Raise the presser foot, bring the needle to its highest point, then follow the numbered guides: spool pin, top thread guide, down the right channel, up the left, through the take-up lever from right to left, down behind the needle bar guide, and through the needle from front to back. The bobbin drops in so the thread unwinds counterclockwise. That's the whole path on current Brother machines; the steps below add the details that stop the thread from tangling.
These steps come from Brother's own manuals for the XM2701 and the CS7000X, read October 15, 2026. Each manual covers a family of related models. This is a spec review; we didn't photograph a machine. How we research.
Before you start: three settings
Both manuals start the same way, and skipping any of these is how most threading goes wrong.
- Turn the machine off. Brother's caution is blunt: step on the foot controller by accident while your fingers are near the needle and you could be hurt.
- Raise the presser foot lever. With the foot up, the tension discs open and the thread drops between them. Thread with the foot down and it sits outside the discs, with no tension at all.
- Turn the handwheel toward you (counterclockwise) until the mark on the wheel points up. This lifts the needle and the take-up lever to the top; the XM2701 manual says the machine can't be threaded correctly otherwise.
One more rule from both manuals: never use a thread weight of 20 or lower (that is, very thick thread). For which thread and needle to use, see our sewing machine thread guide.
Threading the upper thread
- Pull up the spool pin as far as it goes and put the spool on it, so the thread comes off the way the manual's drawing shows.
- Holding the thread in your right hand, pull it toward you into the groove of the thread guide. On the XM2701 the manual says to check that the little spring in the groove catches the thread.
- Run the thread down the right channel, around the bottom and up the left channel.
- Guide it through the take-up lever from right to left. If the lever isn't at the top, the thread can't hook on it; turn the handwheel toward you until it is.
- Bring it down and slide it behind the needle bar thread guide, just above the needle. The XM2701 manual's tip: hold the thread in your left hand and feed it with your right.
- Thread the needle from front to back and pull out a tail of about 5 cm (2 inches) on the XM2701, or 10 cm (4 inches) under the presser foot on the CS7000X. Or use the needle threader below.
Using the needle threader (two versions)
Brother's manuals show two designs. If your threader has a round thread guide disk with a slit and a built-in thread cutter, you have the version the CS7000X manual calls Type A. If it's a lever with a small guide you hook the thread onto, it's Type B, which is the one the XM2701 manual describes. Some models have no threader at all.
| Step | Type A (thread guide disk with cutter) | Type B (lever and guide, like the XM2701) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finish the upper threading through the needle bar guide. | Finish the upper threading through the needle bar guide. |
| 2 | Pass the thread behind the guide and pull it firmly into the slit of the thread guide disk, then cut it on the cutter. | Lower the presser foot and check the handwheel mark points up. |
| 3 | Lower the presser foot. | While lowering the threader lever, hook the thread onto the guide. |
| 4 | Pull the threader lever all the way down, then push it back slowly until it stops. The hook goes through the eye and catches the thread. | Pull the lever all the way down and turn it toward the back. Hold the thread in front of the needle so the hook grabs it. |
| 5 | Return the lever to the front slowly and let go. | Holding the thread lightly, turn the lever toward you, then raise it. A loop of thread is now through the eye. |
| 6 | Raise the presser foot and pull the loop through. | Pull the loop to the back, raise the presser foot and pull out about 5 cm (2 inches) of thread. |
The threader has limits, and both manuals list them. It works with home sewing needles from 75/11 to 100/16 only; the XM2701 manual says it can't be used with a 65/9. It won't thread a twin needle or a wing needle, and it isn't for transparent nylon or metallic thread. For those, thread the eye by hand. If the hook keeps missing with a normal needle, the needle is probably not fully up, or slightly bent; a fresh Schmetz universal needle in assorted sizes fixes more threader trouble than anything else.
Winding the bobbin
Use Brother's SA156 bobbin or one of the same type. The CS7000X manual calls SA156 a Class 15 type and gives its height as 11.5 mm (7/16 inch); the XM2701 manual warns that bobbins from other models won't work properly and can damage the machine. Our bobbin guide explains why Class 15 bobbins that look the same can differ.
- Put the spool on the pin and pass the thread through the guide and around the pretension disk.
- Push the thread end through the hole in the bobbin from the inside, leaving 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) sticking out.
- Put the bobbin on the winder shaft and slide the shaft right. The notch on the bobbin has to sit over the spring or projection on the shaft.
- Hold the thread end straight up and run the machine a few turns, then stop and trim the tail close. Machines with a cutter in the winder seat cut it for you after five or six turns.
- Run the machine until the bobbin is full and starts spinning slowly. Cut the thread, slide the shaft left and take the bobbin off.
Trimming that starting tail matters. The manuals warn that if you don't, the tail can tangle around the bobbin when the thread runs low and break the needle. Look at the wound bobbin, too: an uneven, lumpy wind loosens the tension.
The CS7000X manual has a good tip. Note which way up the bobbin sat on the winder (Brother's bobbin has a small "b" mark on one side) and drop it into the case the same way up. That gets the direction right every time.
Dropping the bobbin in
- With the needle up and the presser foot up, turn the machine off and slide the bobbin cover off.
- Drop the bobbin in so the thread unwinds counterclockwise.
- Hold the bobbin down with one finger and guide the thread through the slit, following the arrows on the needle plate. This seats the thread under the bobbin case's tension spring; the manuals say that if it misses the spring, the tension will be wrong.
- On Quick-Set models, pull the thread to the cutter to trim it. Check the bobbin turns counterclockwise as you pull.
- Put the cover back: hook its tab into the groove and press it closed.
Spare bobbins are cheap, and having a few saves rewinding every time you change color. The genuine Brother SA156 10-pack is the safe buy, with over 12,000 ratings. Embroiderers often use prewound SA156 bobbins; that listing describes the thread as 60S/2 (90 wt) polyester, which is finer than sewing thread and meant mostly for embroidery bobbins.
Bringing up the bobbin thread
On Quick-Set models you can skip this: both manuals say you can start sewing straight away. You'll still want to draw it up for gathers or darts, where you need a long bobbin tail.
Otherwise, hold the end of the top thread lightly and turn the handwheel toward you one full turn, so the needle goes down and comes back up. Pull the top thread and a loop of bobbin thread comes up with it. Pull out about 10 cm (4 inches) of both threads and lay them toward the back under the presser foot. Don't yank: the XM2701 manual warns that pulling hard can bend the needle.
The three mistakes behind most tangles
| What you see | Usual cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A nest of loops under the fabric | Top thread threaded with the presser foot down, so it missed the tension discs | Raise the foot and rethread the top from the spool |
| Thread pulls out of the needle, or loops on top | Thread missed the take-up lever because the needle wasn't at its highest point | Turn the handwheel until the mark points up, rethread through the lever right to left |
| Loose, uneven stitches underneath; bobbin thread breaks | Bobbin dropped in backwards, or thread not through the slit under the tension spring | Reinsert so it turns counterclockwise, guide the thread through the slit |
If the nest keeps coming back after a careful rethread, go through our thread bunching guide. If your Brother shows an error code on the screen instead, our Brother error code list explains each one. And if you're still choosing a machine, the Brother comparison chart compares each model's needle threader and other features; the XM2701 review covers the model these steps come from.
Other Brother models
Machines like the LX3817 or the XR9550 follow the same idea: numbered guides printed on the machine, a take-up lever, and the SA156 drop-in bobbin. We haven't checked every model's manual line by line, so if yours differs from the steps above, get the manual and quick reference guide free from Brother's manual search. The quick reference sheet is a one-page drawing of the whole path, and it's worth printing. Serger owners need a different route entirely; see how to thread the Brother 1034D.
Steps and threader limits from Brother's XM2701 Operation Manual (v03) and Quick Reference Guide, and the CS7000X Operation Manual (v03), downloaded from Brother support on October 15, 2026. Product details from each Amazon listing. Prices change often, so the buttons show the current price on Amazon. How we research · Affiliate disclosure