and Form a Welt or Hem.
Year: 1885

page_text: and Form a Welt or Hem.
I EDWARD JOHN VAVASOUR EARLE of 119 Cheapside in the City of London
Agent do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE
SEWING MACHINES AND MECHANISM USED THEREWITH TO SEW AND TRIM
EDGES OF KNIT AND OTHER FABRICS AND FORM A WELT OR HEM" (a commu-
nication to me from abroad by Rudolf Hochstrasser of Switzerland Mechanician)
to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object
mechanism. used therewith to sew and
and form a welt or hem.
improvements in sewing machines and
trim the edges of knit and other fabrics
In order to turn over the edges of a knit or other fabric to form a welt or hem
I use a guide composed of a plate of metal bent into a U form-this is carried
flatwise above the surface of the bed or table of the machine at right angles to the
line of feed-the ends of the plate being made to come on a line which is parallel
with the line of feed and which passes through the needle. The bend in the plate
is towards the front of the bed or table The part of the plate which is uppermost
has an arm attached to.it near to the bend which arm is arched upwards and passes
to the back of the bed or table. Here the arm is carried by a horizontal hinge
joint which can itself swivel around a vertical joint carried by the bed or table so
that the guide may be turned upwards or to one side for convenience of adjusting
the fabric to it or to allow of its being readily moved well out of the way when it
is not required to be in use. The hem which is to be formed is as has heretofore
been proposed made by doubling over the edge of the fabric and then again
doubling over the edge of the fabric so that it overlies the bend made in it and by
then' stitching through this overlying edge and through the bend.
Part of the end of the lower portion of the bent plate passes under the leading
end of the presser foot and comes within a short distance of the needle.
A small

page_text: tongue is also made to project from the end of the plate towards and beyond the
needle the edge of the tongue forming a continuation of the edge at the end of the
plate. In it a small semicircular recess is made where the needle descends so that
the needle may descend without obstruction. The fabric is placed between the bed
or table of the machine and the lower plate-the edge of the fabric is then doubled
over the end of the lower plate and over the tongue which extends from it-the
edge is then again doubled over and made to project out a short distance from
between the ends of the top and bottom plates. As the fabric is moved along by
the feed of the machine the first bend in the fabric slides along the straight edge at
the end of the bottom plate and along the tongue-the bend in the fabric is
therefore presented without fail below the needle so that the needle shall stitch
through it as the bend is held close up to the edge of the tongue and the needle
descends through the small semi-circular recess in its edge as above mentioned.
A row of stitching is therefore formed through and along the bend in the fabric
and through the fabric near its raw edge.
By forming the guide with a tongue projecting from it to serve as a guide for
the bend in the fabric and keep it in place until the needle has stitched through it
in the manner above described the operator has no need of previous practice to
produce a perfectly even and straight hem or welt without any part of the above
described bend in the fabric being missed by the needle in its descent whereas with
machines heretofore in use for making the same kind of hems considerable skill
and practice on the part of the operator is required to produce a perfect hem.
Immediately after the bend in the fabric has been stitched through and the
overlying raw edge of the fabric has so 'been secured to it-the raw edge of the
fabric which projects beyond the seam is trimmed off by a pair of scissor blades
mounted and operated in the following manner,
Each scissor blade is pivotted on the front end of a bar which is carried above
the bed or table of the machine and is at right angles to the line of feed-The bar
is carried in such manner that it can be moved towards or away from the needle
at each stitch so that before the feed has to take place the scissors are moved away
from the needle so that the feed may take place without obstruction.
The boss which carries each blade and which is free to turn upon the axis of the
bar has an arm extending upwards from it-the extremities of these arms are
coupled by toggle jointed links. The central pin of the toggle joint is carried by
an arm which extends from an axis which is above the bed or table and which
runs from front to back of the machine. This axis has a rocking motion given to
it by an eccentric on the driving shaft-the arm extending from it is therefore
moved alternately towards and away from the arms which extend from the bosses
that carry the scissor blades. The ends of these arms are therefore alternately
moved towards and away from one another and the scissor blades so closed and
opened.
In order to move the bar which carries the scissor blades towards and away from
the needle as above described the bar is carried by arms which turn loosely on the
axis above mentioned and a link passing from an arm which projects downwards
from the bar has a to and fro motion given to it from an eccentric on the main or
driving shaft which is below the bed or table of the machine.
One scissor blade is carried by an axis which passes lengthwise through the bar
and the other by a boss which can turn freely around the exterior of the front end
of the bar-The axis above mentioned extends beyond the bar and a coiled spring
is placed around the projecting end of the axis and made to bear at one end against
the end of the bar and at the other end against a collar on the end of the axis-
the axis is thereby pressed towards the back end of the machine and the scissor
blade which it carries is kept pressed up to and against the other scissor blade.
In order that the Scissors when not required to be in action may remain
motionless at a distance back away from the needle the eccentric on the driving

page_text: shaft which rocks the bar that carries the scissor blades and the eccentric which
rocks the upper axis to open and close the scissor blades are locked to the shaft by
a clutch so that by shifting the clutch, the eccentrics can be set loose and the
scissors remain at rest and out of the way of the work.
I have described the invention as applied to sewing machines in which the
driving shaft is below the bed or table of the machine but it is evident that a pair
of scissor blades made to open and close to cut the work and to move towards and
away from the needle to be out of the way at the time when the feed takes place
may be applied to other forms of sewing machines.

page_text: and Form a Welt or Hem.
I, EDWARD JOHN VAVASOUR EARLE of 119 Cheapside in the City of London
Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me from
abroad by Rudolf Hochstrasser of Switzerland Mechanician) and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines and
mechanism used therewith to sew and trim the edges of knit and other fabrics
and form a welt or hem.
In order to turn over the edges of a knit or other fabric to form a welt or hem
I use a guide composed of a plate of metal bent into a U form-this is carried flat-
wise above the surface of the bed or table of the machine at right angles to the
line of feed the ends of the plate being made to come on a line which is parallel
with the line of feed and which passes through the needle. The bend in the plate
is towards the front of the bed or table. The part of the plate which is uppermost
has an arm attached to it near to the bend which arm is arched upwards and
passes to the back of the bed or table. Here the arm is carried by a horizontal
hinge joint which can itself swivel around a vertical joint carried by the bed or
table so that the guide may be turned upwards or to one side for convenience of
adjusting the fabric to it or to allow of its being readily moved well out of the way
when it is not required to be in use. The hem which is to be formed is as has
heretofore been proposed made by doubling over the edge of the fabric and then
again doubling over the edge of the fabric so that it overlies the bend made in it
and by then stitching through this overlying edge and through the bend.
Part of the end of the lower portion of the bent plate passes under the leading
end of the presser foot and comes within a short distance of the needle. A small
tongue is also made to project from the end of the plate towards and beyond the
needle the edge of the tongue forming a continuation of the edge at the end of the
plate. In it a small semi-circular recess is made where the needle descends so that
the needle may descend without obstruction. The fabric is placed between the bed
or table of the machine and the lower plate-the edge of the fabric is then doubled
over the end of the lower plate and over the tongue which extends from it-the
edge is then again doubled over and made to project out a short distance from
between the ends of the top and bottom plates. As the fabric is moved along by
the feed of the machine the first bend in the fabric slides along the straight edge at
the end of the bottom plate and along the tongue-the bend in the fabric is there-
fore presented without fail below the needle so that the needle shall stitch through
it as the bend is held close up to the edge of the tongue and the needle descends
through the small semi-circular recess in its edge as above mentioned.
A row of stitching is therefore formed through and along the bend in the fabric
and through the fabric near its raw edge.

page_text: By forming the guide with a tongue projecting from it to serve as a guide for
the bend in the fabric and keep it in place until the needle has stitched through
it in the manner above described, the operator has no need of previous practice to
produce a perfectly even and, straight hem or welt without any part of the above
described bend in the fabric being missed by the needle in its descent whercas
with machines heretofore in use for making the same kind of hems considerable
skill and practice on the part of the operator is required to produce a perfect hem.
Immediately after the bend in the fabric has been stitched through and the over-
lying raw edge of the fabric has so been secured to it the raw edge of the fabric
which projects beyond the seam is trimmed off by a pair of scissor blades mounted
and operated in the following manner.
Each scissor blade is pivotted on the front end of a bar which carried above
the bed or table of the machine and is at right angles to the line of feed. The bar
is carried in such manner that it can be moved towards or away from the needle
at each stitch so that before the feed has to take place the scissors are moved away
from the needle so that the feed may take place without obstruction.
The boss which carries each blade and which is free to turn upon the axis of the
bar has an arm extending upwards from it-the extremities of these arms are
coupled by toggle jointed links. The central pin of the toggle joint is carried by
an arm which extends from an axis which is above the bed or table and which
runs from front to back of the machine. This axis has a rocking motion given to
it by an eccentric on the driving shaft-the arm extending from it is therefore
moved alternately towards and away from the arms which extend. from the bosses
that carry the scissor blades. The ends of these arms are therefore alternately
moved towards and away from one another and the scissor blades so closed and
opened.
In order to move the bar which carries the scissor blades towards and away from
the needle as above described the bar is carried by arms which turn loosely on the
axis above mentioned and a link passing from an arm which projects downwards
from the bar has a to and fro motion given to it from an eccentric on the main or
driving shaft which is below the bed or table of the machine.
One scissor blade is carried by an axis which passes lengthwise through the bar
and the other by a boss which can turn freely around the exterior of the front end
of the bar. The axis above mentioned extends beyond the bar and a coiled spring
is placed around the projecting end of the axis and made to bear at one end against
the end of the bar and at the other end against a collar on the end of the axis―
the axis is thereby pressed towards the back end of the machine and the scissor
blade which it carries is kept pressed up to and against the other scissor blade.
In order that the scissors when not required to be in action may remain motion-
less at a distance back away from the needle the eccentric on the driving shaft
which rocks the bar that carries the scissor blades and the eccentric which rocks
the upper axis to open and close the scissor blades are locked to the shaft by a
clutch so that by shifting the clutch the eccentrics can be set loose and the scissors
remain at rest and out of the way of the work.
I have described the invention as applied to sewing machines in which the
driving shaft is below the bed or table of the machine but it is evident that a pair
of scissor blades made to open and close to cut the work and to move towards and
away from the needle to be out of the way at the time when the feed takes place
may be applied to other forms of sewing machines.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn the above improvements
applied to a chain stitch sewing machine of the kind known as the Willcox and
Gibbs sewing machine but it will be understood that they are equally applicable
to other constructions of sewing machine.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Figure 2 a front elevation.
Figure 3 a horizontal section taken on the line 1. 1. Figure 1 and Figure 4 a
vertical section taken on the line 2. 2.-Figures 5 and 6 shew separate views of
the scissor mechanism. Figure 5 shows the scissors when the blades are apart.

page_text: Figure 6 shows the scissors in their position when the blades are closed just after
they have made their cut. Figure 7 is a plan of the bed or table and of the feed
plate below it and Figures 8 and 9 are plan and edge views of the guide by which
the edge of the fabric is turned over to form the welt. Figure 10 is a cross section
showing separately the way in which the fabric is folded to forin the welt or hem
along its edge. Figure 11 is a cross section of the fabric with the hem completed.
A is the driving axis of the machine below the bed or table B-C is the crank
arm for giving motion to the needle slide D-E is the presser foot-the feed plate
not shown in the above figures works upwards through a slot in the table B and
has an up and down and to and fro-motion given to it in the ordinary manner.
A plan view of the bed or table and of the serrated acting face of this feed plate
which rises up through a slot in the table is shown at Figure 7 this view also
shows that there is an extension of the slot to allow the scissor blades to descend
into position to cut the work-F is a reel from which thread passes to the needle
in the ordinary way-G is a rock shaft extending from the front to the back end
of the fixed arm of the machine. It has fixed on it an arm G¹ from which a
connecting rod passes to an eccentric H on the driving axis A. The eccentric is
not keyed to the shaft but is locked to it by a clutch which can be disengaged at
pleasure in the drawing this clutch is shown to be formed of a pin which passes
through a collar A¹ fast on the shaft and which pin enters a hole in the side of
the eccentric. The pin is carried by a collar A2 which is free to slide along the
shaft and which is pressed towards the collar A¹ by a spring A³ as seen in
Figures 1 and 3. When the scissors are not required to be brought into action
the collar A² can be slidden away from the collar A' so as to withdraw the pin
from the hole in the eccentric and set the eccentric free so that then no motion
will be given to the rock shaft. The collar can so be moved. back to release the
eccentric by means of a lever I and can be held back by springing the lever arm
into a notch B¹ in the edge of the table of the machine.
J is the bar on the ends of which the scissor blades are mounted-it is carried
by arms which are pivoted loosely on the rock shaft G. J' is an arm extending
downwards from the bar J, its lower end is connected by a rod to the eccentric K
which is fast with the eccentric H, so that whenever one eccentric is locked to the
rock shaft the other is locked also.
The bar J is hollow and through it passes an axis L. One of the scissor blades
is fixed to a short arm which is fast on the front end of the axis the other is fixed
to a short arm which projects from a collar M. which can turn loosely upon the
axis a spring J³ draws the axis endwise and holds the one scissor blade up to and
against the other.
On the axis L is an arm L' and on the collar M is an arm M¹-these arms at
their ends are jointed to links L2 M which are jointed to one another and to the
end of an arm G2 which is fast on the rock shaft G so that when a rocking motion
is given to this shaft the ends of the arms L' M¹ are alternately drawn together
and the scissors opened as shewn at Figure 5 and forced apart and the scissors
closed as shewn at Figure 6.
The movement of the scissors towards the needle when they are required to
make their cut and the movement of the scissors away from the needle after they
have made their cut and just as the feed takes place is effected by the eccentric K.
Pairs of scissor blades mounted and operated as above described can not only
be used when forming a hem or welt in the manner herein described but can also
be used in other cases for trimming the edge of a fabric close up to a line of
stitching.
N is the guide by which the edges of the fabric are turned over to form a welt
or hem and are guided past the needle.
A plan and edge view of this guide are shown separately at Figures 8 and 9.
Figure 8 also shows a plan view of the fabric passing through the guide and of the
outer edge of the fabric which is trimmed off by the scissors. The way in which
.the fabric is folded by the guide is shewn by dotted lines in Figure 9. The guide

page_text: is formed of a plate of metal N bent into a U form-it is as shewn fixed to an
arm O, which extends to the back of the table and is there jointed by a horizontal
joint to a bar P which can swivel around a vertical pin which stands up from the
table. N¹ is the small tongue which extends from the end of the lower portion of
the plate N towards and beyond the needle. N2 is the small semi-circular recess
made in its edge to allow the needle to descend freely through the fabric which
doubled over it. The position of the presser foot relatively to the guide is shown
in dotted lines in Figure 8.
I would state that various forms of guides have before been made for turning
over the edge of a fabric to form a welt or hem of the kind hereinbefore described
I do not therefore claim generally the construction of a guide to form such welt or
hem but the guide that have described is much simpler in its construction than
those heretofore used and being carried at the end of a long arm which can be
turned upwards on a horizontal joint and also swivelled around on a vertical joint
the work can very readily be adapted to it or when it is not required to be in use
it can be turned back well out of the way. Also by forming the guide with a
tongue projecting from it in the manner described its action is rendered much
more certain so that uniform hems may be produced with it even by unskilled
hands.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The construction of the guide of a plate of metal bent into a U form and
with a tongue projecting from it past the needle substantially as described.
2. The combination of the bent plate N tongue N' and arm O, jointed by a
horizontal joint to a bar P which can itself swivel on a vertical joint substantially
as described.
3. The combination with a sewing machine of a pair of scissor blades both of
which have motion given to them to effect a cut and both of which are carried in
such a manner that they can be moved backwards a distance away from the needle
after the cut has been effected.
4. The combination with a sewing machine of a pair of scissor blades mounted
and operated substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the
drawing annexed.