On how to use with almost full autonomy the embroidery machine.
Prerequisite : being at the digital workshop.
Fabrics you can use : less than 1mm of thickness, be careful if the fabric is elastic or too thin.
If the machine stops during the embroidery, with an error message asking to check the upper and bobbin thread but the upper thread is fine, please DO NOT RE START THE MACHINE immediatly. Lift the frame slightly to check underneath the fabric, and make sure the thread isn't tangled, either with itself or in the bobbin compartment.
If it's tangled, cut as much as possible with the stitch ripper or cissors, or take out every stitches that has knots and restart the embroidery from the last clean part.
If it's not tangled at all, check that the bobbin still has thread and is well placed, and if everything is okay, the machine can be restarted.
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Basic manipulation on the machine
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Using Ink/Stitch
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Other manipulations on the machine
It is advised to ALWAYS add a stabilizer sheet (tear-away or wash-away) underneath the fabric inside the frame.
Take the adequat-sized frame in relation to the size of your pattern, and loosen the screw. The default frame is the 10*10cm one.
Place the fabric on top.
Place on top the largest part of the frame. Make sure the fabric get stuck in the most straight and tight way possible, by pulling the outside parts carefully.
Make sure both parts of the frame are well aligned and pressed against each other, so the fabric is tight on the bottom part of the frame.
Tighten the screw while keeping the fabric tight.
Place the frame with the tight part of the fabric on top.
Slide the arms of the frame underneath the metal pieces of the arms of the machine.
Push the frame until both side are interlocked and until the metal buttons of the machine have clicked in the holes of the arms of the frame.
After creating a .pes pattern
Put the USB key in the machine, on the side of the interface.
Enter the USB menu.
Select the pattern to embroider.
Click Régler to choose size and position.
Make sure the pattern fit the dotted lines, re-size it with the first button on the left with the square, and/or move it with the arrows butttons on the right if needed, then click Broder.
Press the locking button on the screen (if red = the machine is locked).
Press the up arrow button ⬆️ to start the embroidery.
To stop an ongoing embroidery, press the up arrow button ⬆️ again.
Install Inkscape and the Ink/Stitch extension.
Open your image (png, jpeg, svg) with Inkscape.
If the image isn't a svg, you can do Chemin > Vectoriser un objet matriciel to turn it into a svg.
Click Appliquer in the window of the right, then only keep the svg by suppressing the image underneath.
Select the image and open Extensions > Ink/Stitch > Paramètres.
Modify the default settings if needed, and click Apply and quit.
Before exporting, you can preview the embroidery by opening Extensions > Ink/Stitch > Visualiser et exporter > Simulateur/ Aperçu réaliste.
To export as a .pes, save the image.
To adapt the size of the image to the size of the embrodery, you can change the size into cm ou mm:
Import a svg with multiple colors into Inkscape, and start transforming your image through Chemin > Objet en chemin.
Then, you can do the same thing than with one color : Extensions > Ink/Stitch > Paramètres, modify the default settings if needed, and click Apply and quit, and export in .pes.
The svg image
The embroidery preview in Inkstitch
The final embroidery, not looking very good because of the quality of the fabric in relation with the stitch of the pattern
Careful : the machine must be turned off !
Put the bobbin on the first stick, and pass the thread through the hole 1.
Then pass the thread through the hole 2, on the top of the machine, and pass it in both little corners next the small wheel.
Following the diagram, pass the thread clockwise around the wheel controlling the thread tension.
Pass the thread under the metal piece of the second small wheel.
Lower the thread along the right slit, pass it under the 4 part with the arrow, and raise it through the left slit.
Pass the thread from right to left in the hole 5, and lower it through the left slit.
Pass the thread through the hole 6 on the front of the machine.
Push the thread behind the small metal piece on the right of the needle, by pulling the thread along the needle et pushing it with the small tool.
At this point, turn the machine on
To thread the needle, press the Threading the needle button on the bottom right corner on the machine.
Two small hooks appaears on both side of the needle. You must pull the thread under both hooks and press the button again for the hooks to pull the thread.
If one of these steps has been forgotten or done in the wrong way, the thread can be too tight or not enought, or break.
To change the color of the thread, the easiest way is to unthread the needle, then cut the thread between hole 1 and 2. Then, place a new bobbin, pass its thread through hole 1 and tie it to the thread out of the machine before hole 2. Finally, just pull slowly the thread after hole 6 until the knot is through.
Get the bobbin from the little trap underneath the needle.
Take it out by lifting the hinge part.
Take the bobbin out of its container.
Choose the thread for the bobbin (here : lila), and pass it through the numbers that are in circles.
Make some turns with the thread around the empty bobbin, then place the bobbin on the axis on the side of the machine.
Block the thread on the small slit on the side.
Pull the little bent part on the bobbin.
On the screen of the machine, the bobbin menu appear. Click on "Démarrer". The axis will turn until the bobbin is full.
Pull back the bent part in its default position, cut the thread and take out the bobbin from the axis. You can place the bobbin back in the machine.
Warning : it is better if the machine is turned off !
Place the bobbin with the thread going clockwise in the bobbin container.
Pull 5cm of the thread out, and slide it in the little slit on the side of the container.
Slide the thread on the side and make it go out the hole along the slit.
Placer the container with the bobbin in its place.
Push it in place until you hear a click, and close the trap.
The top thread is too loose if the embroidery looks loose, or if the thread does loops and curls and knots during the embroidery process (the loops get tangled > the knots breaks the thread > the machine stops).
Its too tight if you can see too much of the spool thread on top of the embroidery, or if it breaks during the embroidery process.
You can tighten or loosen the thread by turning both the small top wheel on top of the machine or the big wheel just underneath it.
To tighten the thread : clockwise :
To loosen the thread : anticlockwise :
The Brother machine of the workshop instruction manual.
List of embroidery machine tutorials.
The comic The Dancing Plague.