Unpicking Serger Stitches the EASY WAY

Sewing on a serger/overlock machine is wonderful, but when it comes to unpicking serger stitches, you may find yourself overwhelmed and dreading the whole process.  I used to feel this way until I learned this slick and easy way to unpick; and I’m going to show you how it’s done. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been sewing or how good you are at it, there ARE going to be times that you’ll need to UNPICK! However, once you learn this technique, it won’t matter, because it is so easy to do.

A serger stitch will either use three or four threads to form the stitch: two looper threads and one or two needle threads. In the photo above, I have used a different thread color for each stitch to show you what it looks like. (four-thread stitch).

Before I learned this trick, I would grab my unpicker and try to unpick each stitch. There were little cut threads everywhere, and it took FOREVER! It was so frustrating! I seriously can’t believe and went so long sewing on a serger without knowing this little trick. It makes the process so quick and you don’t have all the cut threads to collect and dispose of.

UNPICKING SERGER STITCHES-HOW TO

The only stitches you are going to pull out are the needle threads. The photo above is a four-needle thread stitch. The RED thread is the left needle stitch, the TAN thread is the right needle stitch, and the blue thread is a looper thread.

1. Take the unpicker and with the point grab the red thread and pull it and cut it. Go down the seam another 1-2 inches and cut the needle thread again. BE CAREFUL NOT TO GRAB THE LOOPER THREADS, this will cause the seam to lock up and the threads will not pull out as easy. Get ahold of one of the tails of the thread you just cut and ease and pull it out of the fabric. (Sometimes you can do the whole seam in one go). Continue this process until you’ve removed that left needle thread completely.

2. If you are using a four-thread, you’ll need to remove the right needle thread as well. Finding the right needle thread can be a little tricky if you are using the same color of thread as the fabric. (A trick to finding the stitch, is to take your unpicker tip and glide it down the little v shape that the looper makes and it will slide right into the right needle stitch). It may seem like a lot of work, but trust me, it goes quickly and you’ll love the results.

3. Here’s the fun part! Once the needle threads are removed, all you need to do is grab the looper threads and give a little pull, and voilà! It will unravel like a dream. There won’t be all those little threads to gather and you’ll be on your way to re-sewing your seam.

I hope this saves you some grief while sewing. Be sure to leave a comment if you have some great sewing tips for us!

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Here are some other sewing blog posts you may be interested in:

OVERLOCK STITCH | NO SERGER NEEDED 

SEWING BY HAND | MOST IMPORTANT STITCHES TO KNOW

Have fun sewing and UNPICKING!

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Jan Howell

Jan Howell

Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.

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Basil Pesto | How to Make and Freeze

basil pesto

You got to love the aroma, flavor, and color of basil! Better yet, you got to love what you can make from it……BASIL PESTO!  If you grow basil in your garden, or if you know someone who does, NOW IS THE TIME to harvest it and make some green goodness.

This is one of the first plants in the garden to be affected by the cold. It does not like cold temperatures. So, to avoid the disappointment of going out to pick a bunch of basil and finding it all black and killed off (like I have before), pick it and make pesto. Another delicious dish I love to make that has basil in it is this yummy bruschetta

I like to save at least one plant, to bring in the house. You can’t make a batch of pesto with just this one plant, but I like to pick a few leaves here and there and give it a good whiff or throw a few leaves on a sandwich. It does make an attractive house plant too.

Let’s get back to making pesto. It is very easy and only takes a few ingredients. Freezing the pesto will allow you to have this fresh and flavorful sauce all winter long.

Basil Pesto Ingredients

  • 1/3 C olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • 2 C fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
  • 1/4 C pine nuts or walnuts
  • 1/3 C Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Wash basil leaves.

2.  Add olive oil, garlic, and basil to a food processor or blender. Push the leaves down firmly.

3.  Add remaining ingredients in the order listed and process.

4.  Pulse and scrape down the side as needed to get it all blended thoroughly and to the desired texture.


Basil Pesto Freezing Instructions:

You can freeze in small pint-size jars or for single servings for making soups or dressing freeze in ice cube trays.

Small ice cube trays work well for small batches of soups or if you tend to need more pesto, freeze in these BIG ice cube trays.

Pour the pesto into trays and cover with freezer wrap and place in the freezer.

Once it is frozen, plop the individual frozen pesto squares into a freezer bag and label.

Enjoy!

So, get out in your garden or the local outdoor market and get some basil before it’s gone for the summer, and MAKE BASIL PESTO! Now you can have this flavorful, aromatic sauce year-round. Just plop one or two of the frozen cubes into soups, pasta sauces, freshly steamed vegetables, or spread on a mozzarella sandwich. YUM, YUM!

If you have a great recipe using pesto or basil, please share it with us.

Basil Pesto

basil pesto

This basil pesto is chuck full of flavor and aroma that you can freeze and enjoy all year round.

  • Prep Time15 min
  • Total Time15 min

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/3 C olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • 2 C fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
  • 1/4 C pine nuts or walnuts
  • 1/3 C Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1

Wash basil leaves.

2

Add olive oil, garlic, and basil to a food processor or blender. Push the leaves down firmly.

3

Add remaining ingredients in the order listed and process.

4

Pulse and scrape down the side as needed to get it all blended thoroughly and to the desired texture.

Freezing Instructions:

5

You can freeze in small pint-size jars or for single servings for making soups or dressing freeze in ice cube trays.

Small ice cube trays work well for small batches of soups or if you tend to need more pesto, freeze in big ice cube trays.

Pour the pesto into trays and cover with freezer wrap and place in the freezer.

Once it is frozen, plop the individual frozen pesto squares into a freezer bag and label.

Enjoy!

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Pinterest

Connect:

Jan Howell

Jan Howell

Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.

Read More