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Kamala Embroidery

all about the Brother SE400 Sewing & Embroidery Machine

Cap Hoop for Brother SE400 Embroidery Machine

By KAMALA in Hoops for Brother SE400 •

Brother SE-400 Hat HoopIf you want to personalize caps and hats with designs such as logos, initials, names, you’ll need a cap hoop.

The cap hoop attaches to your regular 4×4 inch hoop and holds the bill of the cap firmly in a clamp outside of the embroidery frame. The cap itself is attached to the hoop with adhesive stabilizer. Some people also pin the cap for extra security.

The only negative that people report is that sometimes they can’t get the embellishment as close to the brim as they would like. However, this seems to be a limitation of all home embroidery machines and not the particular hoop.

Brother SE400 Cap HoopThis Cap Hoop clamps to 4×4 inch embroidery hoops and will work with the Brother SE400, SE350, SE270D, HE120, HE240, Innovis 500D,  Innovis 900D,  Innovis 950D, LB6770PRW, LB6800PRW Embroidery Machines.

Where To Buy The Cap Hoop

Cap hoops for the Brother SE400 are hard to find, but Amazon finally got a reasonably priced one back in stock. To check the availability and price @Amazon.com and get started embroidering your caps, click here:

Buy Brother SE400 Cap Hoop

Here’s what one reviewer had to say:

Great — 5.0 out of 5 stars, May 15, 2010
By LatinaSunRise (Manhattan, NY), Amazon Verified Purchase
Used it on my Greatgranddaughters hat and it works great… Doing a few more. Amazon you guys are great.

How To Embroider A Cap With The Brother SE400

  1. Cut a piece of adhesive stabilizer slightly larger than the cap hoop frame and pull the backing off. Stick the stabilizer to the bottom frame of the cap hoop. Try wrapping the stabilizer around the edges of the cap hoop, if it doesn’t stick tightly enough.
  2. Using a water-soluble pen, mark the center of the design on the cap.
  3. Loosen the back strap on the cap. Unscrew the thumbscrew on the hoop clamp to and slide the cap bill under the clamp. Using the markings you made on the cap and the template grid, arrange the cap so that the center of the design aligns with the center of the hoop.
  4. Before you tighten the clamp, make sure the sweatband and backing are pulled away from the embroidery area so that you don’t stitch it to the cap. You may have to tape or pin the sweatband to keep it out of the way. The buckram (stiff backing) under the sweatband also has to be pulled back. If necessary to pull it back neatly, cut the buckram an inch or two where it is stitched to the cap bill on each side. Tighten the clamp with the thumbscrew.
  5. Starting in the middle and working out to the edges, press the cap down firmly against the adhesive stabilizer. The cap must be as flat and smooth as possible.
  6. Clamp the cap hoop to the regular 4×4 inch hoop on the side opposite where it attaches to the embroidery unit.
  7. Turn the SE400 on and set it up for embroidery as usual. Turn the embroidery unit on and attach the regular 4×4 inch hoop with the cap hoop attached. You may have to remove the foot and/or shank to do this. Use the curser keys to center the needle and begin to embroider your design onto the cap. Remember, the design must be rotated clockwise a quarter turn because the cap is hooped sideways and you want the design vertical.

Using the cap hoop is easier to show than to write about. Someday, maybe I’ll get a camera and make a video. Practice a few times on an old hat or cap and you’ll have the hang of it in no time.

To check the availability and today’s price of the hoop at Amazon.com and get started embroidering your caps, click here:

Buy Brother SE400 Cap Hoop

Our Readers Respond ...

  1. Tammy Lewis says

    January 29, 2018 at 12:28 pm

    Will this work with a brother se625?

  2. Linda williams says

    February 26, 2016 at 2:55 am

    I have a xl machine are they must different than the(410 are should I get a 410fo you know if I can do like you flowering you tips???

  3. lois says

    February 23, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    very educational information about the Brother se400. I learned a lot.. Can’t wait for my mine to come. I ordered mine today.

    • Kamala says

      March 3, 2015 at 3:51 pm

      Hi Lois, Thanks for visiting. Happy sewing and embroidering.

  4. Robin says

    December 29, 2014 at 7:53 pm

    Will the cap hoop that fits the SE 400 fit my PE 500 ?

    • Kamala says

      December 30, 2014 at 3:47 pm

      Hi Robin, I don’t know because I only have the SE400.

  5. Esther says

    December 26, 2014 at 11:14 am

    Just received my SE400 for Christmas. I’ve been sewing and doing machine embroidery for years. It was just time for a new sewing machine. I have a Babylock Embroidery Machine, so the embroidery feature was not the most important part of the SE 400 for me. I have the new machine set up, but can’t get the needle threading feature to work. Or it works, but won’t get the thread through the eye of the needle. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Esther

    • Rosanne says

      December 29, 2014 at 9:45 pm

      Sometimes that happens. Be sure to pull that bar fast and release quickly. It should work.

    • Kamala says

      December 30, 2014 at 3:58 pm

      Hi Esther,
      Also, make sure the pressure foot is down; the needle is all the way in and all the way up (press the Needle Position Button first); the thread is threaded correctly through all the steps on page 34-35 of the manual, and the you firmly press the needle threader lever down as much as possible.

  6. Ken says

    December 3, 2014 at 9:49 am

    I was wondering, I have as far as the stailizer is concerned, will tear away sheets combined with temporary spray adhesive work–instead of the self adhesive stabilizer you suggested–as that is what I have. Thank you. K.

    • Rosanne says

      December 29, 2014 at 9:46 pm

      i use tear away with spray only. Works great!

      • Kamala says

        December 30, 2014 at 3:53 pm

        Hi Rosanne, Thanks for visiting and sharing.

  7. Kimberly says

    May 6, 2014 at 11:46 am

    any suggestions on how to keep my thread (both main thread and bobbin thread) from breaking? i get a few stitches going on my hat then the thread breaks!

  8. George says

    April 24, 2014 at 2:22 pm

    Any chance you could shoot a video showing the best way to embroid onto a beanie hat?

    • Kamala says

      April 28, 2014 at 5:44 am

      Hi George, I’m sorry I don’t have time to shoot the video now because I started a new job that’s very intense and leaves me little time for embroidery. My favorite tutorial on beanie hats is from Urban Threads. Maybe it’ll help even though she’s also making the beanie from an old sweater. But the appliqué designs are very cute.

  9. Janie says

    April 13, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    I was wondering if you knew if this cap/hat hoop would work on the Brother SE425?

  10. Ree Danate says

    February 2, 2014 at 9:02 pm

    i have the brother pe-400 i want to embroider a knitted beanie how do i line it on the hoop?

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Welcome to my BrotherSE400 Blog

Kamala Kelly, Brother SE400 EnthusiastHi, I'm Kamala. I love all the textile arts and started making my own clothes when a young child. As an embroidery machine, the Brother SE400 was my first love, and I started this website to share my experiences, discoveries, and also to provide reviews on anything related to the Brother SE400.

My goal is to help you avoid the time and confusion I went through when choosing my first embroidery machine.

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