The Brother SE-400 has 67 built in stitches for various types of sewing, including 10 styles of 1-step buttonholes. The stitches include several styles of Straight, Zigzag, Overcasting, BlindHem, Applique, Stretch, Patchwork, Quilting, Eyelet, Smocking, Decorative, Heirloom stitches and Side Cutter stitches. Side Cutter stitches, using an optional side cutter foot, finish seams by overcasting and cutting off the extra seam allowance similar to what a serger does.
The stitch length is adjustable up to 5mm and the stitch width up to 7mm for some stitch patterns. Stitch attributes include: Mirror, twin, multi-directional, side cutter, satin stitch regulator.
To select a stitch, use the arrow keys on the LCD touch screen to move through the stitch icons on the screen, select the stitch and choose the stitch settings.
Here are the utility and decorative stitches built into the Brother SE400:
| Number | Stitch Name | Application |
| 1 | Straight stitch | Basic stitching, sewing gathers or pintucks, etc. |
| 2 | Straight stitch | Basic stitching and sewing gathers or pintucks |
| 3 | Straight stitch | Attaching zippers, basic stitching, sewing gathers or pintucks, etc. |
| 4 | Triple stretch stitch | Attaching sleeves, sewing inseams, sewing stretch fabrics and decorative stitching |
| 5 | Stretch stitch | Sewing stretch fabrics and decorative stitching |
| 6 | Basting stitch | Temporarily securing |
| 7, 8 | Zigzag stitch (left and right) | Overcasting and attaching appliqués |
| 9 | 2-point zigzag stitch | Overcasting on mediumweight or stretch fabrics, attaching elastic, darning, etc. |
| 10 | 3-point zigzag stitch | Overcasting on mediumweight or stretch fabrics, attaching elastic, darning, etc. |
| 11 | Overcasting stitch | Overcasting on thin or mediumweight fabrics |
| 12 | Overcasting stitch | Overcasting on thick fabrics |
| 13 | Overcasting stitch | Overcasting on thick fabrics and decorative stitching |
| 14 | Overcasting stitch | Overcasting on stretch fabrics |
| 15 | Overcasting stitch | Overcasting on thick or stretch fabrics |
| 16 | Overcasting stitch | Overcasting on stretch fabrics and decorative stitching |
| 17 | Blind hem stitch | Blind hem stitching on mediumweight fabrics |
| 18 | Blind hem stitch | Blind hem stitching on stretch fabrics |
| 19 | Appliqué stitch | Appliqué stitching |
| 20 | Shell tuck stitch | Shell tuck stitching |
| 21, 22 | Piecing straight stitch | Piecing straight stitching (right and left) |
| 23 | Straight stitch that looks hand-sewn (for quilting) | Straight stitch quilting that looks hand-sewn |
| 24 | Zigzag stitch (for quilting) | Appliqué quilting, free-motion quilting, satin stitching |
| 25 | Appliqué stitch (for quilting) | Attaching appliqués and binding |
| 26 | Quilting stitch (for stippling) | Quilting background stitching (stippling) |
| 27 | Satin scallop stitch | Scallop stitching |
| 28 | Joining stitch | Patchwork stitching and decorative stitching |
| 29 | Joining stitch | Patchwork stitching, decorative stitching and sewing overcasting on both pieces of fabric, such as with tricot |
| 30 | Joining stitch | Patchwork stitching and decorative stitching |
| 31 | Smocking stitch | Smocking stitching and decorative stitching |
| 32, 33 | Fagoting stitch | Fagoting and decorative stitching |
| 34 | Elastic-attaching stitch | Attaching elastic to stretch fabrics |
| 35, 36, 37 | Decorative stitch | Decorative stitching |
| 38 | Decorative stitch | Decorative stitching and elastic-attaching |
| 39 | Decorative stitch | Lace sewing, decorative hemming, heirloom stitching, etc. |
| 40 | Decorative stitch | Decorative hemming, heirloom stitching, etc. |
| 41 | Decorative stitch | Decorative hemming on thin, mediumweight and plain weave fabrics, heirloom stitching, etc. |
| 42 | Decorative stitch | Decorative hemming on thin, mediumweight and plain weave fabrics, heirloom stitching, etc. |
| 43 | Decorative stitch | Decorative hemming on thin, mediumweight and plain weave fabrics, heirloom stitching, etc. |
| 44 | Decorative stitch | Decorative hemming on thin, mediumweight and plain weave fabrics, heirloom stitching, etc. |
| 45 | Decorative stitch | Decorative hemming, ribbon threading, heirloom stitching, etc. |
| 46 | Decorative stitch | Decorative stitching, smocking stitching, heirloom stitching, etc. |
| 47 | Decorative stitch | Decorative stitching, smocking stitching, heirloom stitching, etc. |
| 48 | Buttonhole stitch | Horizontal buttonholes on thin and mediumweight fabrics |
| 49 | Buttonhole stitch | Horizontal buttonholes on areas that are subject to strain |
| 50 | Buttonhole stitch | Horizontal buttonholes on thick fabrics |
| 51 | Buttonhole stitch | Secured buttonholes for fabrics that have backings |
| 52 | Buttonhole stitch | Buttonholes for stretch or knit fabrics |
| 53 | Buttonhole stitch | Buttonholes for stretch fabrics |
| 54 | Buttonhole stitch | Bound buttonholes |
| 55 | Buttonhole stitch | Keyhole buttonholes for thick or furry fabrics |
| 56 | Buttonhole stitch | Keyhole buttonholes for mediumweight and thick fabrics |
| 57 | Buttonhole stitch | Horizontal buttonholes for thick or furry fabrics |
| 58 | Darning stitch | Darning mediumweight fabrics |
| 59 | Darning stitch | Darning thick fabrics |
| 60 | Bar tack stitch | Reinforcing openings and areas where the seam easily comes loose |
| 61 | Button-sewing stitch | Button sewing |
| 62 | Eyelet stitch | Sewing eyelets, for example, on belts |
| 63 | Side cutter (requires optional side cutter foot) | Sewing straight stitches while cutting the fabric |
| 64 | Side cutter (requires optional side cutter foot) | Sewing zigzag stitches while cutting the fabric |
| 65 | Side cutter (requires optional side cutter foot) | Overcasting on thin and mediumweight fabrics while cutting the fabric |
| 66 | Side cutter (requires optional side cutter foot) | Overcasting on thick fabrics while cutting the fabric |
| 67 | Side cutter (requires optional side cutter foot) | Overcasting on mediumweight and thick fabrics while cutting the fabric |
Click here to See all the features of the Brother SE400.
Blessings,
P.S. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Because of the nasty spammers, I have to moderate comments. So yours won’t appear right away, but I’ll get to it as soon as possible. I’d love to hear from you. And if you find this site helpful, I’d really appreciate your sharing it by clicking the Like button below.
Is there a true satin stitch on this machine? Not an adjusted zig zag stitch.
Hi Lori, I don’t think so. I could only find a zig-zag stitch or the satin scallop stitch which does adjust the width automatically. Depending on your project, maybe you could use an embroidery design.
I like my Brother SE400, except for one thing. I would like to have a wider variety of decorative stitches for smocking. I know that I can add embroidery designs to the machine when its set up for embroidery, but can I add more decorative stitches to the machine’s internal memory to use during regular sewing? Thanks
No, I don’t know of any way to add more regular sewing stitches. There are “in-the-hoop” projects that use embroidery stitches to construct a project instead of sewing it separately, but I don’t know how that would work for smocking.
I just got my machine and am having a hard time with a satin stitch, I am trying to satin stitch around an applique on a cotton shirt and have tried everything I can think of… I’ve read the manual backward and forward and watched the cd and need help desperately from someone with this machine… Do you have any advise for this stitch?
Thank you
Hi Samantha,
Sorry to be so long replying to you on Facebook.
I don’t understand the 0 length you mentioned over on Facebook. Doesn’t it just go up and down in the same place and not move?
I just tried a zigzag stitch #24 with 0.1mm length and it looks like it would work just fine for a satin stitch around an appliqué. If that doesn’t work for you, let me know what stitch you’re trying and the settings.
Blessings, Kamala