Ready, Set, Serge: Quick And Easy Projects You Can Make in Minutes

I ordered 'Ready Set Serge' after seeing an episode of "Sewing With Nancy" which featured Georgie Melot demonstrating many of the projects in this book. As a fairly new serger owner I was excited to break free of the 4 thread overlock rut I was in and expand my serging repertoire. The projects looked fast and fun, and most use just small scraps of fabric which can be readily found in one's "stash". These projects make great gifts for Teachers, friends, etc. and a number of them can be made in an evening and then kept on hand as the need arises.The book is well laid out, has bright, colorful, close-up photographs, and lots of information which is helpful to the novice serger enthusiast. Each project introduces a new serging technique. One thing I really liked, is that there is the basic project, and then a "stepped-up" version which gives you another technique to add to or embellish your project. As you complete the simple projects in the book, you are learning a great deal about what your serger can do, and how to apply these techniques to future sewing projects.My only problem with the book, and the reason I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5, is that some of the projects require you to layer multiple pieces of fabric, serge a simple seam, turn the item a certain way and "voila!" there is the finished product. Although the serging techniques were photographed very well, some of the layering and turning techniques seemed to be glossed over and I had to re-read and try to remember what I saw Georgie do on the "Sewing With Nancy" episode. Even then, I was a little confused. If the book had to stand alone, without the television show that I watched, I would have been even more confused. I'm hoping that I can download the episode from the Sewing With Nancy website, or tape the show the next time it is on to help with some of those trickier layering and turning techniques.I would recommend this book to any beginner serger owner. The author's explanation of how the serger works, along with her many tips are worth the price of the book alone. Most of the projects are simple enough for a child to follow, and as you complete these, your skills and confidence using the serger increase so that your future sewing projects will become easier. If you have access to "Sewing With Nancy" on your local PBS station, I recommend that you view the Serger episode featuring Georgie Melot as it will aid your understanding of some of the layering and turning techniques in the book.

I started sewing when I was ten years old, which was way back in 1970! I am not, however, one of those self-proclaimed "sewing goddesses" who knows it all and thinks there's nothing left for me to learn! There is ALWAYS something new to learn---for everybody! This book is a gem. It's written in a manner that makes it very user-friendly. I picked up a couple of neat tips with my first reading. I'm sure I'll discover some other little tidbits that are new and helpful to me when I have time for a more thorough perusual. I wish I'd had a book like this when I got my first serger back in the eighties. Most of my learning to use a serger has come through trial and error. I'm just looking to expand my skills in any little way that I can. If you are new to serging, this book will be a great help to you, and you'll be getting more out of your serger right from the start.The projects are all for useful items that would make good gifts or money-makers! There are two levels for each project---easy and "stepped up". The first teaches a new skill, and the second adds to it. There are multiple patterns throughout the book that need to be enlarged by a certain percentage for use. If you can't do this yourself at home, office supply stores will do it for you very inexpensively.

This book was used in a class using a serger machine to make a heat wrap for your neck.

I bought "Ready Set Serge" after watching the "Sewing with Nancy" DVD based on this book. (You can find the DVD online by ordering from Nancy's Notions).It's a good beginner's serger book. It's project-oriented, and so has less technical info than other serger guides I've read so far.Some of the projects are just silly (cord covers), and some I won't make because I have no use for them (baby bibs). The techniques are more interesting than the actual projects, especially those which use multiple layers of fabric followed by folding and turning to produce the final result. I was blown away by the topological sophistication of the checkbook cover and sunglasses case demonstrated on the DVD.Which leads to my big problem with the book - it can be hard to follow the instructions for some of the projects. The layering, folding and turning are intricate for some projects, and often there's not enough photos to compensate for the skimpy instructions. The DVD clearly illustrates how the fabric should be layered and matched, and live-demonstrates the folding and turning steps. The book isn't as clear.That said, none of the projects in the book are major productions, and once you figure out the steps, no project in here should take more than a half hour to make, including cutting the fabric.UPDATE 12/19/2012: It looks like Nancy's Notions no longer carries the DVD for this book on their website.

Outstanding and well written. I would recommend this to new sergers

I've been sewing for nearly 50 years, and I've rarely been stumped on following instructions. I can usually figure them out w/o much trouble. But this book threw me for a loop!I really love the pretty projects in this book. But I wish the author had spent less time on general serger instructions (threading, etc.) and more time clearly illustrating the projects which required turning things inside out, like the eyeglasses case. This book would be much better with more illustrations and/or an companion DVD.It would have helped to use highly contrasting fabrics for better clarity. I realize that the finished product needed to look nice for the sample, but that could have been accomplished by using plain/print fabrics.Also, it was frustrating to think that these projects could be finished in minutes. I spent over 30 minutes trying to make something that looked like it should go together in 10 minutes. (Eyeglasses case)I know that when I (eventually!) work out how to get things to come out right, I'll have a blast making these pretty gifts.

This is a great book for ideas using your Serger (Over-locker) with lovely ideas especially for Christmas Stockings. The details are clear and concise with beautiful clear coloured photographs and plenty of basic instructions that even the beginner can follow. A great book and I highly recommend it.

This book was very helpful but unfortunately I am still not able to master the workings of my machine but I keep trying.

A very basic book useful for a beginner . Not very exciting but good clear instructions . Useful if your just starting

Great book

Great for someone like me who is afraid of the serger and wants something to learn how to use it other than endless samples.Yes, I know, silly to be afraid of a serger, but there it is. The projects are usable, simple, and straightforward.