How To Thread A Serger

Serger's are fantastic machines. You can sew AND cut off the extra fabric at the same time?! Not to mention, you get a lovely finished edge. It cuts sewing time in half and can make you look like one heck of a pro even if you are just a beginning sewer...However...They are also horrifyingly complicated when you have a look inside.

YIKES! That's a lot of moving parts...But it is very important to get familiar with all these moving parts and to understand what they do before you ever sew a scrap of fabric. 

Often, people sewing on a serger will find themselves asking...

Why is my serger coming un-threaded?

Why is the thread breaking?

Have I broken my serger??

Why doesn't my serger work?! AHHH!!

The solution to 99.9% of these questions: Threading.

Before you run off to a sewing machine repair shop and fork over $100+ dollars because you think you've broken your machine, make sure that the machine has been threaded properly. The first place to look might be inside the machine itself. On this Babylock, the instructions on how to thread it are right inside the door:

If you don't have something like this, I suggest having a look in your user manual. If you don't have a user manual, then search Google using your machine's make and model. Just about every machine's user's manual can be found on the interwebs these days!

HOWEVER, even WITH the user's manual...things can go all sorts of wrong. Every threading tutorial I have ever read, including the one in my manual, seems to leave out some all-powerful step...until now.

Your user's manual can get you at least through half of the steps. Here are the basics from my machine (with the all-powerful tips included), and from what I can tell, these are pretty basic steps for all sergers:

1. Move the upper knife out of your way

It's big. It's sharp. It's in your way. All serger's have a method that allows you to swing the knife up. Mine has a small lever that allows you to gently push it to the right, and a knob that allows you to twist it up. Yay! 

2. Thread the UPPER LOOPER

In this picture, the upper looper is outlined in yellow. Thread this looper by following your machine's guides. Be sure to lace the eye at the very tip of the looper from front to back. IMPORTANT: Your thread at this point may be crossing IN FRONT OF the lower looper (shown here in red). Make sure you gently move this thread BEHIND the lower looper!

3. Thread the LOWER LOOPER

Shown in the above picture in red, again follow your machine's guides. Once again, be sure the thread is laced through the eye from front to back. IMPORTANT: You IN NO WAY want the thread of the upper looper and the thread of the lower looper to tangle together. Remember that thread from the upper looper that you may have gently moved behind the lower looper?  Do not let the thread from the LOWER LOOPER be ABOVE this thread. You need to be able to hold both strands from the fully threaded loopers out to the left side of the machine...and they should in no way cross, touch or tangle.

4. Thread your Needles LAST! ALWAYS!

It sounds really silly, that something as simple as threading the needles last (always) could be the source of all of your problems...but in reality...it really could be. Even if one of the loopers' thread breaks or runs out, you MUST unthread the needles, and START THE ENTIRE THREADING PROCESS OVER AGAIN FROM THE BEGINNING. This is frustrating. This is time consuming. But it is what you must do.

Follow your machine's guides on how to thread these needles (going front to back through the needle eyes). Once again, these should not cross, touch or tangle with any other thread when held out to the left side of the machine.

5. Hand Crank Your Machine

Hand cranking will allow you to not only see your machine's working parts in action, but it will also give the machine a nice, slow start to its chaining process. Gently hold all four threads out to the left side of the machine with your left hand , and slowly crank the knob with your right hand. Do this until you have at least 2 inches of a chain. If it is chaining correctly...CONGRATULATIONS! You have just successfully threaded your machine! If it isn't chaining.......

A few common checks you can make are...
1. Is the top looper going up and catching on the right needle? If not, try lowering the right needle ever so slightly.

2. If the loopers don't seem to be moving as much as they should be, trying oiling your machine! 

3. If the threads are breaking or coming up-threaded, ensure you followed the threading instructions PERFECTLY, and also check your thread tention. 

6. Lower you Upper Knife, and test your machine with scrap fabric.

Testing your machine is always very important...you never want to ruin your actual project by....oh I dunno... accidentally leaving the upper knife in its up position, and ending up with a huge wad of fabric under the presser foot. (#AdmittingYourOwnFaults)

But that's all folks. I hope I have saved you a little bit of serger drama with this tutorial! I will leave you with one more handy piece of info!

So threading a serger is a pain, right?? RIGHT?? And you probably don't want to re-thread it every time you need a new color thread...RIGHT?? Well here's the trick...

Cut every single thread right above the spools. This will leave a piece of thread in-tact, following all of the guides, knooks and crannies you have worked so hard to lace it through. Go ahead and completely remove the needle threads (remember how you have to do these last? always? Unfortunately, this method also doesn't work for the needles, as a small knot in the thread will not pass through the eyes of the needles). Switch out your spools, and tie the ends of the new spools to the tails of the cut threads running through the machine to the lower and upper loopers. Make sure it is securely tied and pull the ends of the threads, effectively pulling the new thread all the way through the machine without the hassle of doing it all again by hand. The only thing left to do is lace the new thread through the guides for the needles, and hand-crank to make sure you did it all correctly! 

HAPPY SERGING!! 

artful.Anthropology

Update and Basket o' Babies

Good Afternoon Friends!

It has been a while since we have blogged.  In September we managed to have three successful yard sales and are currently selling our remaining stock at low prices.  Check out or Facebook page to see the items, they make great stocking stuffers!

At the moment we are playing with new concepts and developing new items for you!  We are also taking suggestions of what items you might want to see in the future, our zeppelins for example will be back by popular demand.

Our sweet bluebird hangs
 out in the forest

On a softer note, we have created a unique basket of gifts perfect for baby showers.  Our Basket o' Babies. You may choose six amigurumi animals to be placed in your basket in a variety of colors.  We are currently compiling a list of animals to be posted.  We can create an animal from any color found in Red Heart, Lion Brand Wool-ease or Vanna's Choice yarns.  Just take a look at what we've done so far!

Bluebird's friend Squirrel
is stopping to
admire the coleus
...and maybe take a nibble

Is that a kitteh stalking our woodland friends?

Looks like we have
a fish out of water!

The Pink Pony looks like
she's enjoying a graze

The penguin relaxes
against an icicle on his 'berg

While the snake visits,
whoa that must be cold!

And Octi is hiding in
 the shade

 These are just a few of our babies for Babies.  Don't forget to check out or Facebook page and message us if you are interested.

Cheers,
artful.Anthropology

Coming Soon

-Comprehensive list of amigurumi animals
-Our Komen Walk Bake Sale

Hot and Muggy

Good Afternoon!

It has been one hot summer! We had a lot of fun at the Sky Pirate ice cream social despite it being rained out by a massive thunderstorm only an hour into it. We must admit, the rain was a welcoming break in the heat and our garden really enjoyed the drink, especially the sunflower.

Wide Awake and Thirsty!

Our moonflowers have finally bloomed, (sorry no images they're hard to get at twilight) these and the morning glories have taken over the front of our house and they're growing so fast I have to cut them every other day to keep them from eating the porch! 

In other news, we're gearing up for cooler weather with gloves and other crochet items. Mainly experimenting with new patterns and seeing what yarns work with certain techniques. We've also kept our sewing machine whirring with dresses, aprons and super suits, yes, I said super suits.

The summer seems to be slipping by faster than ever this year! Check out our Facebook gallery for images of some of our wares, many are currently on sale! Just message us or email with any questions or orders!

Stay cool this July!

Cheers,

ArtfulAnthropology

Skirts!

Hello, everyone!

Today we are showcasing some of the skirts we have made - some more complicated than others. Lets start off with....

The Patchwork Circle

Created by using over 200 patches of fabric, this skirt is beautiful and vibrant! A great project to do when confounded with what to do with all of your scrap fabric. Cool in the summer and a literal blanket in the winter, you can don this skirt all year long! They can easily be made at any length.

The Gathered Skirt

Made with "gathering strings" sewn directly into the under part of the skirt, you can tie it up in the front, all the way around, or any way you like! Accented in the back with a corset tie.

The Upcycled Skirt

The number of things that one can accomplish with some old T-shirts never ends. This is just one of the many T-Shirt related projects we've done (One was already posted here - Check out our T-Shirt Quilt from a while back!). Simple, and to the point. It's a Beatles A-line Skirt.

There are more clothes and accessories on the horizon, and I suspect a few dolls too!

Upcoming Events

- The Kentucky Renaissance Fair is hosting a STEAMPUNK WEEKEND! You know where to come for your accessory and costume needs, right??

- The Sky Pirate Ice Cream Social has been moved to July 1st. We will be there selling and trading our wares, and having ice cream, of course!

Cheers!!

artful.Anthropology

Knitting and Concerts

Hello world!

CRAFTS----------

We come to you today to display yet another of our many talents. We like to consider ourselves a Jack of All Trades, so here we have a lovely feature on our knitting skillz! 

A great little bag that goes with any outfit!

The flowers are removeable, and can be
 used in your hair or on your dress!

These bags are made with cane handles and a very soft yarn. And YES, it will hold a lot more than you think! It's pack-rat tested!

FUN! ---------

We also enjoyed our Memorial Day weekend down at Louisville's Belvedere! Abbey Road on the River features some amazing musicians. Here are some pictures we captured! Click on the pictures to view the full gallery! 

Until next time - stay cool in this heat! Here comes summer!<3 <3artful.Anthropology

...et maintenant les fleurs

Spring is in full swing here in Louisville and our tiny little garden is finally growing like crazy! Last year we didn't do so well, we inherited the garden and now we know we are no farmers. I had one measly tomato and a pepper bush that grew like wildfire but no one to give jalapeños to. The herbs died and the few flowers we inherited were annuals.  However this season we went crazy overboard with the flowers and plants. The only thing we're having trouble with is the succulent and the lemon licorice (the irony here is how easy these plants are to care for).

Going Wild!

I'm most amazed by the pot of wild flowers. It is overflowing and while I know I need to be pulling some up I have no idea what to pull! Thankfully the pot is deep enough that the plants will thrive. Our sunflower has shot up to about two and half feet, it is huge! And the marigolds are making a tiny bush in their pot.

Found a Morning Glory peeking this morn

Our morning glories and moon flowers are slowly winding their way around the railings and columns of the house. I can't wait until they bloom. It's going to look amazing! The pots on the ledge hold two different types of zinnias and there are ornamental poppies and something else planted below the morning glories and moon flowers. While only the marigolds are in bloom I do love all of the green outside in our little garden. Especially the lamb's ear, I remember petting that plant at my grandparents' house when I was little - it's so soft!

We've been dabbling in floral arrangements this month in honor of all our cool plants outside. We found a milk jug vase on sale at the craft store and all of the beautiful silk blooms were calling to me. We have a fun and fresh spring arrangement sitting on the picnic table outside.

    

Inside in a glassworks vase my father made is a funky woodland inspired arrangement. I must say that florals is a fun hobby to have but boy are silk flowers expensive! I just couldn't wait for the real thing to bloom tho!

             

On a more crafty note, we are working on some crochet bags that are inspired by 1930s and 40s clutches and wooden handles. More on those lovelies at a later date.

Cheers,

Artful Anthropology

Spring has Sprung!

Spring has sprung and Happy Derby everybody!

It's been a busy month for us what with promotions and wrapping up the school year.  This summer promises to be a productive one tho!

New necklaces to debut today - the zeppelin!

It's tea time!

Look How Time Flies!

Freedom is just out of Reach

Illuminating!

Special Delivery! 

A wonderful accessory that would compliment anything from the most elaborate steampunk outfit to your favourite sun dress.  Made from radio vacuum tubes and jewelry findings.

Lots of other things are popping up around here especially the flowers! Our tiny garden patch and potted plants are thriving. Pretty soon well have a giant sunflower to greet our visitors!

Sunny Side Up

Pretty in Pink

Running Wild!

Lots of things happening here at chez A.A. so keep a look out for a new post soon!

Cheers,

Artful Anthropology

Is It Spring? And other Hot Air Things

It has been one roller coaster of a week here in Louisville.  On Friday we have 70 degree weather with both a beautiful sunny day and a deadly tornadic super storm.  Today we have upper 30s and snow:

Gorgeous but frosty Cherokee Park entrance

While we all look forward to the warm spring winds and green sunny days here in Louisville, Artful Anthropology has created a new necklace that runs on hot air! The zeppelin has finally arrived!  The chocker is made of either leather or velvet with the zeppelin anchored in the center.  The necklace is light weight and does not restrict mobility, in fact it encourages it!

Up, Up and Away!

The Zeppelin is a unique piece that adds flair to your wardrobe, pair it with hot air balloon earrings and your outfit will be complete!

Leather choker shown

The zeppelin is available for purchase directly from Artful Anthropology and will soon be on the shelves at Hey Tiger, on Bardstown Road.

Coming next week: A steampunk twist on a sac bag.

Cheers,

Artful Anthropology

New Jewelry! New Location!

Good Evening!

We have jewelry and accessories over at Hey Tiger on Bardstown Road as well as Number Nine Design on Frankfurt Ave. 

Check out our cool stuff:

Flower Broach

For more detailed shots check out our Facebook page

Simple and stylish

Versatile! Goes with any outfit!

Don't forget to check our Etsy page for more!

Cheers,

Artful Anthropology

Party Trays Are Where It's At!

Lots of photos in this post, and I do mean A TON. We've made some gorgeous party trays out of old tea sets. Take a look!

Excellent for serving your party food

Each individual party tray has its own personality and charm as well as different functions. We had a lot of fun coming up with designs and different scenarios that could call for each of these styles.

Let me introduce the Heather: 

Perfect for tea cakes, cookies, cupcakes,
crackers and other flat party edibles.

This three tiered stand is ideal as a centerpiece to display your baked goods in style!

Each tray is unique, put together after careful contemplation over colour and shape.


No two trays will ever look alike. That's the beauty of antiques!

The Heather is ready to grace any table
and add some flair

The Heather is perfect for those flat edibles doomed to sit on a plain tray in a decorative circle or straight rows. Why not display your cookies and cakes in a more flattering way?





That's when we asked ourselves - Why stop at cookies and cakes?



And with that the Muriel was born.

Display your chips and crackers in style

This gorgeous display is perfect for cracker dips, salsa, hummus and any other goopy treat you can think of.

We make sure every bowl in this design is safe for warm dips such as queso.



However, we do not recommend putting the party tray into the microwave or oven.

The Muriel holds the key to your dip and chip fun

With this design you can bring a little elegance to your Super Bowl party and still enjoy those nachos!
This particular design lends itself as a candy display as well.



We filled ours with M&Ms and Skittles in the top two tiers and placed fun sized Kit-Kat bars at the bottom.


The Imogen suits a different kind of dip need.

A beautiful display for veggies and light dips

With the tea cup on top, the Imogen is not built for those mass quantity dips. Instead it makes the perfect home for veggie dips and its three tiers are the perfect display for colourful vegetables.

Each cup in the Imogen has a lovely
pattern on their inside

This delicate display would brighten up any tea table or party array. Take the ugly plastic container out of the equation and use the Imogen!





Each tray is put together with an industrial strength adhesive that is waterproof, non-flammable and safe to put your food on. Take care in hand washing the pieces - they should not under any circumstances be put in the dishwasher.


We do hope you enjoy our projects as we bring them to you each week. These party trays can be found at Number Nine Design on Frankfort Ave in Louisville, KY, or we can make one just for you! Email us or visit our Facebook page!

Cheers,
Artful Anthropology