Hi Will, Thanks, Wouldn't you know, I sewed that very drytop on a 20+ year-old Singer home-ec department surplus machine!

It's not a bad machine, but a Bernina or Husquvarna will sew a little thicker fabric--sometimes these brands are offered for surplus too. Most of the time, the surplus machines (around here) are sold every other year, then replaced by new models. Usually, whoever offers the school district the best $ will get the contract.

Think of a serger as a sewing machine that sews with 4 or 5 pieces of thread at one time--they basically straight-stitch and zigzag at the same time. I wouldn't get one unless I was in the fleece production business. If you really get serious about sewing, buying a used upholstery machine will give you more bang for the buck than the serger.

Shawn

> 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