Brother 888-X11 Instruction Manual

Operation ManualComputerized Sewing MachineProduct Code: 888-V11GETTING READYSEWING BASICSUTILITY STITCHESAPPENDIX

8IntroductionThank you for choosing this product. Before using this sewing machine, carefully read “Important SafetyInstructions”, and then study this

98IndexNumerics1/4 inch quilting foot...121/4 inch quilting foot with guide ...

99stretch stitching ...66Tthread guide...

Please visit us at http://solutions.brother.com where you can get productsupport and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs).English888-V11Printe

9Needle and presser foot sectiona Needle threader leverUse the needle threader to thread the needle.b Buttonhole leverLower the buttonhole lever when

10Operation panelThe operation panel, located on the front of the sewing machine, allows you to select a stitch and specify how the stitch will be sew

11AccessoriesAfter opening the box, check that the following accessories are included. If any item is missing or damaged, contact your dealer.Included

12Optional accessoriesThe following are available as optional accessories to be purchased separately.Memo● To obtain optional accessories or parts, co

1311 GETTING READYTurning the Machine On/OffThis section explains how to turn the sewing machine on and off.Power supply precautionsBe sure to observe

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————14Turning on the machinePrepare t

151Preparing for Upper and Lower ThreadingWinding the bobbinWind the thread onto the bobbin.aTurn on the sewing machine.bPlace the bobbin on the bobbi

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————16fSlide the spool cap onto the s

171jWhile using your left hand to hold the thread that was passed through the bobbin-winding thread guide, use your right hand to wind the end of the

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————18Installing the bobbinInstall th

191eWhile lightly holding down bobbin with your right hand as shown, guide the thread through the slit a and b).• At this time, check that the bobbin

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————20Threading the upper threadIn th

211cPress (needle position button) once or twice to raise the needle.a Needle position button• If the needle is not correctly raised, the sewing mac

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————22fSlide the spool cap onto the s

231jSlide the thread into the thread take-up lever from the right to the left.a Thread take-up leverMemo● If the needle is not raised, the thread take

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————24pRaise the presser foot lever,

251Using the twin needleWith the twin needle, you can sew two parallel lines of the same stitch with two different threads. Both upper threads should

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————26gWithout passing the thread thr

271Replacing the NeedleThis section provides information on sewing machine needles.Needle precautionsBe sure to observe the following precautions conc

1IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONSPlease read these safety instructions before attempting to use the machine.DANGER - To reduce the risk of electric shock

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————28Needle types and their usesThe

291Checking the needleSewing with a bent needle is extremely dangerous since the needle may break while the machine is being operated.Before using the

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————30dLoosen the needle clamp screw

311Replacing the Presser FootPresser foot precautionsBe sure to observe the following precautions concerning the presser feet.Replacing the presser fo

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————32ePlace the presser foot to be i

331 Attaching the presser foot holderaAlign the presser foot holder with the presser bar.a Presser barb Presser foot holderbHold up the presser foot

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————34cLower the presser foot lever,

351Useful FunctionsFunctions useful in improving sewing efficiency are described below.Changing the needle stop positionNormally, the sewing machine i

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————36Sewing Cylindrical or Large Pie

371cInstall the wide table.Keeping the wide table level, fully slide it into place. The lower right corner section of the wide table extends over the

24 Always keep your work area clear:• Never operate the machine with any air openings blocked. Keep ventilation openings of the sewing machine and foo

GETTING READY ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————38

3922 SEWING BASICSStarting to SewBasic sewing operations are described below.Before operating the sewing machine, read the following precautions.Sewin

SEWING BASICS ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————40Selecting a stitchSelect each s

412cPress “+” or “–” side of (stitch width key) to adjust the stitch width.a Stitch width keyb Stitch widthc Narrowd WideMemo● When the stitch lengt

SEWING BASICS ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————42dWhile holding the end of the t

432bPress (start/stop button) once.a Start/stop buttonThe machine starts sewing.• If you continue pressing the (start/stop button) immediately aft

SEWING BASICS ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————44eOnce you are ready to start se

452cAfter sewing 3 to 5 stitches, press (reverse/reinforcement stitch button).Keep (reverse/reinforcement stitch button) held down until you reach

SEWING BASICS ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————46Cutting the threadaWhen you wis

472eAfter reaching the end of the stitching, press the reverse/reinforcement stitch button once.a Reverse/reinforcement stitch button• This step is no

38 For repair or adjustment:• If the Light unit (light-emitting diode) is damaged, it must be replaced by authorized dealer.• In the event a malfuncti

SEWING BASICS ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————48Useful Sewing TipsVarious ways

492 If thick seams are being sewn and the fabric does not feed at the beginning of stitchingThe fabric may not feed when thick seams are being sewn an

SEWING BASICS ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————50Sewing hook-and-loop fastenerNo

5133 UTILITY STITCHESOvercastingSew overcasting along the edges of cut fabric to prevent them from fraying. Four stitches are available for overcastin

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————52Sewing overcasting stitches using zigzag foot “J”aTurn on the m

533Basic StitchingStraight stitches are used for sewing plain seams. Three stitches are available for basic stitching.The values below “Auto” are set

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————54Blind Hem StitchingThe bottoms of skirts and pants are hemmed.

553ePosition the fabric with the edge of the folded hem against the guide of the presser foot, and then lower the presser foot lever.a Wrong side of f

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————56Buttonhole StitchingButtonholes can be sewn. Three stitches are

573aUse chalk to mark on the fabric the position and length of the buttonhole.a Marks on fabricb Button hole sewingbPull out the button guide plate of

4FOR USERS IN THE UK, EIRE, MALTA AND CYPRUS ONLYIMPORTANT• In the event of replacing the plug fuse, use a fuse approved by ASTA to BS 1362, i.e. carr

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————58hPull down the buttonhole lever as far as possible.a Buttonhole

593 Changing the stitch widthPress the “+” or “–” side of the stitch width key to adjust the stitch width.a Stitch width keyb Stitch widthc Narrowd W

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————60gPlace the button into button fitting foot “M”.a ButtonX The bu

613 Attaching a shank to a buttonTo sew the button with a shank, attach the button with space between it and the fabric, and then wind the thread by

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————62Zipper InsertionA zipper can be sewn in place.The values below

633eAlign the seam with the center of the zipper, and then baste the zipper in place.a Wrong side of fabricb Basting stitchingc ZipperfWith the patter

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————64aTurn on the machine.bAttach zigzag foot “J” and sew straight s

653iSew the zipper to the piece of fabric with the extra 3 mm (1/8 inch), starting from the base of the zipper. jWhen you are about 5 cm (2 inches) fr

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————66Sewing Stretch Fabrics and Elastic TapeStretch fabrics can be s

673cWith the pattern selection dial, select stitch .dAttach zigzag foot “J”.• For details, refer to “Replacing the presser foot” (page 31).eSew the e

5

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————68Appliqué, Patchwork and Quilt StitchingThree stitches are avail

693dTurn on the machine.eWith the pattern selection dial, select stitch or .fAttach zigzag foot “J”.• For details, refer to “Replacing the presser

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————70gSew with the center of the presser foot aligned along the cent

713fTurn on the machine.gWith the pattern selection dial, select stitch or .hUse both hands to stretch the fabric taut, and then move the fabric to fo

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————72Reinforcement StitchingReinforce points that will be subject to

733Bar tack stitchingBar tacks are one type of reinforcement stitching used to strengthen points subject to strain, such as pocket corners and opening

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————74gPull down the buttonhole lever as far as possible.a Buttonhole

753Using the side cutter (optional)By using the optional side cutter, overcasting stitching can be sewn while the edge of the fabric is cut off.The va

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————76fPosition the side cutter so that the side cutter pin is aligne

773kLower the presser foot lever, and then start sewing.X A seam allowance is cut while the stitching is sewn.If stitch is sewn, the seam allowance

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————6ContentsIMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS ...

UTILITY STITCHES ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————78

7944 APPENDIXStitch SettingsApplications, stitch lengths and widths and whether the twin needle can be used are listed for utility stitches in the fol

APPENDIX ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————80Blind hem stitchRBlind hem stit

814MaintenanceSimple sewing machine maintenance operations are described below.Restrictions on oilingIn order to prevent damaging this machine, it mus

APPENDIX ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————82gUse the enclosed cleaning brus

834TroubleshootingIf the machine stops operating correctly, check the following possible problems before requesting service.You can solve most problem

APPENDIX ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————84dWhile holding the bobbin in pl

854dRaise the presser foot using the presser foot lever.a Presser foot lever• If the presser foot is not raised, the sewing machine cannot be threaded

APPENDIX ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————86Incorrect thread tension Sympt

874Fabric is caught in the machine and cannot be removedIf the fabric is caught in the sewing machine and cannot be removed, the thread may have becom

7Changing the sewing direction ...

APPENDIX ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————88jUse the enclosed disc-shaped s

894qAttach the needle plate cover according to steps i in “Cleaning the race” (page 82).rCheck the condition of the needle, and then install it.If the

APPENDIX ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————90gCorrectly thread the machine.•

914cSlide the bobbin winder shaft to the left, and then remove the bobbin from the shaft.dHold the thread end with your left hand, and wind off the th

APPENDIX ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————92List of symptomsSymptom Probabl

934The upper thread breaks.The upper thread was incorrectly threaded (for example, the spool is incorrectly installed or the thread has come out of th

APPENDIX ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————94The thread ten-sion is incorrec

954The thread does not pass through the eye of the needle.The needle was not raised.Press (needle position button) once or twice to raise the needle

APPENDIX ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————96Error MessagesIf the sewing mac

974Operation BeepEach time a key is pressed or an incorrect operation is performed, a beep is sounded. For a correct operationOne beep is sounded. I