PURPOSE: To prevent fray of a thread and unevenness of the embroidery stitch surface by perforating a cloth to be used for embroidery using a perforating unit according to perforation-controlling signals based on a perforation program and subsequently operating the XY drive of an embroidery hoop and an embroidery needle based on an embroidery pattern program.

CONSTITUTION: In giving a hole stitch embroidery to a cloth (A) to be used for embroidery tightly spread over an embroidery hoop 4, a perforation program is read from a punched tape using a reader 7 and perforation control signals are output to a controller 6. By the above-mentioned controller 6, an XY drive unit 5 and the perforating unit 8 of a perforation system 9 are operated to perforate a prescribed position of the above-mentioned cloth (A) for embroidery. A punched tape of a embroidery pattern is then read and a hole stitch embroidery is given to the above-mentioned perforated part while controlling operation of the XY drive of the embroidery hoop 4 and the vertical movement of an embroidery needle 2.