Overlockers (AKA sergers) are amazing machines for creating a professional-looking finish on seams and for whipping up garments in knit fabrics. Yet, when the subject of overlockers comes up amongst stitchers, it’s usually not long before there’s a sharp intake of breath and someone whispers, “Urgh, but I hate threading it”.
From talking to countless DIY dressmakers, I know that loads of you feel intimidated by using overlockers because of their reputation for being tricky to thread. Even those of us who use these machines regularly – me included – avoid changing thread whenever possible because of how time-consuming and fiddly the process can be.
A few months ago, Janome told me they were planning to release a new model of overlocker that is so easy it almost threads itself. As you can imagine, I got super excited as I knew this was exactly the kind of thing you guys had been dreaming about! So I asked to review it.
This is a paid review, but trust me when I say that this is my honest opinion – I wouldn’t recommend something to you unless I genuinely loved it myself and thought you would too. We’ve been using this machine in the studio for the last few weeks to stitch up samples (as well as our own just-for-fun projects at lunchtimes) and have fallen in lurrrrve…
How it works
Here’s a video showing how to thread it...
The AirThread is so called for a reason. It uses air to blow the thread through the loopers. Yes, air. It blows the thread through the loopers!
The first time I threaded it, I dutifully studied the manual to guide me through the process. To be honest, for a minute there I thought this wasn’t going to be all it had been cracked up to be. Let’s face it, technical manuals can be a bit long-winded, and there were three pages to read on how to thread each looper. But all I actually had to do was pull the thread swiftly through the top channels, flick three switches, and ta-da! Suddenly, as if by magic, the thread had been sucked through the machine and popped out through the hole of the first looper. None of the hunching, squinting and tweezering involved in threading a regular overlocker. Hooray!
Once I'd got the hang of it, I repeated the process on the second looper and it took ten seconds. TEN SECONDS. The needles were also easy to thread thanks to the automatic needle threader. The whole threading process, from start to finish, including pauses to check everything was threaded properly, took about one minute total.
How is it to sew on?
As well as being easy to thread, the AirThread 2000D is a lovely overlocker to use. The stitching feels nice and smooth, both for seaming knit garments and finishing seams on woven projects.
It has a large surface to rest fabric on. This is particularly helpful when sewing stretchy knits as it stops the fabric hanging down and stretching out as you stitch.
It’s a versatile model, with choice of two, three of four thread serging depending on what you’re sewing – from rolled hems on delicate silks to seaming heavy knits. You can also use it to create picot edges on fine fabrics, as well as flatlock seams to resemble the effect you get with a coverstitch machine.
Final thoughts
Here at Tilly and the Buttons, we’re always thinking about how we can break down barriers both to starting sewing and progressing your sewing skills. One of the sticking points we come across time and time again is how off-putting people find overlockers - mainly because of how fiddly it can be to thread the loopers. Indeed, it’s one of the reasons I wrote my latest book Stretch!, which includes a section that demystifies overlockers and provides troubleshooting tips. So it's great news that Janome understands the struggles people have with threading their overlocker and have created this machine to make it a lot easier to handle.
The Janome AirThread 2000D overlocker is currently retailing at £899. If you fancy treating yourself, you can find a retailer near you on the Janome website.
PS. If you like this, you may also like Troubleshooting Overlocker Stitches
