Shawn --

Very nice work.

I have been pressuring a friend whose mother is a home-ec teacher to line me up with a surplus sewing machine. But I don't really know what features are necessary. I first started thinking about getting a hold of a sewing machine -- and suffering through the taunts of other boys -- when I saw commercial prices for sprayskirts and cockpit covers for my newly built kayak. Then I started noticing the outrageous prices for dry bags, outdoor clothing, drapes, sofa covers, you name it. So my questions: For these kinds of projects, how fancy does the sewing machine need to be? Would a used Singer with a zigzag function (this is all I know about the machine my buddy's mother can sell me) have the other necessary features? What is a serger?

Thanks in advance.

--Will