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Thursday, August 19, 2010

threading the serger.

Bernina Bernette 335

this is the Bernina Bernette MO-335 serger/overlocker that I bought on ebay. i had the whole day off & that's how long it took me to figure out how to thread it. i accused the manual of a lot of things, but truthfully if it weren't for the manual there's just no way in hell.

they suggest you use different colored thread when threading for the first time so you can see where each thread is going & what it's accomplishing in the stitching. this advice was worth its weight in gold.

tension dials:

tension dials

partial view of thread paths:

threading diagram

upper & lower knives for cutting the edges (serging):

upper, lower knives

presser foot & one of two needles:

DSC00244

here's where the different colored thread comes in handy:

upper/lower loopers & overlocker

upper looper thread shows on top side of fabric, lower looper thread shows on the underside of fabric, overlocker thread runs along the edge.

of course, figuring out how to make the threads go where they're supposed to go doesn't mean the stitching automatically looks fabulous. you still have to adjust the tension dials.

before:

before fixing tension

& here's the after. this is the top side (upper looper) with 2 different stitch lengths:

upper looper, stitch length variation

& the flip side (lower looper)

lower looper, stitch length variation

i feel like i accomplished something big today & i'm glad i didn't give up. the repeated attempts of trial & error helped me become familiar with how this machine works & i'm pretty confident i won't be getting the vapors every time i have to re-thread.

7 comments:

Erik said...

I just got my mother's old singer serger and I have wasted more time than I care to admit trying to figure out how to get the knives installed and just getting it to work in general. This was a great informative post and I appreciate the picture of the knives so much. You have saved my sanity...well, what was left after threading, anyway!

9010 said...

Glad it helped, Erik! I was lucky to find a pdf manual for my Bernina Serger because there's just no way I would've been able to figure it out on my own. :)

Liana2 said...

Hi! I found this exact machine locally for $100, do you think it's worth it for that price? I've been looking for some reviews on it, but haven't had much luck finding any. Have you had any problems with it? Do you happen to have any idea when it was made? The lady selling the one I found was not able to help me out with that :/ I really do like it, and I'm hoping it would make a good first time overlock. Anything you might be willing to share with me would be so appreciated! Thanks!

9010 said...

Liana- that's about what I paid for mine and It's been worth every penny. All I did was buy a new blade & take it in for a tune-up and it serges beautifully. Can you take some fabric and test it out? Also be sure to check the condition of the foot pedal. I want to say these were made in the '70s but I'd have to double-check.

Liana2 said...

Thank you so much for replying! I feel better knowing that it's a good machine. I'll definitely do what you suggested, take fabric and check the pedal.
Thanks again!

Deborah said...

Hello! I've been considering purchasing one of the older model Bernette sergers and was so excited to find your blog post! I can't seem to find much information on the 335, and I was hoping I could impose on you to tell me whether the presser foot pressure is adjustable or not? I also have to say that that while I'm quite new to sewing, I also love to bake and knit, so was even happier to find this blog! Such beautiful inspiration. Thanks!

9010 said...

Hi Deborah - I'm not sure if this will answer your question about feed dog pressure, but it has a differential feed button so you can adjust the feed based on the kind of fabric you are serging. This will prevent the fabric from rippling and ensure it lays flat after serging. I have limited knowledge on the mechanics of sewing machines and sergers, but the serger has 2 feed dogs, 1 in front of the other, and according to my manual the differential feed adjusts the distance one feed dog travels in relation to the other. This set up seems different than a sewing machine which has 1 set of feed dogs under the presser foot with the option to change the pressure and/or drop them if you want.