8 things to check if things go wrong when using a serger

It’s the end of the week already! I’m having so much fun with the Husqvarna Viking Amber Air S600. I’m thoroughly enjoying it for quilting and I’d like to try the coverstitch I talked about yesterday, a little bit more.

I’ve discovered that many sewists are afraid of a serger. They’re convinced they need one and then it sits in the box. I wasn’t totally frightened off, but I was hesitant as I didn’t have a lot of experience and if something went wrong, how would I fix it?

So I thought I’d share with you today, some of the things to watch for! Of course, having a great serger like the Amber Air S600 makes it so much easier to work with because of the computerized screen and the air threading.

The first thing to do, which pretty much makes the rest of the setup foolproof is to select the appropriate stitch from the pull-down menu.

Coverstitch selection from the pull-down menu

When you go into the information screens, you’ll see what needles to use, and what physical setup you need and if you follow that, you’ll pretty much solve all the problems you may encounter!

The how-to information screen solves pretty much every issue you might have.

Coverstitch Narrow #25 and its details

However, there are a few things I want to highlight.

1

The first is about the needles. Depending on the stitch you select, you have up to five different needle positions to choose from. Which ones to use?

Needle slots A, B, C, D, and E

If the needles are not inserted in the correct position, the stitch will not be formed properly. And be sure to insert those needles into the top of the appropriate slot. You’ll notice that the needles in the A and B positions are not parallel to each other, and they are not supposed to be. It has something to do with how they work the loopers and form the stitch.

If you switch a needle from Position A to B or any other position, do not just switch the needle. Rethread the needle to ensure the thread goes through the appropriate tension disks.

And don’t forget to thread the needles! I’ve been so excited by the air-threading the loopers that I completely forget to thread the needles and then wonder why the stitch isn’t working. I thread the needles by eye, but a handy manual needle threader is in the accessory box.

2

The other thing to pay attention to is ensuring the threads go through the tension disks. I’ve got caught a couple of times on this and I have only myself to blame. If you look at this thread, you can see it’s sitting outside the tension disks.

This thread sits outside the tension disk.

It doesn’t matter how much you play with the tension settings; nothing will change with your stitch. So if you’re playing with the tension settings and nothing happens, check that the thread is properly seated in the disks. It’s a good idea to ‘floss’ the thread into the disks every time you thread them. You’ll never have issues if you get into this habit from the start.

And then with the auto tension settings, depending on the weight and type of fabric you’re using, tension issues should be a thing of the past with the Amber Air S600.

There are thread guides, so make sure you get the thread properly into them. This one changes the needle thread direction as it goes to the needle. Be sure, the thread sits underneath it and not along the front. I’ve never had it misguided in this part, but best to be aware that it may be if you don’t pay attention. The way the guide is designed, I think you’d have to do something very wrong for it to miss that spot.

This thread guide changes the needle thread direction as it goes to the needle.

There are more guides above the needle; check the User’s Guide to see where the thread needs to go. These guides help to keep the multiple needle threads separate.

Two guides help keep the multiple needle threads separate.

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You also want to ensure your threads for the loopers are in the appropriate slots as they enter the air threading tubes. I have to say that I’ve never had issues with this, but these are things to double-check if you’re running into problems.

Threads for the loopers must be in the appropriate slots as they enter the air threading tubes.

You’ll notice that there is zero slack in the threads as they go into the air threading tubes. When you’re threading, be sure to leave about 18” of loose thread before you hit the air button. That leaves enough length for the thread to be pushed through the tube and come out of the looper.

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Something else to keep in mind is that you’re in threading mode or serging mode. Thankfully, the Amber Air S600 has an ingenious notch on the lid. So if you forget to move from threading mode to serging mode, that notch will not allow the cover to close. AHA – then you move the lever to serging mode and you’re ready to go! You have to love all the things the engineers have done to make serging a snap with the Amber Air S600.

Make sure to switch the threading mode or serging mode!

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Another thing to check and again, this is listed in the list of physical attributes for each stitch, but are you supposed to be using the upper looper or is it supposed to be disengaged? Check the lever in the bottom to see what position the upper looper is in. A, the looper is engaged, B, the looper is parked.

A, the looper is engaged, B, the looper is parked.

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Another thing to check, depending on which stitch you’re using, is whether the two-thread converter is needed. This is built-in and is easy to flip out of use or snap into place into the upper looper.

The two-thread converter

While this may sound complicated, it’s so easy with the information screen available to show you how each physical feature needs to be set up. I’m a big fan of using the User’s Guide but you don’t need it with the Amber Air S600.

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One other thing to check is the stitch finger. If your stitch appears to be rolling when it should be flat, check to make sure the stitch finger hasn’t been left in the R position. And I have to say that it’s pretty satisfying to know by looking at a stitch if that’s happened. This didn’t take long for me to learn and it’s all so easy!!!!!

Checking to make sure the stitch finger hasn’t been left in the R position.

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Also, check the upper cutter. If your fabric isn’t cutting clean or not at all, check if the cutter is up or down. Perhaps the cutter got damaged or needs replacing.

If your fabric isn’t cutting clean or not at all, check if the cutter is up or down.

The bottom line is that the Husqvarna Viking Amber Air S600 serger is a game changer when it comes to serging. It’s easy to select the appropriate stitch, it’s super easy to convert from overlock (serging) to coverstitch, the computerized screen eliminates the need for the User’s Guide and well, it just doesn’t get any easier than that to serge.

Husqvarna Viking Amber Air S600

I was a timid serger before, but now? I feel like a serger queen and I can serge pretty much anything!

Be sure to check it out at your local Husqvarna Viking dealer. You won’t be disappointed.

Have a great day!

Ciao!

This is part 5 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 4: Why a coverstitch machine is a valuable tool

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