An easy to understand introduction to the serger or overlocker as we call it in the UK. Although I have owned an overlocker for a couple of years, as with most people, I usually only use it for finishing seams. This book serves as an easy lesson or aide memoir to the other things that this machine can achieve. There are step by step pictures to help even the most unsure of us to set up the machine and check if the settings are correct. The projects aren't particularly imaginative but they do form a basis for starting ones own work.
Mostly aimed at someone with a new overlocker but also lots of useful tips for the more experienced.

This book is aimed at the new user of a serger, literally taking the machine out of the box, to some reasonably complicated projects such as making home decor items like pillows, runners and curtains. I am more interested in using a serger for garment construction, and their was certainly some information in the book for that target audience as well. This is not the book for you if you are already comfortable with what your serger can do, its various accessories, and its stitches.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My husband gave me a serger machine for Christmas, I have always wanted one, but when I went to use it, I found the booklet of instructions not so easy to follow. This book is very simplistic, but at the same time, for a beginner, a heaven sent. Lots of pictures, good information of why and how to get you started. All this is followed by simple projects to get you started and sewing with a degree of confidence.
Sewing with a serger is not the same as sewing with a sewing machine, and one needs to relearn some very basic stuff about thread, bobbins (none), seams/allowance and cutting blade - this book is very helpful with this type of information

Solid introduction to sewing with a serger (overlock) machine. It goes over the types of stitches available and why you might want them for various purposes. It aims to help you understand what the machine is doing so that you know what to expect. The technique discussion is very detailed, and so are the instructions for the nine projects. Note that two of the nine projects require machines with cover stitch or chain stitch capabilities, so if, like me, your serger is an entry-level model that can't do those, you'll really only have 7 projects to try out with your machine.

If I were rating this book based on its contents alone, it'd be 4 stars. Why only three, then? Because it's largely recycled content from [book:Quick and Easy Sewing with Your Serger: 15 Easy-Sew Projects that Build Skills, Too|2177692]. I don't have the other book handy, but most if not all of the 9 projects in <i>First Time Sewing with a Serger</i> are among the 15 projects in the other book. I don't understand the motivation in publishing this again but with fewer of the projects. That being said, this isn't a bad book, but if you choose <i>Quick and Easy Sewing with Your Serger</i> instead, you get 15 projects instead.

A good, informative title for those looking for tips on working with a serger machine. It was easy to understand abd follow.

Let me start off by saying that I don't own a serger, and I haven't seen one in person either. The reason I requested this book is because I'm doing book research and I needed to know the basics of using a serger to better explain a few scenes.
This book was great. It started from the basics, included a diagram on how a serger works, a guide on all the parts of the machine, and even help with threading. There was a section to help you troubleshoot whether or not your tension is correct for the fabric you're using, and a section on the different types of stitches, which was very helpful. It's all well-explained, descriptive and easy to understand.
This book is a great start, and it was exactly what I needed.

For some a serger is a scary machine; I would describe myself as one of them! Things like knowing it can do 1,300 stitches per minute or has a blade along side the needles designed to cut the fabric as you sew definitely adds to the risk factor! Thankfully Becky Hanson and Beth Baumgartel have come to the rescue.

This is a great book, it takes you almost from opening the box and plugging in the machine for the first time through learning all about its functions to making projects such as throws, curtains and skirts. There are excellent diagrams and photographs to show you how things work or should look and, I think would be more than adequate to get most people using their server or interlocker with confidence.

I was able to read a copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who is a new serger owner or has one but doesn't feel happy about using it.

This book is fantastic and I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in sewing (whether you have a serger or not). What fascinated me was how the book began by explaining the difference between a standard sewing machine and a serger, how they sew differently, how their purposes are different and how their stitches are formed differently. This really helped me, as a reader, to be clearer about what a serger is and exactly why its role is important as a separate machine. The book then guides you through threads, cones, needles, tension, stitch composition (length, width), pressure foot, sewing corners, sewing curves, before then presenting some projects to put your serger to good use. This really is an invaluable book and I would highly recommend it.

This is a really good manual for some who may be starting to use a serger. There are clear directions as well as other tips. A great resource.

First Time Sewing with a Serger is an instruction and tutorial guide aimed at sewists with little to no experience with sergers / overlock machines. More often today, people learn to sew in a relative vacuum, as adults, without a teacher sitting beside us. This can render what should be a fun and relaxing learning curve into a nearly insurmountable frustration. This book aims to help the beginner with a manageable learning curve, cutting out the frustration with guided step by step tutorials.

Released 26th March 2019 by Quarto on their Quarry imprint, it's 128 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. The ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents including interactive page number references in the index.

As a beginner's guide, the authors have presupposed absolute no prior knowledge or experience with sergers. The first 20% of the book is used illustrating the generic parts of a serger, what it is, what it does, the feet available for different effects and uses, and some tips and maintenance ideas. The drawings and photos are applicable to all makes and brands of serger and are clear and easy to follow. I have been sewing with sergers for years and found the cutaway diagrams of the formation of the overlock stitch very interesting and new to me.

The second chapter (20% of the content) shows general threading order, stitching, troubleshooting, and general sewing information. There is a lot of information in this chapter and even non-beginners will find good tips and tricks here. The last section of the chapter on removing different stitches without getting zillions of small thread snips is amazing.

There's a good chapter on the different stitches with general photographs illustrating each one. The authors have sensibly made the examples with dark ground fabric and contrasting threads in different colors -simple but very sensible. I personally had never thought to try that with all different color threads (maybe I'm not as much of an expert as I always thought).

There's a short chapter on tools and notions which almost all home sewists will already have in their sewing kits. The measurements in the book are given in standard (metric) and English (American) measurements, which is helpful.

The last 37(ish)% of the book is filled with 9 tutorial projects for home decor (4), and fashion (5). They're appealingly classic and utilitarian as well as customizable. The tutorial photos are clear and plentiful and the written instructions are understandable.

There's a resource list, slanted toward readers in North America, though an internet search will provide alternatives for readers living in other parts of the world. The index in the eARC version is also interactive with linked page numbers to the text.

Well written, clear, precise instructions aimed at the beginner. It's clear from the authors' writing styles that they're gifted teachers and generous with their tips and experience.

Five stars. Highly recommended.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I do own a sewing machine which i have recently purchased, but it is not a Serger. For those who do own a Serger, it is a very interesting and useful book to have. There is so much packed into this book, which includes how the Serger works, the various decorative stitches, threads, sewing curves and corners and so much more. Makes me want to go and purchase a Serger! Recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which i have freely given.

The very first thing that I learned was that I don't own a serger sewing machine. It tells you the difference between a regular sewing machine and a serger sewing machine. If you want to sew faster, look more professional, and have it allow for seam allowance, then a serger is the way to go. It describes all of the parts and how they work in detail. It has step-by-step instructions on how to thread it along with pictures. It has detailed pictures throughout the whole book. At the end of the book, there are many projects for you to make. This is a great how-to book and a reference book.