A serger (overlocker) creates a chain of thread continuously so when you feed through your fabric it will always come out the other side with a thread tail at each end of the seam. Don't try to lift the pressure foot to get your work out, you'll put pressure onto the loopers and this can throw out the timing because the threads are forming around a stitch finger on the pressure foot and needle bar. To end you just continue to stitch creating a chain until it is about 8 cm long. This is called chaining off. Now, just cut the chain about 5 cms from the edge of the fabric using a pair of small scissors or thread snips. The machine will still have a short length of chain from the stitch finger out the back.
You don't want to lift the pressure foot much at all unless you are changing thread colours or rethreading. When you introduce fabric into the machine, just lift the tip of the pressure foot with your finger and place the fabric in there, then start stitching and it will draw in the fabric. AND NO PINS ANYWHERE near the edge you are seaming. With practice, you won't need to pin two layers at all, you just match the edges, then run them through the serger as it trims the edges and overlocks them.
There are a few tricks with overlockers in finishing off seam ends. Obviously you don't want the chain dangling and just cutting it close to the fabric leaves the end of the seam open to unravel.
Finishing options are:
seal it
weave it
flip it
circle up.
Seal it - you can pull the chain flat, lie it back over the seam, then apply a dab of "fray stop" fabric glue to secure it in place.
Weave it - use a large eyed needle or the hook on your rouleau turner to pull the thread tail back inside the seam about 10mm from the end of the seam. You want to pull the chain tail back inside a length of the overlock seam to secure, then trim off the excess tail.
Flip it - this is where you "secure the chain" into the beginning and end of the garment seam This is a bit trickier. As an example, imagine assembling a sweat shirt where you want to seam from the ribbing on the sleeve, up the sleeve, then down the side seams to the waist. You need to start and the sleeve ribbing and hide the thread tail. So you place the sleeve rib edges right sides together and start your seam, making sure youve got both edges even, then stop as soon as rib fabric appears at the back of the foot, turn the balance wheel towards you until the needles go into the fabric, then raise the pressure foot and pull on the thread tail gently, you want the chain to go flat and pull up close, now pull it around towards you and lie it over the overlocked seam. You want it to pull tightly back from the beginning edge of the fabric so there is no thread loops showing on the ribbing edge. Now lower the pressure foot, and continue overlocking the fabric, catching the reversed chain into your overlocking, securing it in place.
You can reverse this process at the end of a seam too if you need to; same thing, just stitch until the last part of your fabric seam has been overlocked and is just off the thread finger at the back, carefully turn the balance wheel through one stitch, then again until the needles are down into the needle plate. Raise the pressure foot and carefully lift the fabric, and turn it over making sure the thread chain is minimal off the fabric edge, place back onto the needle plate and now restitch back over the last couple of inches of overlocking in reverse direction securing the threads back onto the garment. Don't trim any fabric or thread with the blades, you just want to secure the seam back onto itself. Then you can just chain off the side of the seam as its now a few inches back from the garment edge. Cut chain, then you can pull it flat, and make a half hitch knot in it and roll the knot right up against the garment edge where you started to chain off.
Circle it - often you will be seaming in the round, such as around a sleeve or waist seam; start the seam by running in from the raw edge, straighten up then continue stitching around the garment until you get back to your starting point, go past a little, then chain off the side of the seam to finish. Cut chain, pull it flat and make a half hitch knot in the chain, again roll it right up close against the garment edge, and pull the knot tight, then clip off the tail end after the knot.
Here is a link to some images that explain neat serger endings, it might help you a little. http://sewing.about.com/library/sewnews/library/aamach9.htm
If you can find a sewing dealer who offers lessons on sergers, I'd highly recommend taking a class as you'll learn lots of little tricks and tips that will make your serging much easier. Its so much easier to learn visually than try to explain these techniques. But if you can't find a class, then try your library, they may have a DVD on serger techniques too. Or there are several good serger manuals on the market. Or check out "Nancys Notions" on youtube, she's a well known sewing teacher and writer and her videos are very informative; there are lots of other great videos on youtube on sergers too.
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