IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George R. Chittenden, of Wood Street, in the City
of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES,"
A cominunication.
Scaled the 20th October 1854, and dated the 20th June 1851.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George R. Chittenden at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th June 1854.
I, GEORGE R. CHITTENDEN, of Wood Street, 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 improvements in sewing machines, with a
view to fold bindings for the edges of hats and other articles, and for holding
such bindings correctly during the action of the sewing machine; also, for
folding the edges or selvages of fabrics for hemming the same, and, when
desired, introducing cords into the hens or folded edges; and also for regu-
lating the letting off the thread used. For the purpose of binding the edges
of hats and other articles, a hollow instrument is fixed to a sewing machine, in
which part of the edge of a hat is placed and moved progressively up to the
IP ST

page_text: needle as the binding is performed. The instrument consists of two bent
plates, with a space between them for the passage of the binding, which is
caused to lap more or less on one side than the other, or is folded equally on
either side of the edge of the article to be bound by means of adjusting slides,
which control the binding and guide it up to the point where the sewing is
accomplished. For turning or folding the edges or selvages of fabrics,
whether for simply hemming the same or for enclosing a cord, there is an
instrument applied to the machine, which, as the edge of a fabric is moved up
to the needle, causes the edge to be gradually raised, by an inclined surface,
and turned over to the extent desired, and the edge so turned over is again
in a similar manner folded and turned over, so as to produce when sewed a
complete hem, a cord, when desired, being conducted through the instrument
into the folded edge of the fabric. To regulate the giving off of the thread, it
is caused to pass between two surfaces, one of which is pressed to the other
by a spring, in such manner that the thread only passes when the pressing
surfaces are separated, which is done by the action of the apparatus which
gives motion to the needle, so that for each action of the needle a quantity of
the thread is allowed to pass.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George R. Chittenden in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th December 1851.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
R. CHITTENDEN, of Wood Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George R. Chittenden, Her special licence that I, the said George
R. Chittenden, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said George R. Chittenden, my executors, administrators, and assigas,
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 Invention for

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINE," (communicated to me from abroad,)
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George R. Chittenden,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, sheuld particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what mauner
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 George R. Chittenden, 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 improvements in sewing machines, with a
view to fold bindings for the edges of hats and other articles, and for holding
such bindings correctly during the action of the sewing machine; also, for
folding the edges or selvages of fabrics for hemming the same, and, when
desired, introducing cords into the hems or folded edges; and also for regu-
Inting the lotting off the thread used. For the purpose of binding the edges
of hats and other articles, a hollow instrument is fixed to a sewing machine, in
which part of the edge of a hat is placed and moved progressively up to the
needle as the binding is performed. The instrument consists of two bent
plates, with a space between them for the passage of the binding, which is
caused to lap more or less on one side than the other, or is folded equally on
either side of the edge of the article to be bound by means of adjusting.
slides, which control the binding and guide it up to the point where the
sewing is accomplished. For turning or folding the edges or selvages of
fabrics, whether for simply hemming the same or for enclosing a cord, there is
an instrument applied to the machine, which, as the edge of a fabric is moved
up to the needle, causes the edge to be gradually raised, by an inclined sur-
face, and turned over to the extent desired, and the edge so turned over is
again in a similar manner folded and turned over, so as to produce when
sewed a complete hem, a cord, when desired, being conducted through the
instrument into the folded edge of the fabric. To regulate the giving off of
the thread; it is caused to pass between two surfaces, one of which is pressed
to the other by a spring, in such manner that the thread only passes when
the pressing surfaces are separated, which is done by the action of the appa-
ratus which gives motion to the needle, so that for each action of the needle
a quantity of the thread is allowed to pass..
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same."

page_text: And I would state that the class of sewing machinery to which these
improvements have been heretofore applied is that for which Letters Patent
were granted to Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, bearing date at West-
minster, the Sixth day of October, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two;
but the class of machinery may be varied:
but the class of machinery may be varied;
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an elevation of a sewing machine of the description mentioned,
and.as. the same forms no part of the present Invention it will not be neces-
sary to describe the same here, and the machine is only shown in the.
Drawings to facilitate the understanding of the nature of the improvements.
Figure 2. is a plan of the machine; Figure 3 shows a plan of the bed plate of
the machine, having the apparatus applied thereto to folding the edges of the
narrow fabrics used for binding hats and other articles; Figure 4 shews an
edge view of the bed plate and apparatus thereon; Figure 5 shows a front
view of the apparatus; and Figure 6 shows two sections of this apparatus on
a magnified scale, such sections being taken respectively on the lines I, J,
and K, L, of Figure 5: This apparatus consists of two plates a, b, fixed one
within the other, leaving a space between them, and these plates are bent in
such manner as to cause the binding fabric as it proceeds through between
them to be more and more folded; and the extent that the two selvages of the
fabric shall lap over the edges of a hat or other article is adjusted by two
slides of metal or other matter c, d, with flexible edges c', d', of leather or
other suitable material fixed at their edges. These bars are each governed by
two parallel links e, e, which are attached by pin joints to their respective
slides c, d, and' to the bent plates a, b; and as the bars c, d, are made to fit
tightly in the space between the plates a, b, they will retain any position they
may be placed at during the time of their use; and according as the bars c
and d are moved more into their respective spaces c, d, so will the binding
fabric be more or less on one or other side of the edge of the article bound
thereby; and it should be understood that the space between the edges c', d¹,
should be such that the selvages of the binding fabric should touch them, as
shewn by the red bent line f, Figure 6, which shows a section of the fabric.
The edge of the article to be bound is introduced into the space g, so that the
binding fabric will be folded over the edge and at the point h, where the
needle passes through the edge to be bound; and the binding thereon will be
held correctly for the passage of the needle; and as the edge to be bound
moved up to the point h, it will draw with it the binding fabric, which, as it
lis

page_text: comes between the instrument composed of the plates a, b, c, d, it will be pro-
gressively folded. Figure 7 shows another plan of the bed plate of the
machine, having thereon an apparatus for folding the edge of a fabric which
is desired to be hemmed. Figure 8 is an edge view of the parts shown in
Figure 7; and Figures 9, 10, and 11 show a plan, edge view, and end view of
the folding apparatus on a magnified scale; and Figures 12, 13, 14, and 15,
show diagrams or sections of the folding plates at the points A, B, C, D, E, F,
and G, H, in Figure 11; and the nature of the apparatus and its effect in
folding will be more readily understood by reference to Figures 9 and 11,
and the diagrams last mentioned, the red lines indicating the fabric. The
fabric is passed into the instrument in the manner shewn by the red lines
in Figure 11. The fabric enters the apparatus at a, and passes out at b;
is supported during its passage by the plate c, and must be kept against tho
parts d, e, f, the lateral distance between the point d and e and e and f
determining the breadth of the hem. The folding part of the apparatus
consists of the two plates c and g, which have inclined projections c¹,c³, g', 9²,
formed on their edges, and these projecting parts of the edges are so arranged
that in each case they come below the parallel parts c³, c³, 93, 94, of the edge
of the other plates; and it will be seen that in consequence of this arrange-
ment the edges of the plates at the points h, i, cross one another.
I will now describe the action of the instrument on the edge of a piece of
fabric which is being passed through it. First it passes between the edge of
the plate y and inclined edge c' of the plate c; it next comes in contact with
the point, where the edges of the two plates cross one another, and it is
here that the breadth of fabric equal to the lateral distance between the joints
d and e is turned or bent down at right angles to the fabric; and by the
further progress of the fabric, that turned down portion comes in contact with
the incline g', and is thereby folded under the parallel part c³ of the plate e,
as shewn in Figure 13, the inclined edge c' being for the purpose of allowing
the folding of the fabric to take place in a gradual manner, as shewn at
Figure 12. The next step in the action of the apparatus is the lifting the
folded edge from under the plate e³, which is cut away at c; for that purpose
the folded edge of the fabric next passes between the parts c² and g of the
plates e and g, as shewn in Figure 14, and is again folded or bent down at the
point, where the edges of the plates cross one another, as in the former
case, the breadth of fabric thus folded down being determined by the lateral
distance between the points e and f; the turned down portion in its further
progress is folded under the part c of the plate c by the incline g² on the
plate g, as shewn in Figure 15, and then passes out at co, and under the part

page_text: of the instrument, which is cut away at 62, so as to admit of the sewing.
taking place before the liem can unfold itself again, and whilst it is still hold
under.controul by the instrument.
And I would here remark that the instrument may be varied, according to
the number of times which the plates cross one another, so as to produco
either a greater or less number of folds. The yellow line in Figure 9 shows
the manner of introducing a cord in the hem. It is conducted through the
instrument first under the single folded edge of the fabric, as shewn in
Figure 16, which is afterwards by the action of the instrument, as previously
described, is turned over it, so as to enclose it, as shewn in Figure 17.
I will now describe the means of regulating the letting off of the thread.
This part of the apparatus is shown applied at Figures 1 and 2, and detached
views of part of the instrument is shown at Figure 18. is a curved surface,
moving on an axis atx'; this surface can only move upwards, by rcason of the
stop a, against which it is constantly pressed by the spring a³. To the lever
arm.which carries the needle the instrument y is affixed. This instrument
consists of the tubular part y, which by means of the stem y is fixed to the
lever arm, as shown; y³ is a screw cap, by the screwing up of which, the
springy is compressed. The spring 34 at its other end presses against the
head of the projecting pin y, and presses it towards the closed end of the
tube y, and no thread will be given off except when the pin y is forced
inwards by its coming in contact with the curved surface ; at other times
the thread will be held, and the surface a giving way when the projection y is
moving upward.
When it is desired to add friction only to the supply of the thread to the
needle the instruments shown at Figures 19 and 20 is used.. It consists of
the cylinder w, which is connected to the lever arm which carries the needle,
as shown, by the stem w¹. The cylinder wis capable of being set fast in its
socket or bearing 2 by the set screw w³, and according as the thread is
passed more or less round the cylinder c, intermediate of the parts thereof,
where the thread passes into and from the cylinder w, so will be the friction
offered. Or other means of giving the required friction to the thread may
be resorted to.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim any
of the parts separately, of which the several apparatus are respectively com-
posed, nor do I confine myself to the precise details; but what I claim is,
First, the combination of parts herein described for folding and holding
suitable fabrics when binding hats and other articles,

page_text: Secondly, I claim the combining of the parts for folding fabrics for the
purpose of hemming them, and for introducing cords at the edges or hems.
And, thirdly, I claim the combined apparatus for holding and regulating
the letting off of thread.
In witness whereof, I, the said George R. Chittenden, have liereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
0
Witness,
GEO. PITT.
4, Old Square.
GEORGE R. CHITTENDEN. (D.S.)