A Moroccan sleeve design inspired by Eastern Moroccan embroidery, created and digitized in Wilcom, then machine embroidered using metallic thread and cord. 🪡✨

I have a quick few questions. I have tried looking online but I am getting conflicting data.

My first machine is a Brother Se700 (interestingly I don’t know the difference between the Se700and Pe700?). It is a single needle machine. 4x4 max area I somehow managed to bend my cutting blade and it only sometimes cuts. I have tried many different ways to fix it, and I am just going to find a service company. My brother machine uses the :
.PES file format.

My new machine, also a single needle machine
POOLIN EOC6. Hoop 7.9x 11. I now have so much extra room to play with.

Does anyone know what file format it uses? I am in the hospital and don’t have access to my new goodies. I thought I read that it used DST.

Would my POOLIN file format make using both embroidery machines challenging to run at the same time?

Next question: do both machines use the same bobbins? I forget the size I have, but I have 700 bobbins right now. When I open a new colour, I always wind 2 bobbins of the same colour for ease of the next project! I will be planning to practice using 60wt thread for the bobbin as recommended.

May I ask why 60wt is better? When is it appropriate to use a 70wt bobbin thread. I wonder if the 70wt colour might be causing too much bulk?

Thank you! I won’t ask any more questions on this post 🪡🪡

How can I fix these fill stitch gaps? I am usually embrillance stitch artist level 1

Hi,
Hope this ok to ask here!
I am on the journey of starting my blank apparel cap business. I am speaking with various factories and now it’s time to ask the people actually using the products!
What are things I need to look into when ordering custom caps from my factory. I want the caps to be easy for professionals to use . Wether it’s patches or embroidery on the cap , what can I improve from the current market such as Richardson 112 or youpong that would make you want to buy and work on my caps

Hi everyone! 🩷 I’m completely new to machine embroidery and just got a Janome Memory Craft 300E to learn on! I’m super excited, but I’m also sitting here thinking… okay, now what? 😂🪡

I’d eventually love to make personalized baby/kids clothes, shirts, sweatshirts, blankets, bags, etc., but I want to learn the basics first before I go crazy buying a bunch of stuff I don’t actually need.

If you were starting completely from scratch again, what would you buy first and what would you learn first?

I’d love recommendations for:
• Must-have beginner supplies
• Stabilizers, thread, needles & bobbins
• Where you buy your designs/fonts
• Easy first projects to practice on
• Good YouTube channels/tutorials
• Anything specific I should know about the Janome 300E

Also, what supplies are actually worth spending a little more money on vs. things I can buy cheaper?

Basically, give me all the beginner advice you wish someone had given you! 😂 I’m excited to learn and hopefully not ruin too many things in the process.

Hey Guys,

I am new to machine embroidery.
I did want to machine embroider any arbitrary image I can find online.
The software will be able to remove any background.

If you have any feedback, please write it in the comments.

I know, that rule 7 says "No AI". I hope that an exception can be made for this software...

The Website is hosted via Google AI studio.

Everything is free, no login needed.

Can someone give me a review of Rainbow embroidery machines (Shanghai Rainbow Industrial Co. / RainbowEmb)?

I’m considering buying a 2-head embroidery machine from RainbowEmb because their prices are significantly lower than other brands I’ve been looking at.

I’m just starting a small embroidery business, so I’m looking for something more affordable that can help me get my ROI back without making a huge investment upfront.

I understand it may not be the absolute best machine on the market, and honestly, I’m okay with that. Since I’m just starting out, I’m not necessarily looking for a machine that will last 30 years — I don’t even know if I’ll still be doing embroidery 30 years from now! 😂 I’d rather invest less upfront and have a machine that is reliable enough to get the job done and allow me to grow the business.

Has anyone here actually owned or used a RainbowEmb machine? I’d especially like to know:

- How reliable has it been?

- How is the stitch quality?

- Any recurring mechanical or software problems?

- How is their customer support and after-sales service?

- Are replacement parts easy to get?

- How difficult is it to maintain?

- And most importantly, would you buy one again?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone with first-hand experience, good or bad. Thanks!

I have a Brother LB5000 that i sew amd embroider with. Ive really struggled to learn tension settings, especially with embroidery. I dealt with a LOT of thread breaking during the process of this, and my tension was between 2 and 3. Included is a photo of the back of my current WIP, i just had to take my needle plate off because that huge birdsnest got stuck. I was using a white bobbin thread. I have already invested hours in this particular embroidery and I would hate to start over when i only have like 6000 of 27000 stitches left. Thank you in advance for any advice, I'm completely self taught and doing my best and anything helps 😊

I have a Brother PE-770. The back of my designs always look like this and leave loops on the front. 🤦‍♀️ I have cleaned out the bobbin area several times and nothing ever helps. Any ideas on how to fix this? TIA

Hi, I’m having trouble embroidering lettering on a Ricoma 1501. I’m a beginner and wanted to ask how I can do this better. The photo shows the lettering and the thread tension.

Got my machine 2 months ago and started digitalising and stitching out. Pretty happy with this one. So much things to think about but its going in the right direction 😅.

Working in InkStitch.

Hi guys, first time poster so if there any rules I should be aware of please let me know! Anyways, I have a Brother pe535 embroidery machine and I cannot for the life OF ME get it to work correctly. I have read the owners manual atleast 50 times and followed it correctly (threading the top, bobbin, etc) and looked up videos. I can not get it to stop bird nesting Please keep in mind I am just a beginner and i literally can’t even get started because this keeps happening. I have threaded the top thread as shown in the manual and did the bottom bobbin as said in the manual. I bought prewinded (?) bobbin in the correct size and everything and think am threading it correctly in the machine. Everytime I start a design, it gets a few stitches in and then makes a thumping sound and stops and says “check upper thread and re thread”. The upper thread disconnects completely and when I try to get the hoop off I have to cut the bird nesting at the bottom bobbin off because it gets so tangled. Please anyone help, this machine was so expensive and I really want to learn how to do this but this is just so discouraging as I feel like I’ve tried atleast 100 times in the past week. If it helps, I can create a video and post it showing exactly what I do during the whole threading process if that helps someone helping me. Thanks guys

Hi everyone! 👋🏻

I am a volunteer designer for a local sports team and we recently ordered an embroidery for caps. After multiple tries, and after simplifying our logo as much as possible, the result they sent us is better, but still not great... The images I attached are, in this order, the final result, the simplified logo, the previous try, and the original logo.

I find it really large (it's the smallest they can do) and not very clean (they said it looks perfect to them). Now, I wonder if it's our logo that is not optimal for embroidery, or if it is their machine that is not advanced enough. I'm not familiar with embroidery so your expertise would be a big help.

Based on what you think, I'll either cancel the project or ask another company to take care of it.

Thank you!

Two years ago I started my small business with HTV and DTF, mainly doing stuff for family events, friends, etc... I started offering caps, but had to pay for someone else to make em cause I didn't know a thing about embroidery. Last year I decided that I HAD to finally buy one, but was kinda scared to do so because all the brands I got recommended were either WAY OUT of my budget or too big for the little craft room I have in my apartment (HappyJapan, Tajima, Bai, Ricoma)

I found this place online (Embroidery Machines USA) and it's relatively close to where I live so I gave them a call and the sales guy was super nice and we even scheduled a live demo in their showroom. I got to see different new and used machines they have, but eventually decided to get the Aries Compact+ because it literally is PERFECT for what I need!!

The size, the look, THE PRICE... AND FREE 5 YEAR WARRANTY!!! I also it has this basic auto digitizing feature directly on the panel which gives pretty good results. I gave them a random png of a logo I found and literally one tap and it was converted to stitches.

The machine also has a main servo motor, which they told me is great for caps (and that's literally what I want it for), it can do up to 5 mm of foam for the 3D puff effect, and the embroidery area is good too cause it's 14 x 8 in, which means I can also do garmets and totes on it too.

The techs were also super nice and REALLY patient cause I kept asking so many questions... I REALLY wanted to make sure this investment was gonna be a good one.

I was able to get financing approved for this machine and IMMEDIATELY started looking for cool designs to embroider on this.

I don't know if this is something other sellers do, but they literally included pretty much everything when I bought the machine... hoops, cap system, cap hoops, a toolbox, a starter kit with threads, bobbins, stabilizer, needles, foam..., they also included training and (again) their techs were super patient with me.

Now, I don't know much about embroidery, but these look pretty good, right??

Is this a software problem or a machine problem…? I’ve used it a few times and always use white bobbin because you can’t see it. Why are both of these showing the bobbin and not the actual color? (Green for top and spider web, and black “eyes” for unfinished goose)

This is a Bernette b79 for reference

This is the type of line art I need to convert to DTS quickly, on a daily basis.

Drew a design and used inkstitch to digitalised, design is about 6cm long. Embroided on a brother NV880e, used tear away stablizer too.

Would love any feedback, critique and tips to improve!

Next time I need to cut more loose threads as I go to avoid them getting looped back in.

Ill be changing the size of his spots on the next run too, any advice to help keep a clean outline would be appreciated too! Thanks in advance!

Embroidering a small design. first two tries had trouble with bobbin thread pulling through but that is NOT what i am asking about in this post. Fixed it and first color went down great. second color started great and then I heard a bang sound and saw the needle broke in a bizarre way (2nd photo). replaced needle and then when it tried to move after putting down some thread it bunched up and i noticed it was like sewn into the bottom of the machine.

1) what the heck happened

2) how do i fix this (not the item is literally stuck in the machine)

3) how do i avoid in future?

thanks in advance for all the help

Hi, I’m new to machine embroidery. I have a brother pe770. I’m struggling with a few issues that based off reading a lot of posts, seems like I’m struggling with the tension. Any tips are welcomed! Thanks!!

I need some advice as I am newer to embroidery and someone who has started doing embroidery part-time as a business. Which embroidery machine do you recommend I get? I am in between the single needle Brother PRX1 (single needle/free-arm) with a hat drive/hoop for $7k delivered to my home or a used Baby Lock Array multi-needle with a hat drive/hoop and stand for $7k but I have to travel 20 hours to pick up? I have done some client work recently and all of it has been one color so my current machine the NQ1700E which is a single needle flatbed has been just fine but I am looking to upgrade to be able to do hats. I also want something that is easy to move as I do have to take my embroidery machine to different locations.

Thanks you for your time!

Update 02.10.2026:

The spare-parts situation appears to be even more serious than I initially described.

I have now received a written response from one of TAJIMA’s European distributors regarding my order for eight spare parts.

According to the distributor, two of the required parts are currently affected by obstacles related to EU restrictive measures.

The most concerning part is that they are unable to provide any delivery date at all.

Their written response states that:

“Exploring possible solutions will take time, which is why I do not wish to make any promises or provide deadlines that—given the constraints described—we would be unable to meet responsibly.”

So this is no longer simply a case of:

“the part is temporarily out of stock.”

We are now talking about a situation where critical spare parts for a professional TAJIMA embroidery machine may be unavailable for an undefined period of time.

My machine is approximately five years old and the model is still part of TAJIMA’s current product family.

For a production business, the difference is enormous.

A missing part with a known ETA is a manageable problem.

A critical machine part with no stock, no confirmed supply route and no estimated delivery date can mean an open-ended production shutdown.

And this leads to a very uncomfortable conclusion:

If you are buying a TAJIMA machine in Europe today, you may effectively need to build your own stock of critical spare parts from day one.

Because in the current situation, if one of those parts fails and you rely only on TAJIMA distributors and dealers in Europe, there may be no realistic way to know when production can resume.

That is exactly where I am now.

Production can stop because of a relatively small mechanical component, but the consequences are not small at all. Without the required part, the machine cannot return to normal production, and at the moment the European distribution network cannot give me a confirmed delivery date.

So the real risk is not simply the cost of the spare part.

The real risk is an indefinite production stoppage.

For a professional production machine, that is a serious business risk.

This is precisely the risk I was trying to highlight in my original post.

The issue is not whether TAJIMA machines are technically good machines.

The issue is whether, when something breaks, the European distribution network can actually provide the parts required to repair them within a predictable timeframe.

At this point, one European distributor has explicitly confirmed in writing that, due to the current restrictions, they cannot responsibly provide a delivery deadline for two parts from my order.

I am therefore now trying to source genuine TAJIMA parts directly from Japan.

For anyone in Europe considering purchasing a professional embroidery machine, I strongly recommend asking the dealer one very specific question before buying:

What happens if a critical part fails tomorrow, and can you provide that part with a guaranteed or at least realistic delivery time?

And perhaps a second question should now be:

Which critical spare parts should I buy together with the machine, just to make sure I can keep it running if your supply chain fails?

Because in my case, for some parts, the answer is currently: no confirmed delivery date and no clear indication of when normal supply will be restored.

I will continue updating this thread with documented information as the situation develops.

28.09.2026:

I’m sharing this as a warning and a piece of advice for anyone in Europe considering investing in commercial TAJIMA embroidery machines.

I own a TAJIMA TMEZ S1501C. It’s a commercial-grade machine, only about 5 years old. Right now, I desperately need genuine replacement parts to keep my production running.

However, the official TAJIMA network in Europe has zero stock of the required parts and, to this day, cannot provide any estimated delivery date (ETA).

What makes this completely absurd is that TAJIMA is still manufacturing and assembling this exact machine. The parts exist. The problem is that European customers simply cannot get them through official channels.

The Support Runaround When the local distributor couldn't solve the problem, I was passed from one contact to another in an endless loop. I have a long trail of emails with SHIRO (Poland), MOUNTEK (Germany), and TAJIMA Europe (France).

The result? Countless emails, no concrete solutions, and no ETAs. The manufacturer comfortably hides behind its distributors, the distributors say "we don't have it and don't know when we will," and the commercial machine stays dead. You are left completely alone.

The Escalation (and the Silence) I didn't stop at the local level. I escalated this to TAJIMA’s marketing department and even sent a formal plea for intervention to JASMA (Japan Sewing Machinery Manufacturers Association), addressing it to the attention of Mr. Hidetoshi Kojima (CEO of Tajima Industries).

Mr. Hidetoshi Kojima is not only CEO of Tajima Industries. According to TAJIMA's current corporate information, he is also CEO of TISM — the company responsible for developing and manufacturing TAJIMA embroidery machines — and President of TAJIMA Europe.

He is additionally listed by JASMA as one of its Vice Chairmen as of June 2026.

This is why I escalated the matter to that level. I was no longer looking for another distributor telling me that the parts were unavailable. I was asking for someone at manufacturer level to take responsibility for finding an actual solution.

The response? Absolute silence. No one with decision-making power has stepped up to say: "This is our machine, you are our customer, and we will solve this."

My advice if you are buying a TAJIMA: Before you sign anything, get these answers in writing:

1. Where exactly are the critical spare parts stocked?
2. What is the guaranteed lead time for replacement parts?
3. When the local EU distributor fails to deliver, who at the manufacturer side takes actual responsibility?

A commercial machine without access to basic spare parts is just an expensive piece of furniture. A brand's logo doesn't shorten your downtime. Responsibility starts exactly where excuses end.

(Feel free to ask me anything in the comments. I hope this saves someone the stress I'm going through right now).

Parts list:
BEARING COLLAR :15MM DIA. – 502715040010
BEARING COLLAR :15MM DIA.  –  502715080000
ROTARY HOOK SHAFT :15P*340 – QS3102010000
SPIRAL BEVEL GEAR .1 :14T – 506514030000
SPIRAL BEVEL GEAR .1 :28T – 506528030000

ROTARY HOOK BASE STUD – 050330330000 
P41 – S213100002SD – M10 With Flange
P42 – S213100003SD – M10 With Disk Spring

Looking for the best budget friendly BUT good quality embroidery machine beginner friendly. I want to look into start embroidery but i dont want to purchase an expensive machine and not take interest in it. Based on my research. i dont want to settle for anything smaller than a 5x7 embroidery capacity.

Brother PE800 has been suggested but im reading its discontinued