My new toy (thank you, Mum)

I'll start this post with an apology - if I bore the socks off you with details about my new serger, then I am sorry. I am currently, to quote my Mum (who has been round this evening to teach me how to use it), truly like a child with a new toy.

Here it is!

In an out of character move, I sat and watched the instructional DVD that came with the serger. Twice. When you see what it looks like inside, you'll understand why. My head actually started to hurt at trying to commit to memory how to rethread this beast.

The insides

So, er, what does a serger actually do? Good question. Until this evening, I had a vague idea that it was the kind of machine used in industry to make t shirts and finish seams. And, thanks to my Mum's repeated warnings when she gave me the serger two months ago, I also knew it had a sharp blade, good for severing the edges of fabric and the fingers of careless people. Which is why it has been kept safely in its box until today, when my industry trained sewing Mum came round for the evening to show me how the thing works.

Mum told me to choose something unimportant to practise on. So, I dug out some of my fabric from Barbara (an elderly lady who, knowing I like making stuff, semi-regularly pops round with fabric she's found gathering dust in her garage) and started cutting out shapes that would (hopefully) resemble a nightie and (hopefully) fit one of my little girls when finished.

Very excited at this point (hence the need to stop and ask my Mum to take a photo). I have
decided that for me, this moment is as exciting and nervy as the moment you first drive
 a car is for normal people. 

And now for the close up on those beautifully neat seams a serger so effortlessly produces..

And so, in half the time it would take on my normal sewing machine (assuming I had bothered to finish all the seams off nicely)...

I'm thinking this could double up as a shepherd costume, or a poor man's version of Joseph's dream coat

 ...and this one definitely resembles a hospital gown.

And,as well as drinking tea, imparting many insider top tips and making
sure I didn't sew through my fingers,  Mum made a couple of pin cushions 

There's still plenty of things the serger can do that I haven't tried yet... for starters, I am looking forward to buying some jersey fabric and having a go at making something stretchy. At least the thing is out of its box and being used - thanks to a bit of confidence and help from Mum!