Can a sewing machine overlock?
Not properly, but you can get surprisingly close. A regular sewing machine can’t do what an overlocker does (trim the fabric and wrap the raw edge in one pass with multiple threads), but it has a couple of stitches and a special foot that imitate the result well enough for most home sewing. For years, before I owned an overlocker, every seam I finished was done this way.
What overlocking actually is
An overlocker (called a serger in the US) does three things at once: it trims the seam allowance with a built-in blade, wraps the raw edge with loops of thread from three or four cones, and sews the seam, all in a single pass, very fast. That looped, wrapped edge is what stops knits and woven fabrics fraying, and it’s the finish you see inside shop-bought clothes.
A standard sewing machine has one needle thread and one bobbin thread, and no blade. So it can’t replicate the true overlock stitch. What it can do is enclose or oversew the raw edge so it doesn’t fray, which is the part that actually matters.
Two ways to imitate it on a normal machine
- The zig-zag stitch. The simplest method. Sew a zig-zag close to the raw edge so the stitches wrap over it. Use a medium width and length. It won’t look as tidy as a real overlock, but it stops fraying perfectly well, and every machine has it.
- The overcast stitch with an overcast foot. Most modern machines include an overcasting (or “overedge”) stitch that looks much more like a real overlock, a row of stitches with bars wrapping the edge. Paired with an overcast foot (which has a little metal bar or brush that the stitches form around, stopping the edge curling up), the result is surprisingly close to a serged finish.
How to do it well
- Sew the seam first, then finish the edges, either each seam allowance separately, or both together if you’re pressing them to one side.
- Line the raw edge up with the bar of the overcast foot so the stitches form right over the edge rather than pulling it into a ridge.
- On knits, use a ballpoint needle and a stitch with some give, so the finished edge can still stretch.
- Trim any whiskers of fabric poking past the stitching for a cleaner look.
When you really do need an overlocker
The imitation methods are fine for finishing seams on everyday makes. You’ll want an actual overlocker if you’re sewing a lot of stretchy knit fabric (it handles jersey far faster and neater), making clothes in any quantity, or you simply want that crisp, professional inside finish on everything. An overlocker doesn’t replace your sewing machine, it can’t sew a zip or a buttonhole, it works alongside it.
If you’re weighing one up, our guide to choosing your first overlocker walks through what to look for and the models worth buying. And if it’s knits specifically you’re struggling with, sewing knit fabrics on a regular machine covers how to manage without one.
Close enough, most days
A regular sewing machine can’t truly overlock, but a zig-zag or an overcast stitch with an overcast foot imitates the finish closely enough for most home sewing. Save up for a real overlocker if you sew a lot of knits or want a flawless inside finish, but don’t think you need one just to stop your seams fraying. You don’t.