Sewing Machine Knives

Sewing Machine Knives Q & A

What are Sewing Machine Knives Used for?

The knives can trim the fabric on the serger sewing machines even before the stitches are formed! They are a big reason why your edges acquire that neat, finished look.

What is a Serger?

Haven’t used a serger before? Well, if you haven’t, you should because this type of sewing machine can bind fabric together using an overlock stitch. Several stitches go into the creation of one overlock stitch. Pick up any garment and locate the finishing stitches on them. You are looking at the work of a serger!

Where Can the Knife be Found on the Machine?

The knives are located in the part of a serger that cuts material when it passes through the needle. This allows the knives to match the overcast stitch, and the result is a completely encased edge.

Upper and Lower Sewing Machine Knives

You’ll find that both sets of knives work in combination like the blades on a pair of scissors. The one that resembles an upside-down hook is the upper knife. It moves up and down when the fabric is being cut. You’ll find the lower knife beneath the needle plate. It remains stationary during the cutting.

Adjusting the Knife on Your Serger

If you own a serger, check for a dial on it. It will allow you to adjust the distance on the blades of the knives. Most brands build their sergers along the same lines. When using it for your first sewing project, you may want to test it out on a few pieces of test fabric first. Continue to adjust the blade-width of the sewing machine knives. Do that until you find the setting that produces the look you like.

When You Should Disengage the Knife

When you don’t want the knives to cut off the fabric as you sew, disengage them. This also allows you to put down various kinds of decorative stitches, sew away from the edge, do a topstitch, and apply elastic. Since the lower blades are stationary, you can take out the upper ones.

On the other hand, when engaging the blades, you can control how much fabric they will cut from the edges. In most cases, just a small trim off the edge is enough for regular serging stitches. This gives your sewing a neater and more professional look. Moreover, you won’t have to go back and trim the seam! Therefore, the blades also save you time!

Brands Available on GoldStar Tool at present:

• Brother
• Yuki
• Yamato
• Pegasus
• Singer
• Willcox & Gibbs

Check out GoldStar Tool’s entire inventory of sewing machine knives, and if you don’t know which one you need, give us a call at 1.800.868.4419 or visit us online, and our experts will guide you!