What is a cover stitch machine used for?

The simple answer to, what to use a cover stitch machine for? is, to make stitching quicker and add a more professional finish to garments made in the home environment. 

Many cover stitch owners use them mainly for professional-looking hems.  However, they are much more versatile and can be used in many other areas of garment construction:

• Joining seams with a decorative triple or twin needle effect. 
• Reverse the fabric for the full cover stitch effect on the right side. 
• Attaching neck bands and cuff using twin or triple top stitching.
• Binding neck edges and armholes on stretch fabrics. 
• Using the cover stitcher to make stretchy leggings, from start to finish. 
• Creating belt loops on trousers and skirts. 
• Attaching braid, lace or ribbon as a decorative feature.
• Adding elastic to either the right or the wrong side. 
• Gathering lightweight materials on waistbands. 
• Decorative stitching across the surface of fabric. 
• Chain stitch to join panels, attach neckbands and binding, or as a decorative topstitch.

Overall, a cover stitch machine is an additional tool that is essential while making garments, for a professional or semi-professional seamstress.

Alternatives to a Cover Stitch Machine:

• While an overlocker can sew a flatlock stitch, it is not as stretchy, or as neat as a cover hemming stitch. Usually, it takes a lot of test sewn samples to get the right tension settings.
• Using a sewing machine, you can use a twin needle to sew two parallel straight lines, however, there is no stretch at all and this type of stitch will break the threads shortly after being sewn on Lycra materials.

There is no alternative to a cover stitch. Complex tasks like adding elastic to gather, and at the same time finishing the hem are so much easier when using a cover stitch hemmer.