You must have a serger!

Good morning!
A number of people told me that in order to pursue professional level sewing I must purchase a serger. Now, I did mention previously that my sewing machine is from 1975 didn't I? So part of this process is discovering developments in sewing over the last 3+ decades. Well I did a lot of online research and pricing, I spoke to people who had sergers, etc. Although it is tempting to shop on line, I strongly recommend the route I took. Field's Fabrics sells Baby Lock products which were highly recommended to me and my online research backed this up. The half hour I spent at Field's speaking to one of their experts was invaluable. I was also pleasantly surprised by their prices which were very competitive with some of those I found online. But the biggest advantage for me are the classes and the availability of experts should I ever need help. Online is great but there is still nothing that beats a live person! I purchased a Baby Lock Lauren Serger. It's the 'entry level' but I learned I can trade up within a year and not lose any of my initial investment (another advantage to shopping locally). I'm enrolled in the new owners class as well as the Serger Notebook class they offer, both of which are later this fall. I honestly can't imagine receiving this machine in the mail and knowing the first thing to do with it. It's quite the contraption and it looks pretty intimidating. Truth be told, thanks to Wendy at Field's I now know what the heck thread cones are and why I need them! I brought it home, watched the DVD and can't imagine how I ever managed without one of these. I've started to figure out a few things and can't wait to take the classes! I already know the smartest move I made was buying from a local sewing center. Stay tuned for my adventures in serging.