Lately, I’ve been all about the serger. It’s a new machine for me, and I’m loving it. Absolutely loving it. My wardrobe is almost entirely knits; now I can make the clothes I wear everyday!

One compromise I made getting the Brother 1034D serger was that it didn’t have coverstitch capabilities. Which means I’m using my sewing machine instead. I love my sewing machine too. It’s a Pfaff Synchrotronic 1229. The only thing on that link is the manual because this machine was top of the line in the early 1980s. It belonged to my husband’s grandmother who made the most beautiful clothes for her family. When she could no longer sew, she passed it on to me. My husband’s mother is also an amazingly talented seamstress who already had her own machine.

As a side note, I come from a long line of talented seamstresses. My grandmother made exquisite dresses, including my mother’s wedding dress by hand. She’s also an amazing knitter who has knit nearly every top in my grandfather’s closet, as well as beautiful pieces for us through the years. My mom has always sewn. She regaled us with stories of making herself new outfits throughout high school. She would always hem our clothes and loves giving oddly shaped clothes new life.

Which is all to say that I swap stories of sewing and knitting adventures with an incredibly inspiring group of women in my family.

Back to the Pfaff Synchrotronic 1229. It is capable of nearly everything: overlocking, buttonholes, embroidery, double needle stitching. My next project is to figure out how to double needle stitch like a coverstitch machine would. I have the original manual and nearly every accessory, even the double needle.

There’s also an invisible stitch for stretch fabrics that I should try called the “elastic blindstitch”. It’s the second stitch on the B setting.

I’m also curious about a stitch called “elastic triple straight stitch” for “seams exposed to great stress which stretch under stress.” These might be good options for toddler waistband elastic in the pants and shorts patterns that I’ve been using.

Guess it’s time to order some thread and start some swatches!