I have a Juki TL-18QVP and I love it! Most of my current sewing is straight stitch for totes or hems. I also have a computerized machine for when I need other stitches but I mainly use the straight stitch machine. (And yes having both is extra but you know how much I like collecting things and nice tools are one of my favorites ;))
I really want to make my own hoodies and tshirts so I expect to be sewing a lot of stretch fabric since that’s what appeals to me (thus the serger and potential cover stitch).
One thing I just remembered, another reason why I wanted a coverstitch is because one of the few things I don’t really like about my current sewing machine is how twin needle hems come out. I just can’t get the tension right and I’ve tried every trick. If your regular sewing machine does nice twin needle hems, that would look very similar to a coverstitch hem. My mum’s sewing machine is newer (2000-ish) and does much better twin needle hems than my machine from the early 80s.
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(Linda -2026 time to regroup and renew :us:)
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I had to do a lot of twin needle sewing when I was doing costumes in Wilmington. The woman I was working under was a great teacher and even supplied me with the needles.
Congratulations!! I hope you’ll get a lot of use out of them. Looks like you’re a Juki fan! They’re not super widely available here and I don’t know anyone who has one, but it’s a brand to keep in mind if/when I’m ever going to look for a straight stitch machine.
Thank you!! I’m really excited I wasn’t originally planning to get the coverstitch machine so soon but they were having sale and my husband encouraged it.
I love Jukis! Their main focus is on industrial but they’ve been getting into the consumer market the last decade or so. I really like the metal construction and feel of sewing on them, they don’t feel plasticy or flimsy at all. They’re workhorses at a reasonable mid-range price. I got all 4 of my machines for the price of the one Bernina sewing machine I tried to buy from a dealer 6-7 years ago! I also like that the store is only a couple miles from my house and they’re really nice.
I am joining y’all here but not sure which direction to go with jumping into the conversation… So I will babble…
My regular machine is a 25 year old Janome that is currently out of commission for repairs I am doing myself. It’s had parts replaced and is now in fine tuning of the timing. I recently traded some bike work for a second machine, a Singer that is almost as old but barely used so it’s running great. I used to have a “spare machine” but never used it so it was sold. Bad idea. Glad to have a second machine again…
I used to have an amazing serger but I believe I sold it when I moved my kids and I into a weird off grid living situation (My main machine is the only electronic that survived that move and I had to run it off my car engine.) So right before I moved to New Mexico I got a refurbished Brother serger and it is not a fan of the tied threads to change colors. I am currently battling it for rethreading…
But… I am on a clothing construction spree right now which was further fueled by a friend dropping on me several boxes of patterns, fabrics, and yarn from a client of hers who passed away. So I will post more about sewing now…
There are large flat tables in the front room of the bike shop that I will take over when the shop is closed, but in the back rooms where my studio is there is nothing so this was my first solution. This ended up on the floor before I was done. I am now shopping for the replacement for my folding cutting table that didn’t make it onto the moving truck from California…
(I have been in NM for over 7 years and I am finally getting around to replacing things that didn’t come with me.)
Oh, I want so much to spend a whole day in a sewing machine center like that trying out all the new machines!! I’d have to pack a lunch. They’d probably have to kick me out at closing time…
It’s a wonderful place! It was great to talk to her about all the different features, which are worth the price vs not, how you’d do each thing on the different machines, etc. She showed me how to thread the serger from scratch and it took less than 2 min with the air threading. I took some of my handwoven fabric to test on and they had tons of strips of other types of fabric to try. And they offer free lessons with all of the machines, I just have to call them and let them know when I want to come.
I was so excited about my new machines yesterday that I completely forgot to look at thread and needles. I found this in my stash which seems like it should work to test with.
Does anyone have a thread preference for serging? What about for the cover stitch machine? I’ll need to pick up thread and needles when I go back for lessons (which I’m definitely going to need lol).
I use Maxi Lock thread for my serger. Someone once gave me a whole box of cheap serger thread spools and there was a lot of weird and breakage so I went back to only buying this brand. I believe Gutermann has big thread spools for sergers too but they probably also cost more.
There are sewing centers in Santa Fe and Albuquerque but I am usually on the bus when I go down there without my hubby so I would end up missing my bus home, I am sure. I already have a problem when I go past a fabric or yarn shop in Santa Fe. Someday, though, I will make a trip just to go play with all the machines!
Past Jenn bought 4 spools each of white, off white, and black when Joann’s was having a big sale years ago. I’m glad it seems like she made an ok choice
I use the same thread for serging and coverstitch, it’s just your basic non-brand overlock thread cone from the local haberdashery shop, and it’s fine. I know the local sewing machine shop sells a ton of different brands, I might look into that if I ever run out of thread (I have four cones of white, black and blue I think). In the class that came with my machine they also showed how to use all sorts of novelty threads, which was fun to do. You can also thread the coverstitch machine’s needles with the sewing thread you used for the garment, so you don’t have to buy matching overlock thread for every single thing you sew.
Sounds like I need to look up Juki dealers here when I’m going to look for a straight stitch machine! My sewing machine is a Bernina from the early 1980s that I really love working with, but the lower price range new Bernina’s that I tried feel quite flimsy and cheap, even though they are very far from cheap (over €1000 for the cheapest model I think). The cheapest new, nice to sew on Bernina I tried was over €3000. It has a ton of really fancy features that I already know I won’t use. I just looked up the Juki website and they really are a lot more affordable, and they even have a straight stitch model aimed at quilters, with a lot of extra working space.
My Bernette coverlock came with an extra pack of Bernina overlock needles, but after that I just bought Schmetz, the only brand widely available here.
My understanding is they’re for sewing stretch material/knits and the ball point pushes the threads apart instead of punching through like a regular needle. I’m not sure how necessary it is.
So what for a regular sewing machine would be called a stretch needle? I don’t really know, but I have always assumed that since overlock needles are designed for knits / stretchy materials they handle the fabric in the same way a stretch needle would. But I’ve not tried any other needles in my serger for comparison.
I wasn’t originally planning to get the coverstitch machine so soon but they were having sale and my husband encouraged it.
