PURPOSE: To prevent surplus pull-off of a needle thread by a method wherein, when an embroidery frame is driven in the directions of an X-axis and an Y-axis in a region where a sewing needle is pulled off from a workpiece, a timing at which drive of the embroidery frame is started is controlled.

CONSTITUTION: When an embroider frame 16 is driven in the directions of an X-axis and an Y-axis in a region where a sewing needle is pulled off from a workpiece, a timing at which drive of the embroidery frame 16 is started is set to a timing later than a timing at which a needle thread 14 is pulled off from a point 12 of a rotary hook 10. For example, during a low speed rotation in which the number of revolutions of a main shaft is 300 r.p.m., a period in which a sewing needle is pulled out upward from the workpiece set to the embroidery frame 16 is in a range of a main shaft angle of 250-100°. Thus, the drive start timing of the embroidery frame 16 may be staggered to a later point of time so that whole drive of the embroidery frame 16 is completed at a main shaft angle 100° being the terminal of a period. This method prevents the excessive pulling out of the needle thread 14 even when the embroidery frame 16 is moved.