The History of the Serger

Serger History

The roots of overlock and serger sewing machines reach back to 1881, a Connecticut knitting mill and J. Makens Merrow and his son Joseph. Merrow first patented a machine for crochet stitching. That machine and its stitch capabilities led to Merrow's development of the overlock sewing machine.

In the loop

In a process similar to crocheting, overlock sewing machines have loopers that create thread loops for the needle to pass through. The prototype was a three-thread sewing machine that evolved into machines that create numerous overlock stitches. As various machine manufacturers emerged, they congregated in the Connecticut-New York area, close to the textile mills.

Serging forward

In 1964, the Juki Corporation was formed, a forerunner in industrial overlock sewing machines. In the '80s, Japan and China dominated the industry. Twelve major global brands (part of nearly 200 companies) are in existence today. Only the United States refers to these overlock machines as sergers, and some regions still refer to the overlock process as "Merrowing."

Not all sergers are created equal

There are industrial sergers and household machines. Household serger machines sew 800 to 1200 stitches per minute and have several stitch variations; industrial sergers sew up to 9500 stitches per minute with one stitch type.

Evolution has taken sergers from difficult-to-thread machines to the color path system and most recently a one-touch lever that automatically brings thread through the tubular upper, lower, and chain loopers.

Machines balance the stitch on any fabric, regardless of the choice of threads: fully automated, self-adjusting, and set-the-dial-and-go. Functions like these would never have been imaginable to 19th century inventors.

Beyond the dream

The history of the serger machine began with a simple function and has evolved into a state-of-the-art serger with electronic speed controls, speeds of 1300 stitches per minute and optional presser feet for elastic, shirring, beading, tapping, cording and blind hemming?

A century ago no one could have grasped the concept of computers; 40 years ago a computer system took up an entire room. Computerization and microchip technology have produced pocket-size and smaller computers, simplifying every task and every piece of equipment. Look what's happened to "Merrowing!"