Brother XM2701: threading, bobbin, tension and cleaning

Is this your machine?

The Brother XM2701 is a lightweight mechanical machine: you pick one of its 27 stitches on a dial, and set length, width and top tension on their own dials. It has a lever-type needle threader and a clear top drop-in bobbin. If your machine has those dials and a drop-in bobbin under a clear cover at the front of the needle plate, this is the page for it.

Brother prints the product code on the machine's rating plate, and the operation manual for the XM2701 is written for a family of product codes (885-X06 through X29 and 888-X06 through X29). Some features in that manual are marked as found only on certain models. Where this page and the manual differ, the manual for the code on your plate wins.

Needles and bobbins that fit

Brother's manual asks only for home sewing machine needles, the ordinary flat-shank needles sold for household machines. The one needle system Brother names in the XM2701 manual is Schmetz 130/705H, offered as a substitute ball point needle. The machine came with a three-needle set of 90/14 needles, Brother part XE5328-001. Put the needle in with the flat side of the shank toward the back, push it up until it stops against the needle stopper, and tighten the clamp screw with the screwdriver that came with the machine.

• Medium fabrics such as broadcloth, flannel and gabardine: 75/11 to 90/14.
• Lightweight fabrics such as lawn, georgette and satin: 65/9 to 75/11.
• Denim, corduroy and tweed: 90/14 to 100/16, with 100/16 for #30 thread.
• Knits and jersey: a ball point needle, which Brother colors gold, 75/11 to 90/14.
• Never use thread of weight 20 or lower.

The bobbin is the Brother SA156, a clear plastic bobbin 11.5 mm (7/16 inch) tall. Brother's accessory sheet for the XM2701 calls it a Class 15 plastic bobbin, and Brother's SA156 listing names the XM2701. Outside the Americas Brother sells the same bobbin as XA5539-151. Brother warns that other bobbins can damage the machine, so do not substitute the shorter 9.2 mm SA155 or a metal bobbin.

The bobbin sits in a removable plastic bobbin case, Brother part XE9326-001, which Brother supplies through its authorized service centers. Brother's manual and its support answers both give XE9326-001 for the XM2701. A scratched bobbin case shreds thread and breaks needles, so replace it rather than polish it.

Threading the top thread

Raise the presser foot first. With the foot down the tension discs stay closed and the thread will not seat between them, which is the most common cause of a nest of thread under the fabric.

1. Turn the power switch off. Raise the presser foot lever.
2. Turn the handwheel toward you until the mark on the wheel points straight up. The needle and the take-up lever are now at their highest. Brother notes the machine cannot be threaded with the needle down.
3. Pull up the spool pin and put the spool on it.
4. Hold the thread in your right hand and draw it toward you through the groove of the thread guide, so the small spring in the groove catches it.
5. Take the thread down the front channel, around the bottom of the channel and back up the other side.
6. Pass the thread through the take-up lever from right to left.
7. Bring it back down and slip it behind the needle bar thread guide just above the needle.
8. Thread the needle from front to back and pull about 5 cm (2 inches) through. To use the built-in threader instead: lower the presser foot, pull the threader lever all the way down, hook the thread on the guide, turn the lever toward the back so its hook passes through the eye, then toward the front to draw a loop through. Pull the loop out to the back. The threader works with 75/11 to 100/16 needles only, not 65/9, twin or wing needles, and not with nylon or metallic thread.

Winding and dropping in the bobbin

1. Put the spool on the spool pin, draw the thread toward you through the thread guide groove, then wrap it around the pre-tension disk for bobbin winding, pulling it all the way in.
2. Pass the thread end through the hole in the bobbin from the inside out, leaving 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches).
3. Put the bobbin on the winder shaft, slide the shaft to the right, and turn the bobbin clockwise by hand until the spring on the shaft drops into the notch in the bobbin.
4. Hold the tail straight up, turn the machine on and press the foot control gently for a few turns. Stop and trim the tail close to the bobbin. An untrimmed tail can tangle and break the needle.
5. Wind until the bobbin is full and turning slowly. Cut the thread, slide the shaft back to the left and take the bobbin off. The needle does not move while the shaft is to the right.

Dropping it in

1. Turn the power off. Raise the needle with the handwheel and raise the presser foot. Slide the clear bobbin cover toward you and lift it off.
2. Drop the bobbin in so that, seen from above, it turns counterclockwise as you pull the thread. Brother's own check is that the bobbin turns counterclockwise easily. A bobbin that unwinds the wrong way upsets the tension and can break the needle.
3. Hold the bobbin down with a fingertip and guide the thread through the slit and under the tension spring of the bobbin case. On machines with the quick-set feature, carry on along the slit and pull the thread toward you to cut it on the built-in cutter.
4. Hook the cover's tab into its groove and press the cover closed.
5. With the quick-set bobbin you can start sewing without drawing up the bobbin thread. Otherwise hold the top thread, turn the handwheel toward you one full turn, and pull the top thread to bring up a loop of bobbin thread. Lay both threads toward the back.

Top and bobbin tension

The upper tension dial is the only tension control on this machine. Brother's manual does not print a standard number for it, so start from where the dial sits when the machine is threaded and sewing correctly, and change it one step at a time on a scrap of the same fabric.

• Loops on the top of the fabric mean the top thread is too tight. Turn the dial to a lower number. Check the bobbin first: a bobbin thread that missed the spring in the bobbin case makes the top thread look tight.
• Loops on the underside mean the top thread is too loose. Turn the dial to a higher number, but rethread the top first. A top thread that skipped the take-up lever or the tension channel produces exactly this.

There is no bobbin tension screw for the owner to adjust. The bobbin's tension comes from the spring on the bobbin case, so the only bobbin-side fix is making sure the thread is under that spring.

Cleaning the race, and why you should not oil it

Brother says it plainly: the XM2701 must not be oiled by the user. It leaves the factory with the oil it needs, and periodic oiling is unnecessary. Do not put oil on the bobbin case either. If the handwheel turns stiffly or the machine makes a new noise, Brother's instruction is to stop and take it to an authorized service center.

What you can and should do is clear lint from under the needle plate. Brother lists dust under the needle plate and in the bobbin case as a cause of skipped stitches.

1. Turn the machine off and unplug it. Raise the needle and the presser foot.
2. Loosen the presser foot holder screw and the needle clamp screw. Take off the presser foot holder and the needle.
3. Remove the two needle plate screws with the oval screwdriver supplied with the machine (Brother part XE5241-001). Lift the needle plate and slide it to the left.
4. Lift the bobbin case out to the left.
5. Brush the lint and dust out of the race and the area around it, or use a vacuum cleaner.
6. Put the bobbin case back so the triangle mark on the case lines up with the dot mark on the machine. Refit the needle plate and tighten both screws firmly.

There is no drop-feed switch. For darning, sewing on buttons or free motion, Brother has you cover the feed dogs with the darning plate, part XC6063-021.

Troubleshooting by symptom

Leave these to a technician

Brother's manuals direct anything inside the machine to an authorized service center: a stiff or noisy handwheel, a burr on the needle plate or hook, and anything electrical. This site does not cover the power cord, the foot control or the motor.

Brother's manual and support pages

• XM2701 operation manual (PDF, Brother)
• XM2701 quick reference guide (PDF, Brother)
• Included accessories and part codes (PDF, Brother)
• Brother USA support page for the XM2701
• Brother SA156 bobbins