Reference
Machine embroidery glossary
The words you will meet on machine boxes, design listings and forums, explained in plain English.
- Appliqué
- A technique where a piece of fabric is stitched onto the base fabric: a placement line, a tack-down stitch, trimming, then a satin or zigzag border to finish the edge. Appliqué for beginners →
- Artspira
- Brother’s app for sending designs to compatible machines, editing and creating designs. It has a free tier and a paid Artspira+ subscription. The Brother PP1 (Skitch) requires it. Embroidery software →
- Ballpoint needle
- A needle with a rounded tip that slips between knit fibers instead of piercing them. Used for T-shirts, fleece and sweatshirts, and recommended by Brother for small lettering. Needles guide →
- Birdnesting
- A tangle of thread that builds up under the needle plate on the back of the fabric. Brother lists incorrect upper threading as the first cause to check. Fix birdnesting →
- Bobbin thread
- The lighter thread in the bobbin that holds the top stitches from underneath. Brother notes its included bobbin case is set for 90 weight bobbin thread. Thread guide →
- Color sort
- A machine function that reorders combined designs so each thread color is stitched once, reducing thread changes. Brother lists it on the PE900.
- Combo machine
- A sewing machine with a detachable embroidery unit, such as the Brother SE700 or SE2000. It can sew or embroider, but not both at once. Embroidery-only vs combo →
- Cut-away stabilizer
- A permanent backing that stays behind the design after the excess is trimmed. Used for knits and other fabrics that stretch. Cut-away vs tear-away →
- Density
- How closely stitches are placed. Higher density gives fuller coverage but adds stitches, stiffness and stress on the fabric. Resizing a stitch file changes density. Resizing designs →
- Digitizing
- Turning artwork into a stitch file by deciding stitch types, directions, density, underlay and sequence. It is different from converting an image file. Digitizing with Ink/Stitch →
- DST
- A Tajima stitch format read by many machines, including Brother home models. Brother notes DST data does not contain specific thread color information. PES vs DST →
- Embroidery field
- The maximum area the machine can stitch in one hooping, such as 100 × 100 mm (4 × 4) or 130 × 180 mm (5 × 7). It is smaller than the outside of the hoop and is the most important spec when choosing a machine. 4 × 4 vs 5 × 7 →
- Embroidery-only machine
- A machine that only embroiders designs in a hoop, such as the Brother PE545 or PE900. It cannot sew seams.
- Fill stitch
- Rows of stitches that cover a larger area, also called tatami or step fill. Used for backgrounds and big shapes.
- Floating
- Hooping only the stabilizer and placing the fabric on top, held with spray adhesive or adhesive stabilizer. Useful for items that are hard to hoop. How to hoop →
- Free arm
- A narrow, tubular arm under the needle that lets you slide sleeves, bags and caps onto the machine. The Brother PRS100 has one; flatbed home machines do not.
- Freestanding lace (FSL)
- Lace stitched onto water-soluble stabilizer. Once the stabilizer is rinsed away, only the lace remains.
- 40 weight (40 wt) thread
- The standard embroidery thread weight. Brother recommends 40-weight rayon or polyester for most embroidery. Thread guide →
- Heat-away stabilizer
- A film removed with a dry iron instead of water. Sulky notes it is for fabrics that tolerate 260–300°F and not for high-pile fabrics. Stabilizer types →
- Hoop (frame)
- The two-part frame that holds fabric and stabilizer taut while the machine moves it under the needle.
- In-the-hoop (ITH)
- Projects such as zipper bags, coasters or key fobs where almost all the construction happens in the embroidery hoop. Project ideas →
- JEF
- Janome’s default stitch file format for its embroidery machines. JEF+ is an editable version. File formats explained →
- Jump stitch
- A thread that travels between two separate parts of a design. Jump stitch trimming (listed on the Brother PE900 and SE2000) cuts these automatically.
- Magnetic frame
- A hoop that clamps with magnets instead of a screw, making thick or awkward items easier to hoop. Brother lists an optional 4 × 7 inch magnetic frame for the PE900 and SE2000.
- Multi-needle machine
- A machine with several needles threaded at once (six on the Brother PR680W) that changes colors automatically. Common in embroidery businesses. Single vs multi-needle →
- No-show mesh
- A soft, sheer cut-away stabilizer (also called poly mesh) used on light or thin knits where a heavier backing would show through. Stabilizer for T-shirts →
- PES
- Brother’s (and Baby Lock’s) stitch file format. The most common format to download for Brother home machines. PES vs DST →
- Placement stitch
- A running-stitch outline that shows where to position fabric or an item, used in appliqué and in-the-hoop projects.
- Push and pull compensation
- Adjustments in digitizing that counter the way stitches pull fabric in and push it out. Ink/Stitch notes fabric, stabilizer, stitch type, density and underlay all affect it.
- Running stitch
- A single line of stitches used for outlines, details and travel paths.
- Satin stitch
- Closely spaced zigzag stitches that form a smooth, shiny column. Used for borders, lettering and appliqué edges.
- Single-needle machine
- A machine with one needle, so you rethread for each color. All home beginner machines covered here are single-needle.
- SPM (stitches per minute)
- The maximum embroidery speed a manufacturer lists, such as 650 spm for the Brother PE900. Real-world speed is lower because of trims, short stitches and color changes. Stitch time calculator →
- Stabilizer (backing)
- Material hooped with the fabric to support stitches. The main types are cut-away, tear-away, wash-away, heat-away and adhesive. Stabilizer types →
- Stitch count
- The total number of stitches in a design. It drives stitching time, and machines limit the stitch count per design.
- Tack-down stitch
- Stitches that secure appliqué fabric after placement, before trimming and the final border.
- Tear-away stabilizer
- A temporary backing that is torn away after stitching. Used for stable woven fabrics such as canvas, denim and twill.
- Tension
- The balance between top and bobbin thread. If the top is too tight, bobbin thread can show on top; Madeira suggests about one-third bobbin showing on the underside of satin stitches. Bobbin showing on top →
- Topping
- A water-soluble film placed on top of textured fabrics such as towels and fleece so stitches do not sink into the pile. Embroidering towels →
- Underlay
- Foundation stitches placed under satin and fill stitches to stabilize the fabric and lift the top stitches.
- VP3
- A stitch format used by Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff machines. The Singer SE9180’s manual says it loads only VP3 files.
- Wash-away stabilizer
- Water-soluble stabilizer in film form (used as a topping) or fibrous/mesh form (used for freestanding lace).