Serger Secrets: High-Fashion Techniques for Creating Great-Looking Clothes

I got my first serger a few months back, a high end Husqvarna Viking Serger, the Huskylock 936, which has 5 thread serging as well as cover stitch (incl chain stitch) capabilities. I must admit, I felt quite intimidated, since there is a huge step from understanding and mastering an ordinary sewing machine to understanding and mastering such a 5 thread wonder, with all it's parts, threading etc. The Huskylock 936 is wonderful in that it is computerized and when you pick which seam you want to use and the type of fabric, it tells you which tension etc. to use. But, no matter how much automatic stuff, if you sew quite a bit, the time comes where you have to adjust settings to get the result you want, especially if you want to sew on challenging fabrics using challenging threads, ribbon, yarn etc. for special effects. No matter which year model of serger you have, whether it is computerized or not, sergers are pretty much the same. When I look into mine, I see the same basic parts as on other brands and models and also have no problems understanding the explanations in Serger Secrets, even if they show it on different/older sergers. For that reason I strongly disagree with the reviewer who gave a super low score saying that "Sergers has come a long way in 10 years", indicating that the sergers in this books were obsolete and that this book won't be of help if you have a new serger. I could not disagree more! I must say, after getting the book, I read it quite quickly, as it was so easy to read and understand, everything felt really useful and for that reason it was even fun and excited reading. I could not put it down and got read eager to start trying out all the techniques etc. that the book shows you, amongst others because I started feeling like I really understood how this machine works. That help is really good to get, it really gives you a lift. I must add though, that when I looked at serger books here on Amazon, I found it difficult to choose, I felt like getting a few, as several seemed really nice. I had to decide on getting one basic book to learn me how to work the machine and how to be able to get everything out of it that it can do. I have not regretted at all that I chose this book for that! I chose to add one other book though:  The Ultimate Serger Answer Guide: Troubleshooting for Any Overlock Brand or Model (Creative Machine Arts Series) . I felt that it would be useful to have that one as a reference book in handling problems that could arise. The latter one is IMO not the type of book you just read through, but when I find myself having to handle a challenge, I look the problem up in that guide and easily (every time) finds the solution. The book list several possible answers, but most of the time the first option has solved it for me! It simply lets me solve things without any frustrations, which is worth a lot. When I start a project and I'm unsure about something, I quickly look it up in Serger Secrets to remind me of what I already read - just love this book for that. It really gives me all the answers I need. The intimidation I felt at first, was gone after reading a bit of this book, since it quickly gave me the confidence to start experimenting, and when I was done reading it, I felt real confident that I would be able to learn the ropes necessary to have a ball with my new serger, creating clothes and other things for myself/others. For any person new to serging, or those that never got started with the serger they got quite a while ago, I can't recommend this book enough and the same goes for the other one I mentioned. They are a perfect pair and no doubt a must have, as I see it! Since I mostly sew with knits and would like to learn all the techniques used for such fabrics, I ended up adding a third book after a while,  Singer Sewing with Knits (Singer Sewing Reference Library) , also a super easy to read book which has so many useful techniques for creating clothing from knit fabrics. Couldn't put that one down either when I got it and use it to look up things when needed. That book is also an older book, only available used (from only $0.97-2.71, I got mine at $0.99 and to my surprise it was new even if it was sold as used), but it really does not matter that it is 18 years old! What it shows you, are techniques as usual and useful today as they were when the book was new in 1992 (it really doesn't matter that the photo's show outdated clothing!). These three books really has been great, they're giving me the results I want! Getting that professional finish without going through the frustration of having to figure things out by trial and error (or not being able to do certain things) or having to go to a course to learn, is really great! Can't ask for more!And, real important to me, nothing has been too complicated for me to utilize, including language wise (with English not being my native language). I really appreciate it when books are as easy to read and understand as this one (and the other two I referred to)!Can not recommend this book enough, IMHO it is even a steal at only $15 (or down to $8 new/used from Amazon affiliates)! :)

I recently purchased a new Viking 936 to have a cover stitch function. I have checked out all the serger books from the library I could find. And I own two other Serger books. This book is detailed and describes many different serger techniques. It is easy to follow and figure out from any key word or decription of the stitch one intends to create. It gives a great overview of all that a Serger is capable of doing and has limited to no interest in selling a particular brand. So you may well find good information on your specific machine.I would also advise the purchase of this book if you are looking to buy a serger especally if you are wondering what a serger can do for your sewing. There are just limited resources written for this product and it's uses let alone very specific easy to follow directions show with actual real projects and practice steps to learn the stitch functions and see visually what the machine is capapble of. I can't say enough good about this book. If you buy any serger book let it be this one.If you are looking for a book to teach you about the use of the Babylock then I would recommend the newest book on Serger use by Nancy Zieman. Otherwise Serger Secrets has everything you will need to guide you through using your new or your unused serger. This is my third serger. I sew for fun and to provide well made quality in my wardrobe and my home. I highly recommend this book.

I purchased this book after first checking it out from my local library. I'm new to serging and was looking for information on when and where to use a particular type of stitch. Most books seem to focus on chainstich and coverstich, which my serger does not have, and the projects seem to focus heavily on using those features. This book does go over these nicely and gives ideas and illustrations but I didn't feel cheated that my serger doesn't have these features. This book also has a nice reference of what needles to use, types of threads and different techniques. It goes over each of the stitches, shows the settings and materials used with a picture. Yes, it is 10 years old and you can see that in the style of the many of the projects but this was not an issue for me. I was still able to see how to apply these ideas to newer projects and learned quite a few new things. I particularly liked the sections on joining lace to delicate fabrics, using it for easing and the section on Heirloom serging, which is completely new to me. I liked this book enough to return it to the library and buy it for future reference.

I have poured over this book again and again. It is full of basic information, great ideas, step by step instructions for every example. It's my favorite serger book.

I will add to all the positive reviews that this book has received. It is a very thorough explanation of the serging process. While I did invest recently in a Baby Lock Imagine, the pages for threading and tension did not pertain to my particular serger. I still thought it was beneficial to have this be a good reference in explaining the various stitches and the capabilities of sergers, in general. It arrived quickly and was packaged well by the seller.

I just purchased my first serger and was very anxious to receive this book....I was surprised that it came so quickly Aug 22nd....I quickly looked through and it is LOADED with informative information...it seems to cover every issue plus much much more!! i know that I will use this book as a constant reference for getting to know all the ins and outs of serging. Highly recommend! I also purchased Sewing with Sergers.....now I am all set to Serge !!!

Fast delivery and the book is in very good condition! I’m happy and satisfied of my purchase.

Tiene muchos trucos para usar las remalladora para múltiples funciones, incluso la cover. Es un buen libro de consulta, lástima que no esté en español, pero tiene bastantes fotos que son muy ilustrativas

Good illustrations and ideas. Will need a more basic grounding in using my serger before I can make the most out of using this book,but I think it will be extremely useful.

this book is excellent for learn creative ideas for what you can do with your serger. this is one of my favorite serger books

Live this book. Had one, leant it out and never got it back-had to order another one