Happy National Serger Month! Last April, we discussed Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Sergers (But Were Afraid to Ask). Our goal was to demystify sergers for our sewing community. We’ve seen a lot of new sewists enter the Thimbles family over the course of the last few years, and growing your skill sets is our top priority. While sergers are not the first machine we’d direct new sewists to, as you become more accomplished sewists you’ll find that sergers really are indispensable. They’re especially useful when working with stretchy fabrics and for creating fast, durable projects with neat, fancy edges.
This year, we want to talk about some of the best serger projects for beginners. These small, simple, and seasonless projects are really great for practicing working with a serger. If you’re interested in buying your first serger, check out our available sergers here. You can always give us a call at (815) 836-8735 for more information and help!
Napkins
This quick tutorial outlines how to make some fast and easy napkins on your serger. This is a true beginner project—once you’ve cut your fabric, you’ll have a finished napkin off the serger in less than 15 minutes. The video has some good step-by-step instructions on how to keep the corners of your napkin tidy. Depending on the size of your napkins, this is a great project for scraps and fat quarter bundles. You can check out our latest bundles here.
Scrunchies
We don’t want to hear any scrunchie slander! They’re gentler on your hair than bare elastics, perfect for using up fabric scraps, and they make really cute party favors for kids. They are also a great canvas for testing out different edging stitches and threads. Plus, it takes less than an hour to whip up these super simple serger scrunchies.
Find the directions on WeAllSew here.
Bummies
If spring is baby season, then bummies might be the perfect spring pattern. Bummies are great diaper covers and don’t use very much fabric, so they also make nice fabric scrap busters. You can follow along with the video above while making your bummies. If you’re looking for a free pattern, this one is very cute and well-suited for beginners.
The video above also includes a really handy tip for using a suction cup shower handle on your ruler to protect your hands when cutting small pattern pieces. We love the ingenuity of sewists!
Shoelaces
Dress up a pair of plain white sneakers this season with custom shoelaces! This is another quick and easy project—it should take you less than one hour to finish both laces. We love the possibilities for this project. Holiday-themed shoelaces, shoelaces to flaunt your favorite sports team (calling on our Cubbie fans! Get your fabric here), custom shoelaces as party favors for a kid’s party, there’s a lot you can do.
Find the tutorial for serger shoelaces on WeAllSew here.
Twisted Headband
The above twisted headband is another great fabric scrap buster and a really nice project for beginners. It involves just two strips of fabric, a little clever (but easy!) folding, a few passes through the serger, and you’re done.
Eyeglass Case
Sunny weather is just around the corner, so make sure you keep those sunglasses protected with this serger eyeglass case. It will likely take you an evening or a weekend to complete this intermediate-level project as there are a few more steps involved, but it’s worth it for the results. There are also lots of great tips about adjusting tension and testing out thread and material combinations. It’s another great stash buster project—and a really nice gift idea to keep in mind for birthdays and the holiday season.
Find the serger eyeglass case tutorial on WeAllSew here.
Snack Bag
Ditch the plastic and grab some of your favorite fabric to make these adorable reusable snack bags. These are environmentally friendly and perfect for on-the-go snacking. You can mix and match fabric for the inner and outer layers and make these in whatever size you’d like. This is another project you can finish in less than an hour. We also like that the sewist links to some tips on how to finish seams on a serger.
We hope these projects have inspired you to start your first serger project. Let us know the projects you’d like to see us make on a serger. We’re always looking for inspiration for new classes at Thimbles!
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