I Love My New Cover Stitch Machine!!

Published on by Tracy @ It's a T-Sweets Day!

I am one of those sewers who believes that good results are accomplished by having the right tools. I have always wanted to have those tee shirt sleeve edges like you find on all ready wear from the store. Well, the time has finally come. Say hello to my new Brother Cover Stitch machine!

I had a hard time deciding which machine to buy. I thought about upgrading my Imagine Babylock serger to the Evolve that is a two in one machine. But it seemed so expensive and my serger works so well.

Then I looked at different brands of cover stitch machines, and knew that this machine was not going to be used everyday so I didn’t want to spend a ton on it. So… I opted for a nice hard working machine from Brother. If I end up loving it and using the ton out of it, I will give it to my daughter and maybe upgrade.

Maybe some of you don’t know the difference between a serger and a cover stitch machine. –

  • Serger– Sews along the edges and cuts the fabric as you go for a lovely finished edge.
  • Cover Stitch– Sews in the middle of the fabric and does not cut the edges. It finishes the hemmed edge of a sleeve or pant.

I promptly made up two tee shirts and then decided to try my hand at making some linen pants. I already have two pair I bought for $60.00 each that I absolutely love. How hard can it be to make a pant without a zipper or even elastic? I can do this! Here is the pattern I chose:

I had a bit of a learning curve on my new machine. Getting the ending thread out is a bit tricky. Who knew?

  1. First you have to put something behind the upper threads
  2. Then you need to loosen the tension grips and pull those threads out
  3. Next you loosen the bottom looper tension grip and pull the fabric back
  4. Finally cut the top threads and pull the fabric back again,

Easy–NOT!! I am going to need to practice this a bit more. Lol! I did finally get the hang of it. I am pleased with the final results.

I did modify the pattern a bit and will modify it even more the next time I make it. I lowered the front waist line an inch or so. I definitely need it lowered even another inch to avoid the pull down pucker. Lol! I don’t like high waisted pants.

I also lengthened the top of the pocket to go over the top of the pant instead of ending before the waistline.

I am excited to make a few more pairs. These only cost around $10.00. SWEET!!! Now I do feel smart!

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day:)

17 thoughts on “I Love My New Cover Stitch Machine!!”

    1. I know what you mean! A cover stitch machine is a definite “add on” machine. If I didn’t already have a serger, I would have bought the serger/ cover stitch combo. Maybe you can do that when you get your new overlock machine:)😊❤️❤️

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  2. I just started hearing about cover stitch machines. I have an edge he met for my serger, but haven’t stitched that many knits so haven’t used it enough to really rate it. Have fu. With your new tool!

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      1. Very kind of you Tracy! This is going to be the year I master the simple shell and tee in knit, so I can just make my own. I need to get moving on that project and using that hemming foot!

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  3. Hi Tracy! Marvelous job AND you just saved $50 on that linen pants. Now that’s SWEET!! Thanks for explaining the different between the two machines. I had no idea that t-shirts, etc. weren’t made using a serger. Ya learn something new every day. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  5. I’ve been looking at this purchase for about 3 years and the Brother machine seems to be the best value. If you are interested in reading a review (of sorts) from a gal who purchased this model a year ago, go to her blog here: https://www.patchworktimes.com/2017/03/18/update-on-coverstitch-machine/ She (and her hubby) do nothing unless they have researched it (to death sometimes!!!!!). I would be completely comfortable with any assessment she would give.

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  6. Congrats on the new cover stitch machine! I have an old Viking 936 serger that I have to take apart to use the cover stitch feature — needless to say what a pain, it would be nice to have cover stitch only machine now that I have someone to sew for again! Lucky you — can’t wait to see more of how you use it ♥

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  7. I’m a bit of a novice where this kind of machine goes and really don’t understand the difference betwee: overlocker, serger and cover machine. Don’t they all do the same things?

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    1. Hi Claire! I didn’t know there was a special machine for this stitch for many years, so you are definitely not alone. A cover stitch is a specialty hemming stitch. This machine ONLY does that one stitch. If you look at your tee shirt sleeve, you will see the hem looks serged, but it isn’t cut. It has a pretty straight stitch on top and serged edges on the bottom covering the edge of the fold. Thus a COVER stitch. It does not sew seams like the serged edge of the seam in the side of your tee shirt. It is an EXTRA machine for sure, but I am having a lot of fun with it. Thank you for your question. 😊❤️❤️

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