Creative Pfaff 3 Manual

							2:5
Preparations
P
D
E
F
G
CB
A
C
B
A
Threading the machine
Make sure that the presser foot is raised and the 
needle is in the up position. 
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							2:6Preparations
PF
A
D
E
CB
F
A
CB
A
Threading for twin needle
Replace the sewing needle with a twin needle. Make 
sure that the presser foot is raised and the needle is 
in the up position. 
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							2:7
Preparations
C
D
B
A
E
C
A
Bobbin winding
Winding from horizontal position
1.  Place an empty bobbin on the bobbin winder 
spindle, with the logo facing up. Use only the 
original PFAFF
® bobbins approved for this model. 
2.  Place the thread spool on the spool pin in 
horizontal position. Slide a spool cap tightly 
against the spool.
3.  Place the thread into the thread guide (A) from 
front to back. Pull the thread counter-clockwise 
above the bobbin winder thread guide (B) and 
then through the bobbin thread guides (C) at the 
rear. 
  Note: Make sure the thread is pulled securely inside the 
pre-tension device for correct thread tension.
4.  Thread through the slot in the bobbin (D) from the 
inside to the outside.
5.  Push the bobbin winder spindle to the right to 
wind. A pop-up appears on the screen to inform 
you that bobbin winding is active. To adjust 
winding speed, use the slider in the pop-up. Start 
bobbin winding by pressing the foot control or 
touch the start/stop. 
  When the bobbin is full, it will stop winding. 
Release the foot control or touch start/stop to stop 
the bobbin winder motor from running. Move the 
bobbin winder spindle to the left and the pop-up 
will close. Remove the bobbin and cut the thread 
using the bobbin thread cutter (F). 
Winding while threaded
Make sure that the presser foot and the needle are in 
the up position. To prevent the needle from bending, 
pull the thread out of the needle.
Bring the thread up from the needle thread guide 
(E), upward through the left-hand threading slot and 
through the bobbin thread guides (C). Then follow 
step 4 and 5 above.
F 
						

							2:8Preparations
B
CA
1
3
2
4
Inserting the bobbin
1.  Remove the bobbin cover by sliding it towards 
you.
2.  Place the bobbin in the bobbin case with the 
logotype facing up and the thread unreeling 
from the left of the bobbin. The bobbin will then 
rotate counter-clockwise when you pull out the 
thread.
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							2:9
Preparations
Changing the presser foot
Remove presser foot
Press the presser foot downwards until it 
disengages from the presser foot holder. 
Attach presser foot
Line up the pins on the foot with the gap underneath 
the presser foot holder. Press upwards until the foot 
snaps into place.
You can also use the presser foot up/down buttons 
to raise or lower the presser foot holder. Place the 
presser foot under the presser foot holder, so that 
the pins of the foot snap onto the presser foot holder 
when lowered.
Changing the needle
1.  Use the hole in the multi-purpose tool to hold 
the needle.
2.  Loosen the needle screw.
3.  Remove the needle. 
4.  Insert the new needle, using the multi-purpose 
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side away from you until it will go no further.
5.  Tighten the needle screw as tight as it will go.
Lowering feed dogs
You can lower the feed dogs by moving the switch 
on the front of the sewing machine to the left. Move 
the switch to the right if you wish to raise the feed 
dogs.
When embroidering the feed dogs are lowered 
automatically as the embroidery unit is connected. 
When the embroidery unit is removed, the feed 
dogs are raised automatically when you start 
sewing. 
						

							2:10Preparations
F
G
H
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Needles
The sewing machine needle plays an important 
role in successful sewing. Use only quality needles. 
We recommend needles of system 130/705H. 
The needle package included with your machine 
contains needles of the most frequently used sizes.
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Universal needles have a slightly rounded point 
and come in a variety of sizes. For general sewing in 
a variety of fabric types and weights.
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Stretch needles have a special scarf to eliminate 

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leathers.
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Embroidery needles have a special scarf, a slightly 
rounded point and a slightly larger eye to avoid 
damage to thread and materials. Use with metallic 
and other specialty threads for embroidery and 
decorative sewing
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Denim needles have a sharp point to penetrate 

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The Wing needle has wide wings on the side of 
the needle to poke holes in the fabric when sewing 
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fabrics.
Note: Change the needle often. Always use a straight 
needle with a sharp point (F).
A damaged needle (G) can cause skipped stitches, 
breakage or snapping of thread. A damaged needle can 
also damage the needle plate.
Do not use asymmetrical twin needles (H), since it may 
damage your sewing machine. 
						

							2:11
Preparations
Threads
There are many threads on the market today 
developed for different purposes.
All purpose sewing thread
All purpose sewing thread is made of synthetic, 
cotton or cotton covered polyester. This type of 
thread is used for sewing garments and projects.
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polyester, acrylic or metallic. These threads create a 
smooth glossy appearance for embroidery and other 
decorative stitching.
When embroidering, use embroidery bobbin thread 
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under embroidery.

embroidering, you may need to use a needle with a larger 
eye and lower the embroidery speed. Thread the sewing 
machine with the spool in the vertical position.
Transparent thread
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thread, is single clear synthetic thread. It is used 
for quilting and other decorative sewing. Thread 
the sewing machine with the spool in the vertical 
position. When winding a bobbin, wind at slow 
speed and wind the bobbin half full.
Note: 
Some fabrics have excess dye which can cause 
discoloration on other fabrics or on your sewing 

impossible to remove.
Fleece and denim fabric, especially red and blue, often 
contain excess dye.
If you suspect that your fabric/ready-to-wear garment 
contains a lot of excess dye, always pre-wash it before 
sewing/embroidering to prevent discoloration of your 
machine.
Stabilizers
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Tear-away stabilizers are used with stable 
woven fabrics. Place underneath fabric for 
decorative stitching or hoop with the fabric when 
embroidering. Tear away excess stabilizer after 
stitching.
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Iron-on tear-away is a totally stable stabilizer that 
has a slick side that will iron on to fabric. It is 
recommended for knits and all unstable fabrics. 
Fuse it to the wrong side of the fabric before 
decorative stitching or hooping. Tear away excess 
stabilizer after stitching.
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Cut-away stabilizer does not tear so the excess has 
to be cut away. It is recommended for knits and all 
unstable fabrics, especially for hoop embroidery.
Water soluble stabilizer
Water soluble stabilizer is placed on top of the 
fabric when embellishing/embroidering napped 
and looped fabrics such as terry cloth. When 
embroidering cutwork, use it underneath the fabric. 
Place your work in water to dissolve the excess 
stabilizer. It is available in different thicknesses.
Disintegrating stabilizer
Disintegrating stabilizer is a stable, loosely woven 
fabric that is used for techniques such as cutwork 
and to crochet off the fabric edge. The stabilizer 
disappears with heat.
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Sticky stabilizer is used for hoop embroidery when 
the fabric is too delicate or too small to be hooped. 
Hoop the sticky stabilizer with the paper side up. 
Remove the paper and stick the fabric onto the 
sticky surface. Tear away sticky stabilizer after 
stitching. 
						

							2:12Preparations
USB port
Your machine has a USB port to connect your USB 
embroidery stick.
Note: Make sure that the USB stick you use has the 
format FAT32.
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Delivered with your machine is an USB embroidery 
stick. Use the stick to store designs and embroidery 
fonts.
Connect to and remove from USB port
Insert the USB embroidery stick in the port. The 
USB plug can only be inserted one way – do not 
force it into the port!
To remove, carefully pull the USB embroidery stick 
out straight.
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A light at the end of the stick indicates that the USB 
embroidery stick is plugged in correctly. When 
loading from the USB embroidery stick, the light 
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Note: Do not remove the USB embroidery stick while the 

embroidery stick.
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A PC software package is available for your PFAFF® 
creative™ 3.0 sewing and embroidery machine. It 
adds following features:
•  QuickFont program to create unlimited number 
of embroidery fonts from most TrueType
® and 
OpenType® fonts on your computer.
•  Handling of embroidery designs: viewing 
designs as thumbnail images, reading different 
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and more.
Go to PFAFF
® website at www.pfaff.com and look 
for Embroidery Machines Support and download 
the software. When you install you will be asked for 
Installation Code. Enter number:
8200
More information and detailed installation 
instructions are available on the download page.Note: The USB embroidery 
stick provided with the 
machine can be left in the 
machine when putting on 
the hard cover. Make sure 
that the cover of the USB 
stick is turned downwards. 
						

							2:13
Preparations
How to XSGDWH\RXUPDFKLQH
Be sure to consult the web site at www.pfaff.com 
and/or your local authorized PFAFF® dealer for 
updates and upgrades for your machine and owners 
manual.
Updating instructions
•   Go to the PFAFF
® website at www.pfaff.com and 
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•   Download and unzip the update software to 
your USB embroidery stick.
•   Make sure that your machine is turned off. 
Connect the USB embroidery stick loaded with 
the new software version to the USB port on your 
machine. 
•  While pressing and holding the reverse button, 
turn your machine on.
•   The update starts automatically and you can 
release the reverse button when the progress bar 
appears.
 Note: It might take up to one minute before the  
progress bar appears and you can release the reverse 
button.
•    When the update is complete the machine will 
restart automatically. Check the software version 
number in the settings menu. 
Reverse button