How to Use the Brother PE900 Embroidery Machine

On this page (9 sections)

1. What do you need before your first Brother PE900 project?
2. How do you set up the PE900 and attach the embroidery arm?
3. How do you hoop fabric and stabilizer for the 5 x 7 inch frame?
4. How do you thread the Brother PE900?
5. How do you choose and edit a design on the PE900?
6. How do you start stitching and handle color changes?
7. What should you check after the design is finished?
8. What goes wrong most often for new PE900 users?
9. Where does the PE900 fit in a beginner's setup?

To use the Brother PE900, set up the machine, hoop stabilized fabric, thread the needle, choose a design on the touchscreen, and press start. It's an embroidery-only machine with a 5 x 7 inch field and 193 built-in designs, so there's no regular sewing involved.

Learning how to use the Brother PE900 embroidery machine is mostly about the order of steps. Get the fabric and stabilizer right, and the stitching side is straightforward.

Rush the hooping and you'll fight puckers and thread breaks.

What do you need before your first Brother PE900 project?

You need fabric, a piece of tear-away stabilizer, an upper thread color, and a bobbin wound with embroidery bobbin thread. The box already covers most of the hardware.

The PE900 arrives with a 5 x 7 inch embroidery frame, a needle set, scissors, a seam ripper, bobbins, a dust cover and a spool of white 90 weight embroidery bobbin thread. There's also an accessory bag with the small tools and the operation manual.

Set the machine on a sturdy table where the embroidery arm can move freely behind it.

You supply the fabric and the top thread. A medium-weight woven like cotton or a cotton blend is the easiest first project, because it holds stitches without stretching.

Keep your first design small so you can finish before you lose patience.

How do you set up the PE900 and attach the embroidery arm?

Place the machine on a flat surface, plug it in, and slide the embroidery arm into its connector on the right side. The arm carries the hoop and moves the fabric under the needle.

Follow the numbered diagrams in the manual for the arm attachment. The PE900's touchscreen also includes step-by-step tutorials covering threading, attaching the arm and more, so you can watch the sequence on the screen instead of flipping pages.

Power on and let the screen load. The 3.7 inch LCD is where you'll do every bit of editing later, so take a minute to look through the icons now.

The machine runs on 120 volts and is sold for US use.

How do you hoop fabric and stabilizer for the 5 x 7 inch frame?

Layer the stabilizer under the fabric, then hoop both together so the fabric sits taut without stretching. Loose hooping causes puckers; overstretched fabric pulls back after stitching.

Cut a piece of tear-away stabilizer larger than the frame, place it under the fabric with the shiny side of the fabric up, and press the inner hoop into the outer one. Tighten the screw until the surface feels like a drum but still gives slightly when you press it.

The brothread tear-away roll is 12 inches wide and 50 yards long, so you can cut pieces to fit the frame and trim the excess later. It's a medium weight, 1.8 oz polyester that suits light to medium stitch density.

For denser designs, use a second layer rather than a heavier stabilizer. The tear-away is designed to pull off cleanly after stitching.

How do you thread the Brother PE900?

Follow the numbered threading path printed on the machine, then use the automatic needle threader to push the thread through the eye. The printed diagram matches the physical thread guides exactly.

Raise the presser foot and the needle to their top positions first. Wind a bobbin with the white embroidery bobbin thread if you don't have one ready, then drop it into the bobbin case and bring the bobbin thread up through the needle plate.

The automatic needle threader saves your eyes on fine needles. Pull a few inches of thread through the guides, then press the threader lever and let it push the thread through the eye.

If the thread misses, re-thread from the start rather than forcing it.

The brothread 40 color kit gives you 40 spools of 40 weight polyester thread at 500 meters each, which covers the top thread for most of the built-in designs. Each spool's color chart maps to Brother color numbers.

Polyester holds up to washing better than rayon on items that get used. Keep spools out of direct sun so the colors stay true.

How do you choose and edit a design on the PE900?

Pick a design from the 193 built-in options or a downloaded file, then use the touchscreen to size, rotate, move or mirror it before stitching. The screen shows the design on the fabric area so you can see the fit first.

The built-in library includes scrollwork, florals, quilt patterns, 10 frame shapes and 14 stitch patterns. Lettering comes from 13 fonts: 9 English, 3 Japanese and 1 Cyrillic.

If you want more, the Artspira mobile app offers 50 free designs and lets you draw custom patterns on your phone and send them wirelessly.

Editing on the 3.7 inch LCD covers resizing, rotating, mirror imaging, repositioning and combining designs. Use the enhanced zoom to check fine details before you commit.

Line the design up with the hoop's center mark so it lands where you planned.

How do you start stitching and handle color changes?

Press start and let the machine stitch the first color, then swap the spool when the screen prompts you. The PE900 pauses at each color change and tells you which thread to load.

Advanced Color Sort adjusts the order in which multi-color designs stitch, so the machine makes fewer thread swaps. Jump Stitch Trimming automatically cuts the thread jumps inside a color, which means less clipping when the design is done.

Don't pull the fabric while the hoop is moving. If a thread breaks, stop, raise the needle, re-thread, and back up a few stitches on the screen before resuming.

Keep an eye on the bobbin thread level so it doesn't run out mid-section.

What should you check after the design is finished?

Raise the needle, remove the hoop, and trim the stabilizer and any remaining jump threads. Then press the fabric from the back to set the stitches without flattening them.

Tear the stabilizer away gently, pulling in the direction of the stitches rather than against them. Snip any thread tails close to the fabric.

A light press on the wrong side with a pressing cloth smooths the area around the design.

If the stitches look puckered, the hooping was too loose. If the fabric shows through the design, the stitch density needed more stabilizer.

Keep notes on what worked for each fabric so your next project starts closer to right.

What goes wrong most often for new PE900 users?

Most early problems come from loose hooping, the wrong stabilizer, or threading mistakes, not from the machine. Each one has a visible symptom you can fix before the next project.

Puckers around the design mean the fabric moved. Loosen the hoop screw and re-hoop with firmer tension.

Thread breaks usually point to a threading path error or a needle that's dull or the wrong size for the fabric. Bobbin thread showing on top means the top tension is too tight.

The PE900 is embroidery-only, so don't try to sew seams with it. If you also want regular sewing, plan for a second machine.

For a broader look at the options before you commit, compare the best Brother embroidery machines.

Where does the PE900 fit in a beginner's setup?

The PE900 suits a beginner who wants a large 5 x 7 inch field and wireless file transfer without a steep learning curve. The touchscreen tutorials, automatic needle threader and jump stitch trimming all reduce the early friction.

If you're still deciding whether embroidery is for you, read how to use an embroidery machine for the general first-project process. The PE900 follows the same order of steps, just with a larger hoop and app support.

The PE900's 7.4 inch needle-to-arm space gives you room to maneuver the hoop. Its wireless LAN sends files from a computer or the Artspira app, and the USB port is there as a backup.

If a smaller, simpler machine appeals more, the Brother Skitch review covers a compact option. If you're weighing the previous model, how to use the Brother PE800 embroidery machine shows what changes between the two.

To get started on the PE900, buy stabilizer and thread first. Then hoop a small design, thread the needle, and let the machine show you the rest.

Most beginners finish a first project in an afternoon once the setup is done.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Brother PE900 sew regular seams?

No. The PE900 is embroidery-only and does not work as a traditional sewing machine.

For hemming, zippers or garment construction, you need a separate sewing machine alongside it.

What size hoop comes with the PE900?

It ships with a 5 x 7 inch (13 x 18 cm) embroidery frame, which matches its 5 x 7 inch maximum stitch area. Smaller designs fit inside that frame with stabilizer trimmed to size.

Can I send designs to the PE900 without a cable?

Yes. The PE900 has wireless LAN, so you can transfer files from a computer with the free Design Database Transfer software or from the Artspira app on a phone.

A USB port is there too if you prefer a stick.

How many colors can one design use?

As many as the design file calls for. The machine has Advanced Color Sort to reduce color changes, and jump stitch trimming cuts the threads between sections so you spend less time clipping by hand.