A New or Improved Work-guiding Attachment for Sewing Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: .
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Work-guiding Attachment for Sewing
Machines.
I, HARRY BURDITT of King Street, Desborough, in the County of Northampton-
shire, Corset Designer and Cutter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to a new or improved attachment for sewing machines, and
while adaptable for use in connection with single needle machines, applies more
particularly to such as have two needles for making two rows of stitching
simultaneously, and has for its object, to effect a perfect guidance of the edges of two
pieces of fabric or material that are to be stitched or sewn together, overlapping each
other, and while applicable for, use in tailoring, mantle-making, boot-closing and the
like, is especially adapted for guiding the overlapping edges of the joints or sections
in ladies corsets, especially such joints as are intended to carry a strip of whalebone,
cane, or steel for strengthening and preserving the shape of the corset, and hitherto the
only known means of effecting this has been by the use of a strip of tape, or piece of
fabric folded in the form of a tape, laid upon, and covering the overlapping edges of
the two pieces of fabric or material to be joined together, the two needles forming a
row of stitching at each side of the said tape, passing through the two said pieces of
fabric, but the difficulty attending this method has been that, while the attention
of the operator has been concentrated upon the guidance of the said tape, the proper
or exact degree of overlap of the two pieces of material beneath, has been neglected,
or frequent raising of the said tape to watch the said overlap beneath has been
necessary. My invention is therefore designed with a view to save, not only the
waste of time lost to the operator by the slowing down of the machine while such
tape is being raised, but to dispense with the need of the said tape or its equivalent,
which I attain by the means hereinafter explained.
In order that my said attachment and the manner of its use may be clearly
understood, I have hereunto appended a sheet of drawings, in which I have chosen
to illustrate my invention as employed in the manufacture of corsets.
Figs. 1 and 2 are plan and cross section respectively of two pieces of material or
fabric being stitched together by the use of a tape as hitherto.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my said improved attachment, while Figs. 4 and 5
are sectional and plan views illustrating its application and use as hereinafter
explained.
In Figs. 1 and 2 I illustrate the method hitherto employed for stitching together
by two rows of simultaneous stitching, the overlapping edges of two pieces of
material or fabric A and B, to effect which the edge of A was first folded over as at
a, and the edge of B laid thereon as shewn, and covering these was laid a length of
tape or material folded at the edges to form a tape C, so that the needles D and D'
passed through the said tape C and the two pieces of material A and B as shewn by
Fig. 2, the inconvenience attending which method has been hereinbefore explained.
For the purposes of my invention, I bend or fold a small piece of brass or other
metal, or horn, bone, vulcanite or other suitable material E, in the form of a letter S
or approximately so, and this I solder, rivet, or otherwise firmly connect to a plate F,
of like or other suitable material preferably metal, in which is provided a slot G,
by which it may be attached to the bed plate H of the machine by the usual

page_text: adjusting thumb screw J, in such a position that the portion E is in line with the two
needles D D. The two pieces of fabric or material A B having been folded at their
edges as at a and b in Fig. 4, the edge of the former would be placed within the
lower scroll, and the edge of the latter within the upper scroll of the S piece E, as at
Fig. 4, and although the upper fabric B would hide from view the edge of the under
fabric A during stitching as at Fig. 5, the operator may be certain that both will
keep their position if each piece A and B be always slightly pressed in the direction
of the arrows in Fig. 4, thereby keeping each edge well within the scroll E, when
the needles D D¹ would pass through both the materials A and B as at Fig 4, and
effect their junction as at Fig. 5, when the channel or passage between the two
rows of stitching and the fabrics A and B, may receive a strip of whalebone cane
or steel in the usual way and as suggested by dotted outline by K in Fig. 5. In
cases where a third material such as a lining, or a fourth material such as a filling
has to be employed this or these may be laid beneath A and B and the stitching
passed therethrough in the usual way.
It is obvious that although I have illustrated my attachment in connection with a
double needle machine the same may be employed for guiding the materials A and B
with a single needle machine.
I wish it understood that instead of attaching the scroll piece E to a
plate such
as F to be fixed upon the bed plate as stated, 1 may attach the said scroll piece upon
a plate capable of being attached to the pressure foot of the machine.
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 :-
In an improved attachment for single or double needle sewing machines, the
combination of a scroll piece such as E, fixed upon a plate such as F, having a
slot G for adjustable fixation upon the bedplate H of the machine, or arranged for
fixation upon the pressure foot of same, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and shewn by the appended drawings.
Dated this 18th day of June 1896
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1 Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.