Brother International CE-5500/CE-5500PRW Operation Manual - Page 21

CAUTION ● Only use home sewing machine needles. Use of any other needle may bend the needle or damage the machine. ● Never use bent needles. Bent needles can easily break, possibly resulting in injury. Needle types and their uses The sewing machine needle that should be used depends on the fabric and thread thickness. Fabric Type/ Application Thread Type Size Medium weight fabrics Broadcloth Taffeta Cotton thread Synthetic thread 60-90 Flannel, Silk Gabardine thread 50 Thin fabrics Lawn Georgette Cotton thread Synthetic thread 60-90 Challis, Satin Silk thread 50 Thick fabrics Denim Corduroy Tweed Cotton 30 thread 50 Synthetic thread Silk thread 50-60 Stretch fabrics Jersey Tricot Thread for knits 50-60 Easily frayed fabrics For top-stitching Cotton thread Synthetic thread 50-90 Silk thread 50 Synthetic 30 thread Silk thread 50-60 Size of Needle 75/11-90/14 65/9-75/11 100/16 90/14-100/16 Ball point needle 75/11-90/14 (gold colored) 65/9-90/14 100/16 75/11-90/14 Note ● Never use a thread of weight 20 or lower. It may cause malfunctions. Memo ● The smaller the thread number, the thicker the thread; and the larger the needle number, the thicker the needle. ■ Ball point needle Use the ball point needle when sewing on stretch fabrics or fabrics where skipped stitches easily occur. Use the ball point needle for best results when sewing patterns using monogramming foot "N". ■ Transparent nylon thread 1 Use a 90/14 to 100/16 needle, regardless of the fabric or thread. CAUTION ● The appropriate fabric, thread and needle combinations are shown in the table on the this page. If the combination of the fabric, thread and needle is not correct, particularly when sewing thick fabrics (such as denim) with thin needles (such as 65/9 to 75/11), the needle may bend or break. In addition, the stitching may be uneven or puckered or there may be skipped stitches. Checking the needle Sewing with a bent needle is extremely dangerous since the needle may break while the machine is being operated. Before using the needle, place the flat side of the needle on a flat surface and check that the distance between the needle and the flat surface is even. 1 2 a Flat side b Needle type marking 4 3 c Flat surface d Even 5 3 e Not even 19