Last month, I finally invested in a serger. I was so afraid of it: there's too many threads, too many moving parts, it goes too fast! After a week of borrowing my mother-in-law's Huskylock 435, I decided I needed my own. It's not as fancy as a Husqvarna, it's a simple, affordable Brother 1034D. Now, I use it every chance I get. I am amazed at how quickly I can get projects whipped up. I mean, to finish an edge with a zigzag strip takes forever with my Bernette, but now it takes mere seconds with the serger. Even if I had to rethread the machine, it'd be faster than a zigzag. If something ever happens to my serger, I might as well just resort to pinking shears instead! You really can't go back!
Anyway, I've become interested in finding other ways to ease adding that finishing, professional touch (not that I really make anything that has to look professional, but it is a confidence booster). My next goal: bias binding.
Last Christmas, I made oven mitts to gift. I went through quite a few packs of bias tape. I love the look of bias tape, but store bought ones are so, plain and stiff and well, plain. I love the idea of custom made bias tape because you can have prints and can probably better pick out a coordinating binding instead of the remaining stock in Walmart, plus, the fabric isn't ever as stiff (unless you use the entire can of starch while ironing it out). I've made my own bias tape before, it's really simple, but there is one problem, I hate to iron. It is soooo time consuming, not to mention really hot. I don't know why I didn't ever consider getting a bias tape maker.
Anyway, I finally came to my senses and got one. I added up my points from Amazon Rewards, redeemed a couple gift cards from other point systems, and I had enough to snag it off Amazon! I spent the other night researching how to make bias tape using the machine, but even with the countless tutorials out there on how to make continuous binding and videos using the machine, I still had trouble understanding.
So, I practiced with paper. During my lunch break at work, I made my own version of striped paper (striped so I could get an idea of before and after since paper doesn't actually have a bias) and finally figured it out. It really is much faster than sewing individual strips together. I am so excited and can't wait til USPS drops off my package!
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