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Understanding a Serger or Overlocking Sewing Machine

By Debbie Colgrove, About.com

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What is a Serger or Overlocking Sewing Machine

Serger Stitched Tee Shirt  Examples

Serger Stitched Tee Shirt Examples

Debbie Colgrove, Licensed to About.com
Understanding what a serger or overlock machine does will help you make an educated decision before purchasing or deciding if you need a serger. Sergers or overlock sewing machines were not available for home sewing when many of us began sewing. Follow these pages for an educational tutorial of what a serger or overlock machine can offer you for your home sewing advancements.

So what exactly is a serger?

A serger is a machine that creates the finished seam you see on the seams of ready made garments such as side seams in sweat shirts and tee shirts. Due to industrial influences, you will hear people refer to what home sewers have come to know as serging by many different terms, Overlock and Merrow� (named after the Merrow Sewing Machine Company) are just a few.

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