First off: I do hope you go some explaination from the shop where you bought the machine. I will explain the basics here, but if the shop didn’t explain the machine to you: return it. A good shop knows what they sell and if/when they do, offer good maintenance/repair services. An embroidery machine is a very sensitive piece of machinery and needs to be looked after and used properly. If there is no maintenance around, I do not recommend buying a machine of this kind.
Also, do read the manual before starting your first projects. This kind of machinery is not something you just use.
With that out of the way: let me also clarify that I am using a Brother Innovis 750-e. It is one of the smaller machines available and pretty old (10+ years old). This guide might not work for your embroidery machine, because of outdated information.
Let’s start!
Your shiny new embroidery machine is here and you are happy to start. So let’s get to it! Place your machine on a sturdy table, connect the embroidery table and cables. You should now be able to turn it on.
When the machine is started, it calibrates itself by moving the carriage. Do not touch it! It will end badly for your hand.
By now the machine should be at the main menu. Meaning you can select the pattern you want to embroider. Time to prepare the fabric!
Preparing the fabric
In order to embroider on fabric, I pre-wash it to avoid shifting in the fabric later. After it has dried, I decide which embroidery hoop to use (I have 3 sizes available, a new machine usually comes with one hoop) and I cut the fabric and stabiliser to size. I will talk a bit more about stabiliser in a different tutorial. In order to hoop the fabric correctly for my machine, I layer it from: outer hoop, stabiliser, fabric, inner hoop and then tighten the hoop by screw.
Make sure the fabric is taut in the hoop to prevent bumps in your project! You can gently tug the fabric to make sure it is perfect in the hoop.
Threading the machine
My Brother embroidery machine has one spool to embroider with. Meaning that I will have to switch colours if I do a multi-colour project. It is possible to do embroidery with many colours with this machine!
From the main menu on your embroidery machine, select the pattern you want to embroider. It should show you which and how many colours it consists of. It doesn’t check if you actually use colour x or y, so feel free to change colours if you want a differently coloured design. Pick the thread you want to use for colour 1 and thread the machine according to the guide. (My machine has directional arrows and such on it, it is easy to follow.) To get the thread through the needle, I’d advice to use the built-in needle threader. It is simply a pain to do it any other way.
Make sure the bobbin spool is filled with thread. My machine does have a sensor that should stop the embroidery when the bobbin is empty, but it is always good to keep an eye on it when changing colours. Place the bobbin spool according to the instructions and put the plastic cover over it.
Now you can click the embroidery hoop in place to start with the actual embroidery!
Starting embroidering
With your machine threaded, design picked and hoop secured, it is time to get started! Lower your needle by using the handle and the red button on front of your machine should turn shiny green. This means it is ready to embroider! Hit that green button and do not leave its side! If something happens and the machine starts “eating” the embroidery, you want to hit that Start/Stop button ASAP! You might be able to save your project if you do that and prevent a trip to the shop for repairs.
If the machine behaves properly, it should make a few stitches slowly before picking up speed. When it is done, it cuts the thread by itself. Now you can place the new colour thread just as you did the first one. Check the bobbin and replace that spool if neccesary. Then continue your embroidery.
When the machine is done, it will beep and show the icon of a finished project. Confirm completion on the screen and release the hoop from the embroidery arm.
Finishing the embroidery
Now it is time to clean up the threads that connect pieces. Cut them off with embroidery scissors. Remove the project from the hoop and remove stabiliser according to instructions. You now have embroidered your first machine piece!
Final notes
It is key to first get comfortable with the machine, as it is quite a beast. It can easily destroy the piece it is working on. But this simple machine helped me with making face masks, plushies, patches and decorative trims. If I were to upgrade, I would like a machine with a guide for placing my designs. Those machines are of a different pricing category, but I think they are worth it. For example, Jacquistuffnthings/Alchemical cosplay on Instagram has a beautiful machine that does that and she is able to make gorgeous designs with it.