Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb, 1888
Specification Accepted, 4th May, 1888
A communication from abroad by ANNA MARCELLUS ARNOLD, of the City, County, and
State of New York, in the United States of America, Gentlewoman,
I, CHARLES AUBREY DAY Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, of 321, High
Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to sewing machines more particularly designed for sowing
elastic seams such as are required in garments made of knitted fabrics, although my
machine may also be used for general manufacturing purposes or as a family
machine.
In the manufacture of "hosiery" (which term is used in trade in connection with
knitted shirts and drawers as well as stockings) the better class of selvage goods have
turning off"
heretofore usually been sewed by hand or on what are known as
machines in which the loops at the edges of the sections of knit fabric are first
separately impaled on the pins of holding plates so that the needle of a slow running
sewing machine, specially adapted to co-operate with the holding plates, may carry its
thread through the said loops in joining the fabrics together. But the work done by
hand on the turning off" machines is necessarily slow and expensive and therefore
makes the goods comparatively costly. The cheaper classes of hosiery made from cut
knit fabrics have usually been sewed on machines forming straight-ahead seams of
chain stitches (which are elastic) and trimmers have been employed on such inachines
to cut away the surplus material beyond the lines of stitches. Lock-stitch sewing
machines forming "zig-zag" or "herring bone" stitches have also been used, to a
limited extent, in sewing knit fabrics together; the lock stitch seams of zig-zag
stitches being sufficiently elastic to permit the fabrics to stretch without breaking the
threads of the seams, the zig-zag seams being formed by moving the needle or the
work laterally (or across the line of the movement of the work by the feeding mechanism
of the machine) after each stitch.
My improved machine forms lock-stitches with two threads, one carried by the
needle and the other contained in a stationary shuttle, and I secure elasticity to the

page_text: seams cither by making what may be termed "back" or "retrograde" stitches, or by
making "zig-zag" or "herring bone" stitches. This result is effected by moving
the needle laterally or horizontally after each stitch. In making the "back" stitch
seam the lateral movements of the needle are in the line of the feed; while in making
the "zig-zag" stitch seam the lateral movements of the needle are across the line of feed.
In both of these forms of my machine the mechanism is, or may be, the same; the only
difference being in the arrangement of the feeding wheel, this being the form of
feeding device which I prefer to employ.
As above stated the lower thread is contained in a stationary shuttle, which is some-
what elliptical in form and which is supported at the forward end of the base of the
machine and beneath the work plate thereof either in a pivoted shuttle holder, which
may be swung outward from the work-plate, for the insertion or removal of the shuttle,
or in a stationary holder which is covered by a pivoted plate, which may be swung
outward when the shuttle is to be inserted or removed.
The needle-carrying bar reciprocates vertically in a swinging frame or head pivoted
to the forward end of the bracket arm which overhangs the work-plate. The driving-
shaft, which is supported vertically in the rear end of the bracket arm, carries an
eccentric from which vertical movements are imparted to the needle bar through a
- pitman and two bell-crank levers loosely connected together and to said bar by links.
The driving shaft has at its lower end a crank which is connected by a link to a crank
at the upper end of a short looper-operating shaft arranged out of line with the driving
shaft and having at its lower end a crank connected to the rear end of a looper rod
having at its forward end a book or looper by which the noed lc-thread is carried around
the stationary shuttle.
The looper-rod swings on a sliding fulcrum pin carried by a block guided in a curved
bearing so that an elliptical movement (corresponding approximately to the form of
the shuttle) is imparted to the forward end of said rod and to the looper carried
thereby. As the driving and looper-operating shafts are out of line a variable rotary
movement will be imparted to the latter and to the looper-rod operated thereby so that
the looper will be caused to move quickly to take a loop of needle thread from the
needle and then more slowly to give the take-up time to tighten the stitch. The
driving shaft also carries a cam, which operates the take-up, and a worm or endless
screw which engages with a worm-wheel connected by shafts and gearing with the
feed wheel, the latter being arranged above the work-plate closely adjacent to the
needle. The said worm-wheel is provided with a series of face cams against which
impinges a toe or projection on a lever connected by a rod or pitman with the
swinging needle-bar frame, so that the said worm wheel serves the double purpose
of swinging the said frame, to move the needle-bar laterally, and of operating the feed
wheel.
In connection with my improved machine I prefer to use a guiding device or evener
for evening the edges of two pieces of fabric, which are to be united, so that the seams
may be formed with any desired closeness to the edges.
Instead of using the feeding wheel above the work-plate I may feed the work by what
I term a
former wheel" to which a section of work may be held by clamps movable
therewith or by the pressure of the hand of the operator, the work being "formed" in
readiness for sewing by being stretched on the "former wheel" so that each of the
two sections to be united has the proper tension to match the stripes or patterns of the
work and bring the edges of the two sections into register, this evening of the edges
being preferably effected by the automatic action of one form of the evener above
referred to.
My invention also includes certain improved take-up and thread controlling
mechanisms for tightening the stitches of the seams and also for feeding the thread to
the stitch-forming mechanism, as well as certain improvements in the pitmen or links
forming part of my machine.
"
In the accompanying drawings Figs. 1 and 2 are sectional elevations, from opposite
sides of my machine with the feeding wheel arranged to form "back or "retrograde"
stitches. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same partly in horizontal section. Fig. 4 is a

page_text: front end view. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the horizontal feed shaft and its lifting
device. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the throat-plate and the feeding
wheel. Fig. 7 is a cross section of the take-up lever. Fig. 8 is a sectional detail of
the lever P and its spring holding post. Figs. 9 and 10 are diagrams illustrating the
"retrograde" stitch made by my machine. Fig. 11 is a plan view of the work-plate
showing the pivoted shuttle holder swung outward or forward in position for the
insertion or removal of the shuttle. Fig. 12 is a bottom view of the work-plate with
the shuttle-holder and shuttle in operative position. Fig. 13 is an end view of the
shuttle holder with the work-plate in section. Fig. 14 is a plan view of the base of
the machine (the work-plate being removed) showing the looper-rod and its guiding
fulcrum-block. Fig. 15 is a plan view of the shuttle. Fig. 16 is an enlarged sectional
detail on line 16-16 Fig. 15; and Fig. 17 is a detail view of the shuttle tension
spring and its frictional holding sleeve. Fig. 18 is a side view of my machine with
the feeding wheel arranged to form "zig-zag" or "herring bone" stitches. Fig. 19
is a front end view thereof. Fig. 20 is a partial plan view showing the relative
positions of the evener and feeding wheel. Figs. 21 and 22 are enlarged detail views
of one form of the evener. Fig. 23 shows another form of my evener in position
relative to the feed wheel, and Figs. 24 and 25 are detail views of the form of evener
shown in Fig. 23. Fig. 26 is a plan view of the front end of the work-plato of one of
my machines having a stationary shuttle-holder and a pivoted covering plate which is
to be swung aside when the shuttle is to be placed in the holder or removed therefrom,
this view also showing an evener and a portion of the "former" wheel. Figs. 27
and 28 are views, from opposite sides, of one of my machines provided with a feeding
"former" wheel. Fig. 29 is a detail front view of the "former" wheel and its
clamps. Fig. 30 illustrates a modified manner of operating the "former" wheel.
Fig. 31 is a side view of the upper part of one of my machines with a modified form
of take-up mechanism and with an improved thread-feeding and controlling device.
Fig. 32 is a detail view of part of the take-up operating mechanism. Fig. 33 is a
detail perspective view of the thread-feeding and controlling device. Fig. 34 is a plan
view of the same. Figs. 35 and 36 sectional views thereof, and Figs. 37, 38 and 39
are detail plan views of certain parts of the same. Figs. 40 and 41, are plan and
sectional views, respectively, of the adjustable needle-bar operating pitman, and Figs. 42
and 43 illustrate slight modifications thereof. Figs. 44 and 45 illustrate an improved
adjustable link or sliort pitman.
Referring now more particularly to the machine shown by Figs. 1 to 17, inclusive,
A denotes the lower part or base of the frame of the machine and B the bracket arm
thereof. C is the driving shaft journalled in vertical bearings in the rear portion of
the arm B, said shaft having at its upper end a driving or pulley wheel c and at its
lower end a crank-disk c¹ connected by a link c² to a crank arm c³ of a short vertical
shaft journalled in the post or bracket b and connected with the looper-rod W
provided at its front end with a looper w for carrying the loops of needle thread around
a stationary shuttle X supported beneath the work-plate a by a shuttle holder Y
pivoted to said plate.
The shaft c is out of line with the driving shaft Cso that it will receive a differential
rotary motion from the uniformly rotating driving shaft. The looper rod W is
provided near its center with curved ribs w embracing a guiding block to² pivoted on
a pin secured to or formned integral with a plate w attached to the base A of the
machine.
The shaft will impart a variable movement to the looper-rod W, so that the
looper w will move rapidly after it has taken a loop of needle thread and is spreading
the same around the shuttle, and more slowly while the take-up is tightening the loop
to complete the stitch. By providing the looper-rod with curved ribs embracing the
guiding block w², so that the fulcrum point or central portion of the said rod describes
a curved path, the movements of the looper w at the forward end of said rod
will be in a circular path the outer portion of which corresponds to a comparatively
large circle and the inner portion to a very small one. Thus the hook or looper can
be caused to travel around a horizontally placed shuttle pointed at one end and

page_text: adapted to receive at its other end a very large bobbin capable of carrying several
times as much thread as the bobbins of many sewing machines requiring loops of
needle thread as large as mine to encompass the shuttles or bobbins. It will thus be
apparent that my looper-rod has a compound movement, consisting of three series of
movements, to wit; a vibratory movement on its fulcrum pin, a longitudinal sliding
movement and also a slight lateral sliding movement, the latter being due to the
curved guide at its central portion formed by the curved ribs w¹ and the block w³
embraced thereby.
The shuttle X, which is somewhat elliptical in form, is open at its top or upper side
and is supported by a small shelf y' which may be attached to or form a part of the
pivoted shuttle holder Y. (see Figs. 11 and 12). The upper edge of the shuttle is
loosely embraced by the holder, so that the loops of needle thread can be readily
carried around the said shuttle by the looper w. The work-plate a is provided with a
pin a arranged to engage a spring-arm y2 (see Figs. 12 and 13) attached to the
shuttle holder to retain the latter in operative position. Said arm y2 has a projecting
finger piece y³ on which the operator may press to lift the said arm from engagement
with the pin a', when the holder will be free to be swung outward, as in Fig. 11, to
permit the shuttle to be inserted or removed. It is obvious that the shuttle holder
might be held in place by a stop notch or recess in the work-plate engaged by a
projection on the spring-arm y².
Instead of making the shuttle holder pivoted, as just described, the said shuttle
holder may be fixed within the base portion A of the machine and the shuttle
covered by pivoted plate y which may be swung aside as indicated by dotted
lines in Fig. 26 when the shuttle is to be inserted or removed, the said plate being
held in place by the latch y¹ which engages a notch y in the plate.
The shuttle tension spring a¹ is attached to a split sleeve ² tightly embracing the
pin as attached to the shuttle shell or body, said spring pressing directly on the thread
of the bobbin, and serving to retain the bobbin within the shuttle. The sleeve
is provided with a nick into which a screw driver may be inserted for the purpose of
turning the sleeve on its pin to adjust the tension or the pressure of the spring a on
the bobbin thread, or to swing the said spring aside to permit the bobbin to be
removed or inserted, the said sleeve being frictionally held in any position to which it
may be adjusted by reason of its tight fit on the pin ³.
Ď is the needle-bar reciprocating vertically in bearings e forming part of a swinging
frame E attached by pivot screws to lugs at the forward end of the arm B. Tho
needle-bar is reciprocated vertically by a pitman d (the rear end of which has a strap
surrounding an eccentric, C¹ near the upper end of the driving shaft C) the primary
lever d¹, link d², secondary lever d³, and link d connected to the needle-bar by a pin d'
and collar de.
On the shaft is a worm c meshing with a worm wheel F journalled in a small
bracket 63 attached to the arm B. This worm wheel F is provided with a series of face
cams against which bears the toe g of the lever G pivoted to the arm B and connected
by a rod g' to the swinging needle-bar frame E. The lever G is preferably provided
with a series of holes 9, as shown, so that by attaching the rod g¹ thereto at
different distances from its fulcrum more or less motion may be imparted to the
frame E, as may be desired. The toe g of the lever G is held in contact with the face
cams of the wheel F by a retracting spring e¹ attached to the frame E and the
arm B, the stress of the said spring being imparted to the said lever through the
said frame and the connecting rod g¹.
To the hub of the cam and worin wheel F is attached a feed shaft H having (in
the present instance) its front bearing in a small bracket h through which passes a
stud h¹ provided at its outer end with a crank handle h² and having at its inner end
an eccentric connection (see Fig. 5) with the arm B or the plate attached thereto,
so that by turning the said stud by the said handle the bevel gear wheel h³ on the
forward end of the shaft H may be engaged with, or be lifted to be disengaged from
the bevel gear wheel i. The said gear wheel is attached to the upper end of a
vertical shaft I supported by a feed hanger or bracket J attached to the arm B, said

page_text: shaft I having at its end a small bevel gear wheel ¹ meshing with a bevel gear wheel k
on the rear end of a shaft K supported by the lug of the bracket J, and the
shaft K having at its forward end a gear wheel k¹ meshing with the feeding wheel L.
The feeding wheel L turns on a pin m supported by a bracket M the rear portion of
which is pivoted on the shaft K, said bracket being provided with a projection or
lug m' against which presses a spring m² (as in Fig. 4) to hold the feeding wheel in
yielding contact with the work-plate.
As the said wheel L bears on the throat plate or work-plate adjacent to the needle
hole therein it also serves the purpose of a presser foot.
The bracket M is provided with a handle m³ by which the feed wheel may be raised
or lowered, and the projection or lug m¹ is squared at its end so that when the feed-
wheel is raised the spring m² bearing against the square end will hold the said wheel
up, or away from the work-plate. Thus the said spring is adapted to hold the said
wheel either in or out of working position.
That portion of the throat-plate which is adjacent to the feed wheel is made slightly
concave (see Figs. 4 and 6) at a¹ to correspond to the curvature of the periphery of
the said wheel, or approximately so, thus giving the feed wheel a longer engagement
with the fabric and a stronger hold on the work than would be afforded by a flat throat
plate, and thereby ensuring a very strong feed.
The thread from the spool N passes through a tension device O to an adjustable
eye p, thence to a second tension device R, thence through an eye s on a small arm S
to an eye t in the end of the take-up lever T whence it passes through a guide eye n
to the needle n'. The eye p is carried by a lever P pivotally attached to the support o
of the tension device O by the screw p¹, the free end of the said lever having a small
stud p² (see Fig. 8) adapted to engage any one of a series of indentations in the
spring post U attached to the arm B. Between the tension device O and the eyo p,
the thread is engaged by a pull off V, attached to the forward end of the primary
needle bar operating lever d, to draw from the spool N sufficient thread for each
stitch and by raising or lowering the adjustable eye p the amount of thread thus
drawn off from the spool may be varied according to the length of the stitch being
made, the amount of thread drawn off being increased by raising said eye and
diminished by lowering the same.
The take-up lever Tis operated by a came on the driving shaft C. As the said
lover is a long one, extending from the rear end to the forward end of the machine,
it is desirable to have it as light as possible and still sufficiently stiff to prevent it
from bending when the machine is running rapidly, and to this end said lever is
provided with a longitudinal hollow strengthening rib t¹, as more clearly shown in the
detail cross section Fig. 7.
The feeding mechanism herein shown and described is continuous in its operation
and is thus, with the needle operating in the usual manner, adapted only for sewing
knit or other elastic fabrics which yield somewhat while the needle is in the work, and
thus prevent the bending or breaking of the needle.
With the feeding wheel arranged as in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, for forming "back"
stitches, the needle bar has a swinging or horizontal movement in the line in which the
work is moved by the said wheel, or approximately so, the horizontal movements of
the needle-bar being so timed that they will occur when the needle is out of the
work. Although the needle bar frame E herein shown is a pivoted one so that the
horizontal path actually traversed by the needle is a curved one, yet the needle is so
far from the center of movement of the said frame and the arc of its horizontal
movement so sinall that, for all practical purposes, this horizontal movement may be
As the work
considered a straight one in the line of the movement of the work.
moves continuously forward it follows that the needle, after having moved to the left
in Fig. 4 to make an advance stitch, is moved to the right, the same Figure, (or
towards the operator) to make a
"back" or <<
retrograde" stitch; and as the
horizontal movements of the needle are practically in the line in which the work is
moved by the feeding mechanism, the needle thread will be doubled upon itself
between alternate pairs of stitches, producing the seam illustrated by the diagrams

page_text: Figs. 9 and 10, the shuttle thread y' being disposed in the same manner as the needle-
thread, as is usual in lock stitch seams. These "back" or "retrograde" stitches give
great strength and elasticity to the seam and thus especially adapt it for use in
connection with elastic knit fabrics.
If it be desired to use my machine having the continuous-feed for sewing ordinary
straight ahead scams of lock stitches in non-elastic fabrics, the connecting rod g' and
the retracting spring e' may be removed. The vertical movements of the needle-bar
will then be imparted thereto in the usual manner and the swinging frame E, in which
the said bar has its vertical bearings, will permit the needle-bar and the needle to be
moved horizontally forward or in the direction of the moving work while the needle
is in the latter; and when the needle leaves the work the swinging frame will be
retracted to its first position by the light spring e² connected with the said frame and
the arm B, the backward movements of the said frame being arrested by the stop e³.
The stress of the spring e³ is so slight as not to impede the forward movement of
the needle by the work.
I am aware that it is not new to reciprocate the needle of a sewing machine hori-
zontally in the line of the movement of the work when the needle is in the goods for
the purpose of feeding the same, or for permitting the needle to move with the work
when a continuous feed is used, but I believe it to be new to reciprocate the needle of
a sewing machine horizontally in the line of the movement of the work when the
needle is out of the goods for forming "back" or "retrograde" stitches as in the
machine herein before described.
The machine shown in Figs. 18 and 19 is essentially the same as the machine shown
in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 excepting that the feeding wheel L is arranged for sewing zig-
zag or overedge stitches, said wheel being at right angles to the feeding wheel shown
in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus with the feeding wheel placed as in Figs. 18 and 19 it will
be clear that as the needle is reciprocated laterally it will move at right angles to the
direction in which the work is fed by the said wheel, so that if the work be properly
placed beneath the needle, the latter will first descend through the work and then over
the edge thereof thus forming an overedge seam.
The thread controlling mechanism shown in Figs. 18 and 19 is somewhat different
from that shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 although the thread controlling mechanism of
the "back" stitch machine might also be used in the "zig-zag" or overedge stitch
machine. As shown in Fig. 18 the pull-off consists of an eye 2 carried by the pit-
man d, and the tension on the needle thread is produced by an ordinary disk tension
device 3, the pull-off 2 engaging the needle thread as it passes from the thread guide 4
to the tension device. From the latter the thread passes to the guide eye 5, thence
to the thread guide 6, thence to the end of the take-up lever and thence to the
needle. The thread guide 6 is formed at the end of the longer arm of a bell-crank
lever 7 pivotally attached to a lug 8 projecting outward from the stationary bracket
arm B, and the shorter arm of the said lever is grooved or slotted for the engagement
of a pin 9 carried by an adjustable plate 10 attached to a lug 11 projecting outward
from the swinging needle-bar frame E. Thus as the said frame vibrates to move the
needle-bar and needle laterally, in forming overedge stitches, the thread-guide 6 will
be moved up and down, the downward movement occurring as the needle-bar and
needle move toward the right in Fig. 19, or towards the take-up lever, and the upward
movement occurring as the needle moves in the opposite direction. These movements
of the said thread guide 6 will produce an extra strain on the needle-thread by the
take-up when, (in forming over-edge stitches by the horizontally moving needle) the
puncturing stitches are made in the fabric, and will relax such strain when the needle
is making the overedge stitches so that the shuttle thread will not be pulled up too far
over the edge of the fabric. As the movements of the thread guide 6 may be varied
by adjusting the plate 10 up or down to bring the pin carried thereby nearer to or
further from the fulcrum pin 12 of the lever 7 it will be clear that the throw of said
lever may be varied at pleasure to control the position of the interlocking threads of
the seam and bring the lock of the stitches in any position in the work which may be
desired.

page_text: In the machine shown in Figs. 18 and 19 the feed-wheel supporting-bracket M is
pivoted on the rounded horizontal portion of the feed hanger or bracket J, the said
portion of the said hanger or bracket supporting the shaft which carries the
feed-wheel operating gear-wheel or pinion . The bracket M is provided with a lug
or arm m to which is attached a spring me which holds the feed wheel against the
work with a yielding pressure.
In forming over-edge seams in uniting knit fabrics (as also in many others) it is
desirable that the puncturing stitches should be as close to the edges of the fabrics as
possible, and thus as knit fabrics are particularly difficult to sew in this manner (owing
to their soft and flimsy character and tendency to curl) I prefer to employ a guiding
and evening device in connection with my overedge stitch machine, said device being
placed closely adjacent to the needle. This evening guide or evener, (two forms of
which are shown in the accompanying drawings) consists essentially of a separating
plate or divider (to be interposed between two pieces of fabric to be evened and which
is preferably yielding so that it may move vertically to accommodate unoven places in
the work and different thicknesses of fabric) an inclined guiding block or deflector,
(which extends above and below, or on both sides of the divider, so as to bring the
two pieces of fabric to be evened into exact register with each other) and two plates
or surfaces (the lower one of which may be the work-plate of the machine) one above
and one below the divider and between which and the said divider the edges to be
evened pass. The upper plate or surface is made yielding so as to be free to move
vortically for the same purpose for which the divider is yielding, and as it thus has a
yielding bearing on the work it is adapted to serve as a presser foot to hold the edges
of the fabric passing beneath it. In one form of my evener the upper and lower
holding or smoothing plates normally spring apart or away from the divider to facilitato
the introduction of the work; said plates, when in operation, being pressed together
by a holding arın or stop which may be movable with the feed wheel. In another form
of my evener the upper plate normally presses downward on the work and is lifted
slightly by the operator when the work is introduced.
The form of my evener shown in Figs. 23, 24 and 25 is also shown applied to the
sewing machine in Figs. 18 and 19. This evener consists of the central separating
plate or divider 13, the inclined guide or deflector 14 carried by and extending above
and below the divider, and the upper and lower smoothing plates 15 and 16. These
latter plates are recessed or notched so that the deflector 14 may extend through them,
the said deflector being a little thicker than two thicknesses of the fabrics to be evened.
The three plates 13, 15 and 16 are preferably secured together by a single pin or
rivet 17 and are attached to the work-plate of the machine by a screw 18 passing
through a slot 19 which permits the evener to be adjusted towards or from the needle
of the machine. The plates 15 and 16 are bent slightly so that they normally spring
away from the divider 13, as shown in Fig. 24, to facilitate the introduction of the
work, and when the latter has been adjusted to the machine the plates, with the fabrics
between them, are pressed together by a stop screw 20 shown in the present instance
as being carried by an arm 21 attached to the cover L' of the feed wheel, the said
screw being adjustable in the nipple 22 so that it may press on the plates with any
desired force when lowered with the feed wheel, the latter being lifted by the handle m³
when the work is to be placed beneath it.
In the use of my evener the edges of the fabrics to be evened pass between the
forward or free ends 23 of the plates 15 and 16 and the forward end 24 of the
divider 13. The latter separates the edges of the fabrics, and as they are thereby hield
out of frictional contact with each other one may be moved relatively to the other as
they come in contact with the inclined edge of the deflector 14 the parts of which, on
opposite sides of the divider, are in the same vertical plane so that the edges of the
fabrics to be evened are brought into exact register with each other, and are held in
evened position by the ends 23 of the plates 15 and 16 and by the feed wheel (the
latter engaging the fabrics as they leave the evener) while being presented to the needlo.
In uniting knit fabrics with a laterally moving needle producing a seam of zig-zag

page_text: or overhead stitches I prefer to employ a thread holding finger over which the stitches
may be made, said finger being long enough to hold two or three stitches at a time.
This thread holding finger will prevent the edges of the soft knit fabrics from being
unduly distended by the pull of the take-up on the thread in tightening the stitches,
and as the latter are tightened into the fabrics over the said thread-holding finger they
will, when removed from the said finger, be loose enough to leave the seam much more
elastic than it otherwise would be. This thread holding finger, in the form of my
invention herein shown, consists of a tapering projection 25 attached to the deflector 14
in such a manner that it serves as a continuation of the guiding edge thereof, said
projection or finger extending in the direction in which the evened fabrics are moved
by the feed wheel after leaving the said deflector. As the thread holding finger
extends across the horizontal path of the needle, or the slot in the throat-plate into
which the needle descends, the latter will go down first on one side of the said finger
and then on the other side thereof as the needle bar is moved laterally at each stitch.
As the work is moved forward by the feed wheel the stitches are drawn off from the
said finger, as will be readily understood. As the finger 25 is long enough to hold
several stitches it assists in retaining the evened fabrics in sewing position beneath the
needle, and thus facilitates running the seam very close to the edges of the fabrics
which are being united.
The evener shown in Figs. 20, 21 and 22 is essentially the same as that above
described except that the lower plate 16 is omitted and the free working end 23, of the
upper plate 15 normally presses on the work without other assistance than the resilience
of the said plate. The said end 23 is made as a thick plate or block which is pointed
in front and provided with a bevelled edge so that it will uncurl and smooth the edge
of the fabric passing beneath it. The deflector 14 extends into a recess 26 in the
work-plate a, and the downward movement of the plate 15 is limited by the stop
screw 27 tapped in a nipple 28 extending from the arm 29 attached to the said plate,
said stop-screw impinging against the said work-plate.
It will thus be apparent that with both forms of my evener herein shown the
divider and the upper pressing plate will be free to spring or move vertically to
accommodate different thicknesses of fabrics or uneven places in the work, as where
the seam being made crosses another seam, so that when a section of fabric has been
started into the machine a seam of stitches running very close to the edges of the
fabrics may be made with entire accuracy and with but very little skill or attention on
the part of the operator. As the ridge or welt incidental to an overedge seam is
(when the joined fabrics are flattened out) greater or less according to the distance
of the puncturing stitches from the edges of the fabrics; and as, with my evener, the
said puncturing stitches may be made with extreme closeness to the edges of the
fabrics with the greatest reliability and without danger of missing the said edges, it
results that with my peculiarly constructed machine and evener, I am enabled to mako
stockings and other articles of underwear, without having objectionable ridges or welts
at the seams. Thus by my improvement it is possible to produce, by rapidly running
machinery, a class of goods which will compare favorably in appearance, comfort and
durability with the goods made heretofore only by hand or on the expensive and slow
"turning off" machines.
"
"
Figs. 27 and 28 represent one of iny machines provided with a "former wheel" on
which the fabrics to be united are stretched and secured so as to bring the ends of the
sections even with each other and on which the said sections of fabric are held while
the wheel is revolved to present the goods to the sewing mechanism of the machine,
this "former wheel" being more particularly designed for use in uniting knit fabrics
having selvage edges and known to the trade as "full regular" or "fashioned
goods. It is found in practice that certain parts of hose and other knit goods
which are to be united are of unequal lengths so that it is necessary to stretch the
shorter sections to make them match the longer ones, and particularly where the
goods to be united are in stripes or patterns it is essential that such stripes or patterns
should be evenly matched. As this is to be done by the operator it is essential

page_text: that some means by which the sections, when properly matched, can be held while
being presented to the sewing mechanism, and this want is supplied by my former
wheel on which the stretched goods may be held by clamps, which are free to revolve
therewith, or by the pressure of the hand of the operator, if the clamps be not
employed.
This former wheel is of large size so that it projects out beyond the sewing machine
with its forward side conveniently accessible to the operator, and, owing to its large
size, it affords a very considerable circumferential surface on which to stretch the goods,
a portion of the surface of the said wheel being roughened or serrated like an ordinary
feed wheel so that it will have a proper frictional hold on the goods. The edges of
the goods to be united are not always straight but are frequently curved or irregular,
but as said edges will extend some little distance beyond the edge of the former wheel
to which the bodies of the goods are held, the curved or irregular edges can he
properly presented to the sewing mechanism. To properly even the edges to be
united and to hold them while being sewed I prefer to use an evener which may
be substantially the same as the oveners hereinbefore described, or of slightly different
construction.
My former wheel is preferably arranged beneath the work-plate of the sewing
machine and connected by a suitable train of shafts and gearing with the driving shaft
of the machine so as to be positively rotated, but instead of being arranged and
operated in this manner it may be arranged above the work plate and operatively
connected with the driving shaft of the machine, or be rotated by a four-inotioned
feed dog beneath the work plate in the same manner that an ordinary presser wheel or
roller is moved as the work is fed beneath it. For sewing knit goods, which are
clastic, the former wheel will preferably have a continuous rotary movement, but for
sewing non-elastic goods the former wheel will be given an intermittent feeding
movement. When the former wheel is placed above the work-plate it is necessary to
arrange it at an angle to the machine to clear the forward part of the arm and needle
mechanism Instead of making the former wheel as a solid wheel it may be merely
a ring or band which can rotate on a stationary hub or in grooved guides and which
may be revolved by a positively driven feed wheel above the work-plate or in any
other suitable manner. In such case the shaft carrying the former wheel will preferably
have a little up and down movement to permit of the easy introduction of the work
when beginning to sew, or to allow it to be turned forward or backward independent
of the feed movement to start the sewing at any desired point.
I prefer to provide a clutch connection between the driving gear for ny former
wheel and the shaft on which it is mounted so that the said gear may be connected
with or disconnected from its shaft at the pleasure of the operator and thus the feeding
movement of the former wheel may be suspended, when desired, without stopping the
machine or so that the said former wheel may be turned forward and backward, if
necessary, independently of its driving mechanism.
In the machine to which I have shown my former wheel applied, and which has a
laterally moving needle-bar and needle for forming " zig-zag" or overedge stitches,
the driving shaft is arranged vertically in the rear portion of the bracket arm B and
is provided with the worm c meshing with a worm wheel F on a shaft H¹ having a
small bevel gear wheel 30 meshing with a larger bevel gear wheel 31 on a vertical
shaft 32 journalled in bearings in a hanger 33 and provided at its lower end with a
worm 34 meshing with a worm wheel 35 on a shaft 36 journalled in a hanger 37
beneath the base A of the machine.
The gear wheel 30 on the shaft H' is a change gear wheel, that is to say inter-
changeable gear wheels 30 having varying numbers of teeth are provided, so that
speed of the feed of the former wheel may be varied if desired.
the
38 is the former wheel rotating on a shaft or stud supported by the hanger 37,
said wheel having a portion of its periphery roughened or serrated to have a proper
frictional hold on the goods which it is to carry, and being provided on one face with
a bevel gear 39 which is engaged by the bevel gear 40 on the shaft 36. The gear 40
is preferably loose on the shaft 36 and is connected therewith by the clutch collar 41
B

page_text: splined to the said shaft and having teeth to engage similar teeth on the hub or collar
of the gear 40. A spiral spring 42' normally holds the clutch collar 41 in engage-
ment with the teeth on the collar of the gear 40, and for disengaging the clutch collar
from the toothed hub of the said gear 40 I provide a bell-crank hand-lever 43', pivoted
to the hanger 37 and forked to engage a groove in the said clutch collar 41. By
operating the lever to separate the two parts of the clutch the former will be free to
be moved backwards or forwards to start the sewing at any desired point of the fabrics
carried thereby, or the feeding movement of the said wheel may thus be suspended
without stopping the machine.
The mechanism just described will impart a slow but continuous feeding movement
to the former wheel, such movement being suitable in sewing knit goods which are
sufficiently elastic so that they will yield slightly when the needle is in the work and
therefore not bend or break it, but for sewing non-clastic goods an intermittent feed
operated by any well known pawl and ratchet wheel or other suitable mechanism, may
be employed.
To hold the goods to the former wheel I provide clamping arms 42 the under
surfaces of the forward ends of which are preferably roughened to enable them to take
a secure hold on the goods. These clamping arms are pivoted to carrying arms 43
having collars or sleeves 44 surrounding a sleeve or shaft 45 having a flange 46 by
which it is screwed to the former wheel 38 so that it will rotate therewith. Plate
springs 47 bearing against the squared outer ends of the clamping arms 42 serve to
hold the forward ends of the said arms in contact with the former wheel when they
are against the latter as shown in full lines, Fig. 29, or to hold the said arms away
from the said wheel, as indicated by dotted lines in the said Figure, when removed
therefrom to enable the operator to arrange the goods properly. The collars 44 of the
carrying arms 43 are sufficiently loose on the shaft or sleeve 45 to enable the said
arms 43 and the clamping arms 42 which they carry to be moved into any desired
position relative to the former wheel; but when the forward ends of the said clamping
arms are in contact with the said wheel the springs 47 will hold them against the
wheel or against the goods laid thereon tightly enough to enable them to clamp the
goods to the said wheel and to move forward with the said wheel as the latter revolves.
When it is desired to stretch or "form " new sections of fabric on the former wheel a
clamping arm which may have been moved up nearly to or past the needle is released
from the said wheel and moved backward or towards the operator in proper position
to engage the new sections of fabric, the looseness of the collars 44 on the sleeve or
shaft 45 permitting this movement of the clamping devices independently of the
former wheel; the said clamps being also movable or adjustable independently of each
other. In the drawings I have shown two of my clamps or clamping arms, but it will
be understood that any desired number thereof may be employed.
With the employment of my former wheel (to which the goods which have been
properly matched and evened by the operator may be held, either by the pressure of
the hand of the operator or by the clamping arms 42), very accurate work is possible
without other apparatus; but I prefer to employ in connection with the former wheel
an evener 48. This evener is, in construction and operation, substantially the same as
the eveners hereinbefore described excepting that the divider, 13, is attached to a
button or short shaft 49 having a handle 50 by which the divider may be swung out
to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 26 when sections of goods which have
been partly joined (as at the toes of stockings) are to be introduced into the evener;
the divider, if left in its normal or operative position, interfering with the introduction
of the work. As soon as the sewing is started the removable or pivoted divider is
swung back into place.
In the modification of my invention shown in Fig. 30 the former wheel 38 is
rotated by the feed-wheel L which is in contact therewith or with the work stretched
on the former wheel, the said feed wheel being operated from the feed shaft H through
the vertical shaft I, and short horizontal shaft K and the gears connecting the said
shafts.
In the operation of my invention the two sections of the goods to be united are

page_text: placed one on top of the other on the former wheel with the edges to be sewed
extending a suitable distance beyond the edges of the former wheel to bring them out
a little distance beyond the line of the needle. When the evener is used the edges of
the goods may extend some little distance beyond the intended line of sewing as the
inclined guide of the evener will deflect them into the proper line. Short sections of
the goods being properly matched and stretched the clamps are lowered on to the
goods to hold them on the former wheel, and the machine is then started. While the
prepared lengths or sections are being sewed other longths or sections may be made
ready and pressed against the former wheel by the operator or clampod thereon, the
goods being so stretched as to match the stripes or figures and bring the ends of the
sections even with cach other; the rear or last ends being held by the last clamp
under which may also be placed the forward ends of the next section or piece of work
so that one section or piece of work can follow another, and thus the sewing go on
continuously.
It will be observed by reference to Fig. 29 of the drawings that the former wheel 38
is so hung that its inner edge is adjacent to the needle and that as the said wheel is
bung on an axis which is truly horizontal, or nearly so, every part of the said edge
will be, equidistant from the needle as the wheel revolves. Hence the rim of the
former wheel serves as a perfect guiding edge and the edges of the fabrics "formed"
thereon are accurately and automatically guided or carried to the sowing mechanism
when the goods are held to the said wheel. From this it results that when a section
or length of work has been prepared by the operator and clamped to the wheel the
operator will be free to be getting another section or length of work in readiness so
that no interruption in the operation of the machine need occur.
Instead of using the long take-up lever shown in Figs. 1, 18 and 27 I preferably
employ a take-up mechanism shown in Figs. 31 and 32 and comprising two take-up
levers 51 attached by pivot screws 52 to a plate 53 secured to the forward end of the
arm B.
The shorter arms of these lovers are preferably at an obtuse angle to the longer
arms thereof and are extended towards each other, as shown, so that they may be con-
veniently connected by a short link 54 to which latter is pivotally attached the
forward end of a connecting rod or pitman 55 the rear end of which is pivotally
secured to a rocker 56 pivoted on center screws tapped in cars 57 of a bracket 58
attached to the arm B, said rocker having a pin or roller stud 59 entering the cam
groove 60 of a cam disk 61 attached to the driving shaft C.
The needle thread from the spool N passes through a pull-off or thread feeding
device Z, to be described presently, and thence downward through the eye of the
thread guide to the eye in the end of the lower take-up lever, thence upward to the
eye of the upper take-up lever and thence downward to the needle. The thread is
thus twice doubled on itself so that there are three lengths of the same between the
longer arms of these levers; and as the said levers are vibrated from the operating
cam through the connections above described they will, in the take-up movement,
draw apart from each other, cach taking up a portion of the slack thread. It is
obvious that the take-up levers will be moved positively in both directions by the
grooved cam.
By thus providing two oppositely operating take-up levers, each of which takes up
a portion of the slack to tighten the stitches, the thread loops can be properly taken
up without so much friction on the thread as would occur with a single lever to take
up the entire loop, and the take-up levers can be made comparatively small and
light.
In the thread feeding or measuring pull-off devices heretofore generally in use and
in which the thread was clamped by an intermittent tension arranged to act on the
thread between the pull-off and the needle, when the pull-off was operating, certain
objections have arisen by reason of the fact that the clamping or intermittent tension
was placed so far from the pull-off that the elasticity of the long stretch, of thread
between the pull-off and the clamping tension (particularly when sewing with silk

page_text: thread) was so great that the action of the pull-off was rendered uncertain and the
thread could not therefore be fed to the needle with the accuracy desired.
Moreover the measuring pull-off and thread controlling devices heretofore devised
were not adapted for use with sewing machines employing take-ups for the reason
that they did not include intermittent clamping devices arranged to act on the thread
between the pull-offs and thread-spools, (and operated to clamp the thread positively
when the take-ups were acting) in addition to the intermittent clamping devices
between the pull-offs and needles.
These defects are remedied by my improved pull-off or thread feeding device Z
which I prefer to use instead of the pull-offs herein before described, although it will
be understood that my invention includes all of the pull-offs which I have shown in
the drawings hereunto appended. My latest improved pull-off or thread feed, which
is shown in operative position in Fig. 31 and illustrated in detail in Figs. 33 to 39,
includes two intermittingly operating thread clamps alternately actuated so that the
thread is always held between one or the other. One of the said clamps prevents
strain on the thread running from the pull-off to the take-up and needle, when the
pull-off is operating, and the other prevents the thread from being drawn from the
spool or other source of supply when the take-up is tightening the stitch. These
intermittent thread clamps are preferably both placed adjacent to each other and to
the pull-off so that they can be operated by a single moving part and so that there
will not be any considerable length of thread between the measuring pull-off and the
clamp which holds the thread when said pull-off is operating. My measuring pull-off,
in connection with the intermittent thread clamps, thus constitutes a reliable and
accurate thread feed capable of adjustment to such a nicety that the exact quantity of
thread desired can always be uniformly supplied to the needle.
In carrying this part of my invention into effect I prefer to mount the pull-off, the
co-operating thread clamps and the operating device or lever on a base plate or
support which may be attached to the arm or any other suitable portion of the
machine, the operating lever being arranged to be actuated by the needle lever or
other moving part of the machine.
The thread-feed base-plate 61, having the upwardly-projecting lugs 80 and 81 is
attached to the top of the arm B. 62 is an operating lever pivoted at its rear end to
the base plate 61 and having side projections or wings 63 provided with bevelled
edges. The said lever is also provided at its free end with a slot 65 for the reception
of an operating pin 66 carried by the secondary needle-operating lever d³. 67 is the
lower clamping plate, of thin spring metal, and 68 is the upper or rigid clamping
plate. The arms 69 and 70 of the plate 67 are bent slightly so that they normally
spring away from the arms 71 and 72 of the plate 68, these clamping arms being
forced together by the wings 63 of the lever 62, the bevelled edges of the said wings
sliding under the said arms 69 and 70 and forcing them in clamping contact with the
arms of the plate 68 as the said lever is vibrated back and forth; these parts being so
arranged that the clamp composed of the arms 69 and 71 will be closed just as the
clamp composed of the arms 70 and 72 is opened, and thus the thread passing between
these clamping arms will be always positively clamped by one clamp or the other.
The plate 67 is raised above the base-plate 61 a distance equal to or slightly greater
thun the thickness of the lever 62 by the plate 64; and both of these plates may be
riveted or otherwise permanently secured to the said base plate. The arms of the
plates 67 and 68 are provided with thread escape notches 73 and the latter plate is
pivotally attached to the base plate 61 by a screw 74 beneath the head of which is a
spring washer 75 which, while reliably holding the said plate 68 in operative position,
permits it to be swung aside, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 34, to bring the
escape notches of the said plates opposite each other and thereby permit the thread to
be drawn freely through the clamps, when desired. The plate 68 is provided with a
pin 76 by which it may thus be conveniently swung aside or returned to its operative
position.
The lever 62 is provided with a pull-off pin 77 operating in connection with a loop

page_text: or arch 78 of an adjustable resistance plate 79 secured by a screw to the lug 80 of the
base plate, the said loop or arch being of proper height to permit the said pin to pass
under it and draw a bight of thread passing around one of the uprights of the arch
through the latter, as shown in Fig. 34. The free end of the plate 79 may be adjusted
to any desired position by the regulating screw 82 passing through the lug 81 of the
base plate and furnished with a set nut by which it may be secured in place after
adjustment. As the lever 62 has a uniform movement it will be apparent that when
the plate 79 is adjusted towards the lug 81 a shorter bight of thread will be drawn
through the arch 78 by the pin 77; but when the said plate is adjusted away from
the said lug a longer bight of thread will be drawn through the said arch from the.
thread spool. The said plate 79, which is of spring metal, is bent slightly so that it
remains in contact with the regulating screw 82 whatever its position of adjustment.
The plate 61 is preferably provided with guard pins 83 to prevent the thread from
escaping from between the clamping arms.
For convenience of description the clamp consisting of the arms 69 and 71 of the
plates 68 and 67 may be termed the pull-off clamp, as it holds the thread from being
drawn backwards from the take-up and needle while the pull-off is operating; and
the clamp consisting of the arms 70 and 72 of the said plates may be termed the
take-up clamp, as it holds the thread from being drawn from the spool when the take-
up is tightening the stitches.
When, in the operation of the machine, the lever 62 is moved towards the left
(Fig. 34) the thread will be firmly held between the clamping arms 69 and 71 and
the pull-off pin 77, passing under the arch 78 of the resistance plate 79, will then
draw the required quantity of thread from the spool for the stitch which is to be made.
As the said lever swings to the right the take-up clamp, consisting of the arms 70
and 72, is at the same instant closed, leaving the loop just drawn from the spool free
to be fed to the needle, the said take-up clamp holding the thread firmly while the
stitch is being tightened.
The above described intermittingly operating or automatic take-up and pull-off
thread clamps are not tension devices in the sense that they exert an appreciable
tension or drag on the thread excepting when they clamp or hold the same positively,
or when they are in clamping operation, the said clamps opening, when permitted to
do so by the removal of the wings of the lever 62, to allow the thread to pass freely.
But as the thread is always held positively by one or the other of the clamps it will be
readily understood that no tension on the thread other than this positive holding will
be necessary.
My improved thread feeding mechanism is specially designed for use in sewing.
elastic seams of lock-stitches in knit goods and other similar elastic fabrics and
practical use of the same has demonstrated that by its assistance the elasticity of the
seams may be regulated with the greatest exactness, producing results heretofore
unattainable with lock-stitch machines.
The needle-bar operating pitman d is preferably made adjustable as to its working
length by constructing it as shown in Figs. 40, 41, 42 and 43.
The body of the pitman is provided with a longitudinal groove or recess to receive
two adjustable bars 83' having at their outer ends concave portions or yokes 84
extending into the openings 85 of the said body, said openings receiving the parts to
be connected. The seats at the outer portions of the openings 85 will of course, be
hollowed out, as shown in Figs. 41 and 42, if the pitman be designed to receive
rounded or ball shaped parts such as are shown in Fig. 41, and the concave portions
or yokes 84 of the bars 83 will, in such instance, be of corresponding form; but
where the bearings or parts to be connected are cylindrical the seats in the pitman
and bars will be straight, as shown in Fig. 43.
The bars 83 are preferably adjusted simultaneously by a screw 86 having a conical
head or portion bearing against the inner ends of the said bars, said ends being shaped
to conform to the shape of the head of the screw, the stem of the latter being tapped
in the body of the pitman. By turning the screw in it will be obvious that the
bars 83 will be forced outward by the conical head or portion of the screw, and

page_text: '
when the proper adjustment of the latter is secured it is held in place by a set
nut 87.
Instead of simultaneously adjusting the bars 83 by a single screw, two conical
headed screws, one for each bar, may be employed, if desired, as shown in Fig. 42;
thus rendering the bars adjustable independently of each other. In cases where the
wear of the two crank pins or other parts to be connected by the pitman is likely to
be unequal this independent adjustment of the bars 83 may be preferable. The bars 83,
particularly near their outer ends, fit somewhat loosely in the recess of the body of
the pitman so that the scats or yokes 84 can readily adjust themselves to the parts
against which they bear.
The modification shown by Figs. 44 and 45 represents a short pitman or link which
may be used to connect the needle-operating levers with each other; to connect the
secondary needle operating lever with the needle bar; to connect the looper operating
shaft with the driving shaft, or for other purposes. In this form of my invention the
bars 83 are merely short blocks having concave seats 84 at their outer ends to embrace
globular or otherwise shaped parts to be connected. These blocks or short bars are
received in a recess in the body of the link and are adjusted by the conical headed
screw 86 as in the other forms of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
--
1. In a sewing machine, the combination with a feeding mechanism, of a vertically
and horizontally reciprocating needle-bar, the horizontal movements of the said bar
being in a line parallel with the line of movement of the work, or approximately so,
and timed to occur when the needle is out of the latter.
2. The combination with the horizontal feed shaft H, having a gear wheel at its
forward end, the vertically movable bearing for the said shaft, and a lifting device
for said bearing, of the feeding wheel and intermediate connecting mechanism between
said shaft and wheel, whereby when the said bearing is lifted the said gear wheel will
be disconnected from the said intermediate connecting mechanism.
3. The combination with the feed hanger, the feeding wheel and the shaft K, of the
· supporting bracket M for the said wheel pivoted upon the said shaft.
4. The combination with the feed hanger or bracket J, of the feed wheel, the
supporting bracket M pivotally connected with the said feed hanger and provided
with a projection or lug, as m², and a spring pressing against said projection or lug
and thus adapted to hold the said feed wheel in or out of working position.
5. The combination with the feed wheel, of the pivoted supporting bracket M,
carrying the said wheel and having the handle m³, and the spring for holding the said
feed wheel in or out of working position.
6. The combination with a sewing machine feeding wheel, of a throat-plate or
work-plate having a concave portion curved to correspond to the periphery of the said
wheel, or approximately so, to enable the said wheel to take a strong hold on the work.
7. In a sewing machine, the combination with a continuously moving feed device,
of a movable needle bar frame constructed to permit the needle-bar to be moved
forward with the work when the needle is in the latter, a light retracting spring for
said frame, and a stop to limit the backward movement of said frame under the action
of said spring.
8. In a sewing machine, the combination with a tension device, a single adjustable
thread-eye and a rigid part by which the said eye is carried, of a moving pull-off
arranged to act on the thread between the said device and eye.
9. The combination with the needle-bar operating lever d, of the pull-off V attached
to said lever, the tension device, O, the thread-eye p and the adjustable lever P by
which said thread-eye is carried.
10. The combination with the bracket arm B of the rotating cam c, at the rear end
of said arm, and the take-up lever T extending from said cam to the forward end of
the machine.

page_text: 11. The combination with the needle-bar, looper-rod, looper and shuttle and means
for operating said needle-bar and looper-rod, of a cam-operated take-up.
12. The combination with the needle-bar and its operating mechanism, of a stationary
shuttle, a pivoted looper-rod having a curved guide near its center, and mechanism for
operating said looper rod.
13. The combination with the work-plate, of the horizontally swinging shuttle-
holder pivoted to said work-plate and the stationary shuttle supported by said
holder.
14. The combination with the stationary shuttle and pivoted shuttle holder, of a
looper adapted to travel around said shuttle, a looper-rod by which said looper is
carried, and mechanism for operating said looper-rod.
15. The combination with a shuttle shell having an open top, of a bobbin within
said shuttle shell and an adjustable tension spring adapted to retain the said bobbin in
said shuttle shell.
16. The combination with the shuttle shell or body having the pin, of the split
sleeve, tightly fitting said pin, and the tension spring a¹ attached to said sleeve.
17. In a sewing machine, the combination with a laterally moving needle-bar, its
needle, and a take-up, of a movable thread guide serving to enable the take-up to
exert an additional strain on the needle thread when the needle is making the alternate
or puncturing stitches.
18. The combination with the swinging needle-bar frame E having the lug 11, of
the plate 10 adjustably attached to said lug and having the pin 9, the bell-crank
lever 7 pivotally attached to a lug 8 of the bracket arm B, one arm of the said bell-
crank lever being grooved or slotted for the engagement of said pin and the other
arm thereof carrying the movable thread guide 6.
19. A guiding device or evener for sewing machines consisting of a separating
plate or dividor, an inclined guide or deflector extending above and below or on both
sides of the said divider, a yielding or vertically movable presser or smoothing plate
above the said divider, and a supporting surface or plate below the divider.
20. A guiding evening device or evener for sewing machines consisting of the
yielding or vertically movable separating plato or divider 13, the inclined guide or
deflector 14, extending above and below the said divider, and the upper and lower
smoothing plates 15 and 16 bent to spring away from the said divider, combined with
a device, as stop-screw 20, for pressing the said plates together after the work has
been introduced between them.
21. In a sewing machine, the combination with a laterally moving needle-bar and
needle, of a thread holding finger arranged across the horizontal path of the said
needle so that the latter will descend alternately on opposite sides of the said
finger.
22. An evening device having a pivoted or swinging separating plate or divider
arranged between the upper and lower smoothing plates of the evener.
23. An improved manufacture or garment consisting of sections of knit fabric
joined together by lock-stitch seams of back stitches formed substantially as shown in
Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings.
24. A sewing machine provided with a laterally moving needle-bar and needle and
a former wheel extending beyond or forward of the frame or body of the machine
and thereby affording a large circumferential surface which is conveniently accessible
to the operator.
25. In a sewing machine, the combination with a laterally moving needle-bar and
needle and a former wheel to receive and carry the work to be sewed, of one or
more clamps, movable with the said wheel, for holding the work thereon, said clamps
being movable or adjustable independently of the said wheel and of each other.
26. In a sewing machine, the combination with a former wheel extending beyond
or forward of the frame or body of the said machine, and thereby affording a large
circumferential surface which is conveniently accessible to the operator, of an evening
device or evener for bringing the edges of the goods to be sewed into exact register
with each other.

page_text: 27. In a sewing machine, the combination with a laterally moving needle-bar and
needle and a former wheel to receive and carry the work, of an operating mechanism
for said wheel and a disengaging apparatus to enable the said wheel to be disconnected
from its operating mechanisin so that it will be free to be turned forward or
backward.
28. In a sewing machine, the combination with a laterally moving needle-bar and
needle, of a former wheel, the guiding or inner end of which is adjacent to the needle,
the said wheel being hung on an axis which is horizontal, or approximately so, so
that every part of the said edge will pass equidistant from the said needle as the said
wheel rotates.
29. In a sewing machine, the combination with the former wheel 38 provided with
the gear 39 and a bracket or hanger for supporting said wheel, of the shaft 36, the
driving gear wheel 40 loose on said shaft and having a hub provided with clutch
teeth, the grooved clutch collar 41 splined to the said shaft and also provided with
clutch teeth, the spring 42' for forcing the clutch collar into contact with the hub of
the gear wheel, and the band-lever for disengaging the said collar from the said hub
when desired.
30. The combination with the sewing machine driving shaft provided with the
worm of the worm wheel F, the shaft H³, gears 30 and 31, shaft 32, worm 34,
shaft 36 having worm-wheel 35 and gear 40, and the former wheel 38 having
gear 39.
31. The combination with the former wheel 38 and its operating mechanism, of the
sleeve or shaft 45, the carrying arms 43 having sleeves or collars loose on the said
sleeve or shaft, the clamping arms 42 pivoted to the said carrying arms, an
springs 47 for holding the said clamping arms in or out of working position.
32. In a sewing machine take-up mechanism, the combination with two take-up
levers the shorter arms of which are extended towards each other, of a link connecting
the said arms, and mechanism for operating the said levers to cause the longer arms
thereof to separate or move oppositely when a stitch is to be tightened.
33. In a sewing machine, the combination with the arm and driving shaft, of a
plate supported by the said arm, two take-up levers pivoted to said plate, a link
connecting the shorter arms of the said levers, a cam on the said driving shaft, a
rocker, and a pitman connecting the said rocker with the said link, to operate substan-
tially as set forth.
34. In a sewing machine take-up mechanism, the combination with two take-up
arms or levers, of a grooved or double acting cam for operating said levers positively
in both directions, and connections between the said cam and levers.
35. In a sewing machine, the combination with a pull-off, of two automatic or
intermittingly operating thread clamps arranged on opposite sides of the said
pull-off.
36. In a sewing machine, the combination with a pull-off of two automatic and
alternately operating thread clamps one of which opens to release the thread as the
other is closed to clamp it.
37. In a sewing machine, the combination with two adjacently arranged thread
clamps, of a single lever or device for operating both of them..
38. In a sewing machine, the combination with a pull-off, of an intermittent tension
or thread-clamping device placed closely adjacent to the said pull-off and arranged
to clamp the thread between the pull-off and the needle, whereby only a short portion
of the thread will extend between the pull-off and clamp, and unreliable action due
to stretching the thread will be avoided.
39. In a sewing machine, the combination with two intermittingly-operated and
adjacently-arranged thread clamps, of a pull-off between the said clamps and in
close proximity to both of them.
40. In a sewing machine, the combination with a pull-off of two thread clamps
which open for the free passage of the thread without tension when the said clamps
are in unclamped position.
41. The combination with a sewing machine thread feeding device comprising a

page_text: pull-off and two alternately operating thread clamps, of a single base plate or support
on which the said parts are all mounted; whereby the said thread feeding device may
be attached to any suitable part of a sewing machine.
42. The combination with the upper and lower clamping plates each having two
clamping arms provided with thread escape notches, of a base plate or support to
which one of the said clamping plates is fixed and with which the other is pivotally
connected so that it may be swung aside for a free passage of the thread through
both clamps.
43. The combination with the base plate and the upper and lower clamping plates
cach having two clamping arms, of an operating lever arranged between the two sets
of arms and provided on its opposite sides with wings or projections for alternately
closing the two clamps consisting of the said clamping arms.
44. A sewing machine pull-off consisting of the combination with an adjustable
resistance plate having a thread loop or arch, of a swinging lever having a pull-off
pin to travel through the said loop or arch.
45. The combination with a pull-off device consisting of a stationary plate or part
and a movable part or pin, and means for operating the latter, of two alternately
operating thread clamps, one on each side of the said pull-off device.
46. In a sewing machine, the combination with a take-up and a pull-off, of an
intermittingly operating thread clamping device or take-up clamp arranged to act on
the thread between the said pull-off and the spool or other source of supply of the
thread, and a second intermittingly operating thread clamping device or pull-off clamp
arranged to act on the thread between the said pull-off and the said take-up.
47. The combination with the base plate 61, of the plates 67 and 68 each having
two clamping arms, the operating lever 62 having a pull-off pin 77 and two wings
provided with bevelled edges, and the adjustable resistance-plate 79 having the arch
or loop 78 under which the said pull-off pin travels.
48. In a sewing machine, the combination with a link or pitman having a groove or
recess, of two adjustable blocks or bars arranged in said recess and provided at their
outer ends with concave seats or yokes to engage the parts to be connected.
49. In a sewing machine, the combination with a pitman or connecting rod pro-
vided with a recess or longitudinal groove on one side and with openings to receive
the parts to be connected, of two bars longitudinally adjustable in said groove and
provided at their outer ends with yokes extending into said openings.
50. In a sewing machine the combination with the pitman or connecting rod having
a longitudinal groove and provided with openings near its ends, of two bars arranged
in said groove and provided at their outer ends with yokes extending into said openings,
and a single conical screw to simultaneously adjust the said bars.
Dated this 24th day of February 1000.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
DAY, DAVIES & HUNT,
321, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.