How to Use the Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine

On this page (8 sections)

1. What do you need before you start embroidering on the PE800?
2. How do you hoop fabric and stabilizer for the PE800?
3. How do you thread the Brother PE800?
4. How do you choose and edit a design on the touchscreen?
5. How do you start stitching and watch the first few minutes?
6. What do you do when the design is finished?
7. What goes wrong on a first PE800 project, and how do you fix it?
8. Which setup makes the Brother PE800 easy to learn?

To use the Brother PE800, hoop your fabric with stabilizer, thread the needle and bobbin, pick a design on the 3.2 inch color touchscreen, and press start. It's an embroidery-only machine with a 5 x 7 inch field, so once the hoop is locked in, the machine handles the stitching.

The PE800 keeps the routine simple for a first machine. The numbered threading diagram is printed on the body, the automatic needle threader pushes thread through the eye, and on-screen tutorials walk you through threading and attaching the embroidery arm.

This guide covers the full first-project loop in the order you'll actually do it.

What do you need before you start embroidering on the PE800?

You need fabric, stabilizer, a hoop, thread, and a design, plus a clean, stable table for the machine. The PE800 arrives with a 5 x 7 inch hoop, an embroidery foot, a bobbin, a needle set, embroidery bobbin thread, scissors, a seam ripper, and a dust cover, so most of the small parts are already in the box.

The extra items worth having on hand are a marking tool for placing your design and a spare needle. A 40-weight polyester embroidery thread is the standard choice for the top thread.

If you'd rather not wind bobbins at first, prewound bobbins in the right class cut a step out of setup.

Pick a low-loft fabric for the first project, like a cotton tote or a tea towel. Skip stretchy knits and thick terry until the hooping routine feels normal.

A scrap square of the same fabric makes a free practice run before you commit a finished item.

How do you hoop fabric and stabilizer for the PE800?

Hoop the stabilizer and fabric together, then tighten the outer ring evenly so the surface is taut but not stretched. A drum-tight hoop distorts the fabric and shifts the design; a loose one lets the cloth pucker under the stitches.

Lay the stabilizer against the wrong side of the fabric and center the design area over the inner hoop. Press the outer ring down and turn the tension screw while you work around the ring in small steps.

Pluck the fabric: it should give a soft ping, not stretch like a trampoline.

Mark the center of your design on the fabric with a water-soluble pen, then line that mark up with the hoop's centering marks. The machine stitches the design where the hoop places it, so a centered mark keeps the motif where you planned.

Which stabilizer suits a first project?

For a woven cotton first project, a cut-away stabilizer is the safest choice because it holds the design after washing. Tear-away works for stable wovens where you don't want a backing left in the garment.

Fusible cut-away is the pick for stretchy knits and light fabrics that need extra body. Cut the stabilizer larger than the hoop so the frame grips it on all sides.

How do you thread the Brother PE800?

Follow the printed threading path from spool to needle, then use the automatic needle threader to finish the job. The numbered diagram on the machine matches the order of the steps, so work through them in sequence without skipping the thread guides.

Place the spool on the spool pin and pass the thread through the upper guides, then down the front channel. Keep the presser foot up while you thread so the tension discs stay open.

Lower the presser foot before you pull the thread into the needle.

The automatic needle threader is a lever on the left side. Lower it, let the hook pass through the needle eye, catch the thread, and release.

If the thread misses, re-check that the needle is fully up and the eye is clear.

For the bobbin, drop the prewound or wound bobbin into the bobbin case with the thread running in the direction the case marks. Pull the thread up through the needle plate so it sits above the fabric before you start.

Which thread kit saves time on the PE800?

A color kit matters most when you're stitching multicolor designs and lettering. The brothread 40 Color Thread Kit gives you 40 polyester spools at 40 weight and 500 meters each, with a color chart that maps shades to Brother color numbers.

The polyester holds color well through washing, and its tensile strength lowers the risk of breaks and fraying. The kit doesn't include a wood rack, so plan your own storage.

For bobbin work, prewound bobbins remove winding and bobbin-tension guesswork from your first projects. The New brothread 25-pack is Size A Class 15 (SA156) in white, and the plastic sides won't absorb machine oil.

White covers most practice and monogram work; if a design calls for a colored bobbin thread, wind your own spool instead. Store the bobbins in the clear case so lint and dust stay off them.

How do you choose and edit a design on the touchscreen?

Use the 3.2 inch color touchscreen to browse the 138 built-in designs, preview your pick, and press start. The screen shows the design in color before a stitch goes down, so you can see how the shades will read on your fabric.

The built-in library covers scrollwork, florals, quilt patterns, 10 frame designs, and 14 border styles. For lettering, the PE800 carries 11 fonts: 7 English, 3 Japanese, and 1 Cyrillic.

Monograms and names are the most common first projects for a home machine.

Use the editing tools to rotate, mirror, enlarge, or shrink a design, then preview the result on screen again. Size changes affect stitch density, so keep adjustments modest on a first run.

A design shrunk too far can stitch too densely and pull the fabric.

To use your own artwork, copy a compatible design file to a USB stick and plug it into the USB port. The PE800 imports the file into its built-in memory, and the screen then lets you preview and edit it like a built-in design.

How do you start stitching and watch the first few minutes?

Lock the hoop onto the embroidery arm, lower the presser foot, and press start, then watch the first color block closely. The machine moves the hoop under the needle, so your hands stay off the fabric once stitching begins.

Attach the embroidery arm as the on-screen tutorial shows and slide the hoop into its bracket until it clicks. Check that the hoop clears the arm at its full travel; the 5 x 7 inch field needs room to move.

Lower the presser foot and press the start button on the screen.

Stay with the machine for the first color. Watch for the thread pulling out of the needle, a bird's nest under the fabric, or the fabric lifting off the stabilizer.

Pause the machine if something looks wrong, raise the needle, and fix the cause before you continue. If a thread breaks, stop, re-thread, and back up a few stitches on the screen before resuming.

What do you do when the design is finished?

Stop the machine, raise the needle, unhook the hoop, and trim the threads, then remove the stabilizer and press the fabric. Cut jump threads from the front and back rather than pulling them, which can loosen nearby stitches.

Take the hoop off the arm and release the tension screw before lifting the fabric. Peel or trim the stabilizer following its type: cut away the excess for cut-away, or tear gently along the stitching for tear-away.

Leave a small margin around the design so the backing keeps its hold.

Press the fabric from the back with a press cloth to set the stitches. Don't iron directly over raised embroidery, which can flatten or shine the thread.

Clean the bobbin area and needle plate of lint after each project, and check the needle for a burr or bend before the next run.

What goes wrong on a first PE800 project, and how do you fix it?

Most first-run problems come from hooping and threading, not the design, so check those two steps first when stitches pucker or the thread breaks.

• Puckered fabric: the hoop was too loose or the stabilizer too light. Rehoop tighter and add a heavier backing.
• Thread breaks: a missed guide, a bent needle, or thread tension set wrong. Re-thread the full path and fit a fresh needle.
• Bird's nest under the fabric: the bobbin thread wasn't brought up or the top thread slipped a guide. Re-thread and pull the bobbin thread above the plate.
• Design off-center: the fabric mark didn't line up with the hoop's center marks. Re-mark and rehoop before stitching.
• Skipped stitches: lint in the bobbin area or a dull needle. Clean the bobbin case and replace the needle.

If the machine won't read your USB file, check the file format and that the stick is fully seated. A design too large for the 5 x 7 inch field needs to be resized or split.

Which setup makes the Brother PE800 easy to learn?

The easiest setup is the PE800 with a thread kit and prewound bobbins, so you spend your first sessions on hooping and design choices instead of winding bobbins. It's an embroidery-only machine, so pair it with a sewing machine if you also need seams.

Our guide to whether you can use an embroidery machine to sew explains what each machine does.

Compare other Brother models in our roundup of the best Brother embroidery machines if you're still choosing. If you want a smaller, simpler first machine, the Brother Skitch review covers that option.

And when you're ready to learn the wider craft, our guide on how to use an embroidery machine walks through the general routine.

Once your first design stitches cleanly, the routine becomes habit: hoop, thread, choose, stitch, finish. Start each new project with a scrap test so the hoop tension is right before the real fabric goes under the needle.

Frequently asked questions

How hard is the Brother PE800 to learn?

It's a friendly first machine. The 3.2 inch color touchscreen previews each design before you stitch, and the PE800 includes step-by-step tutorials on screen for threading and attaching the embroidery arm.

Start with a small built-in design on scrap fabric to learn the hooping and start routine.

Can the Brother PE800 sew regular seams?

No. It's an embroidery-only machine with no sewing bed or feed dogs for garment construction.

It stitches designs, lettering and monograms within its 5 x 7 inch field.

For seams and hems you need a separate sewing machine, and our guide to whether you can use an embroidery machine to sew explains the split.

What hoop size comes with the Brother PE800?

It ships with a 5 x 7 inch embroidery hoop plus an embroidery foot. That field handles most left-chest logos, monograms and small motifs.

Larger designs need to be split or repositioned, so plan your artwork to fit the supplied hoop first.

How do I get designs onto the Brother PE800?

Use the 138 built-in designs and 11 fonts, or copy a design file to a USB stick and import it through the USB port into the machine's built-in memory. The touchscreen then lets you preview and edit the design before stitching.

What stabilizer should I use for my first PE800 project?

Use a cut-away or tear-away stabilizer behind woven fabric so the stitches don't pucker the cloth. For stretchy knits, a fusible cut-away holds the fabric steadier.

Always hoop the stabilizer with the fabric, not separately, so the two move as one piece under the needle.