IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Frederick Thomas, of St. Martin's le Grand,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 21st December 1856, and dated the 14th September 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Frederick Thomas
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th September 1855.
I, WILLIAM FREDERICK THOMAS, of St. Martin's le Grand, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object several improvements in sewing machines.
The first improvement is for stopping the movement of the work or fabric
when the needle thread is broken, and also when the second thread is not
correctly passed through the loop of the needle thread. For this purpose a
bent wire and instrument are applied in such manner, that when the needle
thread is properly drawn off its bobbin, the working of the machine goes on and
moves the fabric or work after each stitch; but when the thread is broken,
or the second thread or instrument used to hold the loop on the other side of
the fabric has not been passed correctly through the loop, then the wire and
instrument move, and the apparatus for moving the fabric is no longer acted

page_text: on; but if at the next action of the needle the second thread or instrument
is correctly passed through the loop, the work goes on; the object of the
improvement being not to stop the machine, but only that part of it which
moves the fabric or work after each passage of the needle through it.
The second improvement consists of arranging sewing machines in such
manner that the direction of the movement of the work or fabric may be
changed by simply changing the foot or instrument, or by stopping the action
of one of the instruments, by which the work or fabric is moved when the
action of the machine is caused to be at right angles to the previous action,
in consequence of the movement of the instrument acting on the fabric or
work being in a different direction to the previous one.
The third improvement consists of arranging or combining the parts of a
sewing machine in such manner that the fabric or work (or it might be the
needle), in place of being moved continuously in one line, so that the stitches
follow each other at a distance apart, the fabric is by the machine moved
back a distance and then forward, so as to obtain a description of back stitch.
The fourth improvement consists of arranging or combining the parts of
a sewing machine in such manner that the fabric or work, in place of being
moved constantly in one direction, so as to produce the stitches in a line one
after the other, the work or fabric is moved constantly in one direction after
each passage of the needle; but such motion is accompanied with a sideway
motion, first in one direction and then in the other, by which the stitches
follow each other in inclined directions, and make a zig-zag line of work.
The fifth improvement consists of making each stitch of sewing machines a
fast stitch, by causing the needle thread to be bent into a loop before it passes
through the fabric or work, then to pass the point of the needle through such
loop in order to form a loop through the fabric with its thread for the passage
of the back or second thread; or the fastening may be by the second or back
thread being formed into a loop, and passing the needle thread through such
loop, and the second or back thread through the loop of the needle thread.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Frederick Thomas in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FREDERICK THOMAS, of St. Martin's le Grand, in the City of London, send 8
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Frederick Thomas, Her special licence that I, the said William
Frederick Thomas, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Frederick Thomas, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Frederick Thomas, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Frederick Thomas, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object several improvements in sewing machines.
The first improvement is for stopping the movement of the work or fabric
when the needle thread is broken, and also when the second thread is not
correctly passed through the loop of the needle thread. For this purpose, a
bent wire and instrument are applied in such manner, that when the needle
thread is properly drawn off its bobbin, the working of the machine goes on
and moves the fabric or work after each stitch; but when the thread is
broken, or the second thread or instrument used to hold the loop on the other
side of the fabric has not been passed correctly through the loop, then the wire
and instrument move, and the apparatus for moving the fabric is no longer
acted on; but if at the next action of the needle the second thread or
instrument is correctly passed through the loop, the work goes on; the object
of the improvement being not to stop the machine, but only that part of it
which moves the fabric or work after each passage of the needle through it.
The second improvement consists of arranging sewing machines in such
manner that the direction of the movement of the work or fabric may be
changed by simply changing the foot or instrument, or by stopping the action

page_text: of one of the instruments, by which the work or fabric is moved when the
action of the machine is caused to be at right angles to the previous action, in
consequence of the movement of the instrument acting on the fabric or work
being in a different direction to the previous one.
The third improvement consists of arranging or combining the parts of a
sewing machine in such manner that the fabric or work (or it might be the
needle), in place of being moved continuously in one line, so that the stitches
follow each other at a distance apart, the fabric is by the machine moved back
a distance and then forward, so as to obtain a description of back stitch.
The fourth improvement consists of arranging or combining the parts of a
sewing machine in such manner that the fabric or work, in place of being
moved constantly in one direction, so as to produce the stitches in a line one
after the other, the work or fabric is moved constantly in one direction after
each passage of the needle; but such motion is accompanied with a sideway
motion, first in one direction and then in the other, by which the stitches follow
each other in inclined directions, and make a zig-zag line of work.
The fifth improvement consists of making each stitch of sewing machines a
fast stitch, by causing the needle thread to be bent into a loop before it
passes
through the fabric or work, then to pass the point of the needle through such
loop in order to form a loop through the fabric with its thread for the passage
of the back or second thread; or the fastening may be by the second or
back thread being formed into a loop, and passing the needle thread through
such loop, and the second or back thread through the loop of the needle
thread.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and the means whereby
the same is performed, I will now proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and refer to the figures and letters marked thereon. In all the
Figures the same parts are indicated by like letters.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 represent respectively a side view and an end view of so much
of a sewing machine, having the first part of my Invention applied, as will serve
to illustrate the manner of working. A is the foot or instrument which gives the
necessary movement to the work, having a projection A', which carries a small
lever B, constantly pressed upwards by means of a spring A, attached to the foot
A; C' is an arm or lever, extending downwards from the rocking shaft C, which
receives motion by means of an incline acting upon an adjustable screw, carried
by another arm or lever attached at its other end. The lever B has another
lever D formed or affixed thereon, which extends upwards, and passes through

page_text: and works in an opening formed for it in the framing of the machine. E is a
lever, working on a centre E', carried by the framing. There is an eye or
opening formed in the lever E, through which the thread from the bobbin to
the needle is passed, the object of which will be presently seen. When the
shuttle passes through the loop formed by the needle thread, the tension of the
thread thereby occasioned draws down the lever E, which, acting on the arm
D of the lever B, overcomes the resistance of the spring A2, and causes the
end of that lever to be acted on by the arm or lever C¹, and gives a slight
amount of motion to the foot A, which carries forward the work. Now, should
the shuttle or other instrument fail in passing correctly through the loop of the
needle thread, or the thread be broken, the levers B and D will not be brought
down, but remain sustained by the spring A², and the movement of the arm C¹
will not influence the foot A; consequently the work remains stationary until
the thread is supplied, or the shuttle or other instrument does pass correctly
through the loop, the needle during such time of the stopping of the fabric
entering the same hole in the work.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 represent respectively two side views and an end view
of a sewing machine having the second part of my Invention applied. By
this arrangement I am enabled to cause the work to travel either in the direc-
tion of the length of the machine or at right angles thereto by substituting a
foot H in lieu of the ordinary foot A. The foot H works on a centre pin carried
by the framing, and receives motion from the cam or tappet K, formed on the
periphery of the cam wheel Z. The cam or tappet K, by acting on the adjust-
able screw J, raises the lever H³ of the foot H, and thus gives motion to
the work. The screw J is kept in contact with the tappet K. by means of a
spring L, carried by the framing at II. It may be remarked, that in place
of changing the foot, one foot might be arranged to turn into the different
positions, so that the movement of the fabric might be changed from time
to time.
Figure 5 shows the third part of my Invention, which consists of so
arranging the machine, that the work, instead of being moved constantly in
one direction, may be moved backwards after each stitch, in such manner as to
form a kind of back stitch, by means of which I am enabled to gain advan-
tages, particularly when sewing elastic fabrics.
axis is provided with a toothed pinion M, which
toothed pinion N on the cam shaft or axis O.
motion from the incline P, which is so formed as to cause the foot A to move
the work forward to form a long stitch, and then to move it backwards half
such a distance to form a stitch half its length.
For this purpose, the driving
takes into and drives another
The rocking shaft C creceives

page_text: Although the Drawing represents the cam shaft O as making but one revo-
lution to two of the driving shaft, this may be varied, according to the work
required to be performed, by changing the relative diameters of the pinions
M and N.
Figures 6 and 7 represent parts of a machine having the fourth part of my
Invention applied. This machine is arranged to form zig-zag work or stitches,
first in one direction and then in another direction continually. For this
purpose, the two feet A and H are both worked in the machine at one time,
the foot A being moved first by means of the incline P. The foot H next
moves the work in the other direction, by means of the cam R acting on the
screw J, carried by the lever of the foot H. The other parts of the machine
being of the ordinary kind need not be here described. By these means
the work is continually moved forward, and at the same time the work is also
moved first to one side then to the other side of a straight line, by which the
stitches are made zig-zag; and it is evident, that by altering the form of the
incline P and the cam R, the nature of the zig-zag stitch may be modified, so
as to produce an ornamental pattern.
In carrying out the fifth part of my Invention, it is preferred to make the
loop in the second or shuttle thread, though it may be similarly done in respect
to the needle thread. A small hook which moves on a horizontal axis is
employed below the table of the machine just before the needle descends;
the hook in its partial rotation takes the second or shuttle thread just below
the work, and coils it once round into a loop on the hook; the needle then
descends, guided by the hook, through the loop thus formed; the hook retires
from the loop, leaving it on the needle; the shuttle or second thread at the
back of the work passes as heretofore between the needle, and the thread
brought through the fabric and through the loop; the needle goes back
through the loop before mentioned and through the fabric.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the precise
details herein described; but what I claim is,-
First, the combining and applying apparatus to sewing machines for stop-
ping the movement of the work when thread is not supplied to the needle ;
also when the second or shuttle thread is not correctly passed through the loop
of the needle thread; and also, if no second thread be used, but an instru-
ment is employed to take the loop, but fails to do so, similar apparatus may be
used to stop the machine.
Secondly, I claim the combination or arrangement of apparatus in sewing

page_text: machines for varying from time to time the direction of movement of the work,
as herein explained.
Thirdly, I claim the arranging the working of sewing machines in such
manner that a kind of back stitch may be produced, as herein described, by a
retrograde action, as explained.
Fourthly, I claim the arranging the working parts of a sewing machine
that there may be zig-zag stitching or sewing produced by the compound
movement of the work after cach stitch, as herein described.
And, fifthly, I claim the making a loop in the sewing thread or second
thread for the passage of the needle, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Frederick Thomas, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
FREDK HARRIS.
W. F. THOMAS. (L.S.)