In this video, we show how to prepare and sew a flat test design on a Toyota ESP 9100. We begin by placing a piece of cut backing over the bottom hoop, making sure it covers the entire hoop. Then we lay the fabric over the backing and position the top hoop with the connectors facing toward us. If the hoop is too tight, we loosen the tension adjustment slightly, then firmly press the top hoop into the bottom hoop.
After hooping, we perform a two-finger test by running two fingers across the hooped material to confirm it is seated taut. The goal with flat goods is to hoop the material taut, not overly tight and not loose enough to shift. Once satisfied, we place the hoop on the machine, again making sure the connectors face toward us, and slide it under the presser arms so it seats firmly on both sides.
Next, we turn on the machine and, from the welcome screen, change the hoop setting from cap to flat using the arrow keys. After initialization, we load the test design by opening the data menu, choosing Select Data, and scrolling to the 9000 test design. Once loaded, we identify the trace needle, which is shown in parentheses, then go to the hoop key and select line trace mode for more accurate tracing. We use the arrow keys to position the frame at center, then trace the design to make sure the needle will not strike the hoop. If the trace falls outside the hoop area, we reposition the frame and trace again until it clears safely.
When the design is centered and traced correctly, we press start to sew. After the machine finishes, it returns to center and beeps three times. We then remove the hoop and check the back of the design. To confirm proper tension, we should see about one-third stitch, one-third bobbin thread, and one-third stitch on the satin stitches, which shows that the bobbin tension is balanced evenly.
Since this test sew includes flat hooping and fabric setup, GPI’s hoops and hoopers are a practical next step.