We made napkins in our second serger class. It took most of the class because we all had to get our rolled hem stitch right before we could get to sewing.
The teacher showed me her technique for cutting the fabric with a rotary cutter, because I am not skilled with that tool, so my four napkin pieces were quickly cut and ready to go.
Getting the stitch right took quite a bit more time. We installed wooly nylon thread on the upper looper. I had never heard of wooly nylon before taking this class and I sure didn't know what to do with it. For the purposes of our rolled hem stitch, the wooly nylon was used to fill in the gaps in the stitches, to make a smooth surface.
I followed the settings in my manual and tested it. I had to adjust several times, with the help of the teacher, and finally got a decent stitch. As with all of the different stitches we learned in this class, I kept a sample of the stitch with the settings marked on it. I now have a small bag full of samples that I refer to when I am trying to get the right settings the first time. Here's what I learned: every machine is different. Not just every make or model, but every machine. So it pays to test and test until you get what you want.
And this is what I wanted. The finished edge looks professional and neat. I packed up the four napkins and sent them off to daughter Mary (she had requested taupe to go with her dining room). she loves them and I am excited to be able to make such nice finishes.
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