. I use the WN because it give a nice even think band of color - but then my dipes are all about the color serging.

If you are just making diapers for yourself, you just need 4 cones of ML - and you only need the colors if you want the thread to match your fabric. If you do want to buy colors, then you only need the colors in the 2 loopers (Like someone already said).

WN is expensive, but it does give a nice look - it is totally your preference. However, I don't have the experience to answer your WN on knits question, since the diapers I sew aren't knits. Again, with the WN, you really only need it for your upper looper (but this may be diff. for knits)

Definitely hit the Joann's sale. 50% off thread is a BIG deal and it doesn't go on sale like that all that often.

Have fun serging!!

[onediaperinmama]

Originally Posted by vkberes

So to get it straight, regular maxilock threads serge just as well as wooly nylon on stretchy fabric? I am forever scarred from trying to sew knits on my regular machine and I am trying to make things go as smooth as possible.

Yeah, they do fine. I don't think the thread has much to do with whether or not the fabric is stretchy. That's more to do with your machine and making sure you adjust it so it doesn't pull and make the edges all wavy