IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES FOR EDGING, FRINGING, AND PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL STITCHES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Fairweather, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES FOR EDGING, FRINGING, AND PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL
STITCHES."
Sealed the 25th February 1879, and dated the 28th August 1878.'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. left by the said William Fairweather at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th August 1878.
WILLIAM FAIRWEATHER, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES FOR EDGING, FRINGING, AND
PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL STITCHES."
. My Invention is an improvement upon sewing machines for producing edging
stitches and fringes, and also for producing ornamental stitches and fringes away
from the edges of the fabric to be ornamented, and my Invention consists in the
following combinations and arrangements, namely,
-
In combining a hook or crochet needle with the sewing needle, carried and worked
by the needle slide; this crochet needle working through a "nipple" or tubular
pressure for holding down the fabric which is carried.on an arm from a slide which
can work up and down in a guide attached to the jib of the machine, this slide
being pressed down by a spring, and lifted when the needle slide ascends, by a
projection from it which comes under a projection from the slide for the nipple.
Under the table of the machine there is a horizontal slide bar which has a hook
at its end that takes the loop in the thread of the sewing needle when it passes
through the cloth and draws it to one side so that it is taken by the hook of the
crochet needle which draws it up through the fabric and through the loop previously
taken up, thus producing a crochet stitch.
The sliding bar having the book on its end has a cam slot in it through which a
screw passes that screws into the under side of the table, and as the sliding bar
moves to and fro endways the pin or screw acts upon the cam slot to cause the book

page_text: end of the bar to move sideways so as to bring the thread with more certainty into
the hook of the crochet needle. This hook slide bar receives end notion from a
cam, crank, or excentric on the driving shaft which acts upon a lever having its
fulcrum on the framing, which lever is jointed to the said booked slide bar.
Instead of the hook slide bar there is or may be a hook on a lever arranged
to oscillate in a horizontal plane on a fulcrum pin secured under the table. The
hook at the end of this lever will thus work in an are and cause the thread to be
taken to one side to a sufficient extent to be taken by the crochet needle. This
booked lever is worked by a cam, crank, or excentric on the driving shaft of the
machine, the movement being transmitted by a lever and rod.
The part that carries the fringe or ornamenting thread is a lever with an eye at
its lower end for the thread to pass through. This lever has its fulcrum on a swivel
pin or stud jointed to the side of the upper part of the needle slide block, and this
lever has a cam slot in it, or there is a piece with a cain slot in it attached to the
lever, and in this cam slot a pin carrying an anti-friction bowl works, which pin
is secured in and moves up and down with the needle slide, and acts upon the cam
slot to cause tlie lever to move to and fro to distribute the thread and cause it to be
taken and secured by the sewing and crochet needles. This lever besides having
an oscillatory movement produced by the cam slot, has another oscillatory movement
at a right angle to that first named to get clear of the needles, which oscillatory
inovement is or may be produced by a cam slot in a part fixed at one side to the
lower part of the needle slide block. This movement is or may also be produced
by a link or lever having its fulcrum on the block for the needle slide.
The lever part carrying the cam slot acted upon by the pin from the needle slide
is or may be arranged to have only one oscillatory movement, and the lever
'baving the eye at its lower end for distributing the ornamental thread may be
jointed upon the first-named lever so as to move at a right angle thereto, and this
lever is or may be worked by. a cam slot and a. pin carried by the needle slide.
When the fringe thread is to be held or extended beyond the range of the
distributing lever this is done by another lever worked by a-cam.or excentric upon
the driving shaft.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Fairweather in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th
February 1879.
WILLIAM FAIRWEATHER, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES FOR EDGING, FRINGING, AND
PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL STITCHES."
My Invention is an improvement upon sewing machines for producing edging
stitches and fringes, and also for producing ornamental stitches and fringes away
from the edges of the fabric to be ornamented, and my Invention consists in the
following combinations and arrangements, namely,
In combining a hook or crochet needle with the sewing needle carried and
worked by the needle alide, this crochet needle working through a "nipple", or
tubular presser for holding down the fabric, which is carried on an arm from a
slide which can work up and down in a guide attached to the jib of the machine,
this slide being pressed down by a spring and lifted, when the needle slide ascends
by a projection from it which comes under a projection from the slide for the
nipple.
Under the table of the machine there is a horizontal slide bar which has a hook
at its end that takes the loop in the thread of the sewing needle when it passes
through the cloth, and draws it to one side so that it is taken by the hook of the
crochet needle which draws it up through the fabric and through the loop previously
taken up, thus producing a crochet stitch.
The sliding bar having the hook on its end has a cam slot in.it through which a
screw passes that screws into the under side of the table, and as the sliding bar
moves to and fro end ways the pin or screw acts upon the cam slot to cause the hook
end of the bar to move sideways so as to bring the thread with more certainty into
the book of the crochet needle. Or the sliding bar is arranged to partly rotate on
its axis, and a pin in it works in a cam slot that causes the bar to partly rotate, and
thus the hook to bring the thread against the crochet hook: This hook slide bar
receives end motion from a cam, crank, or excentric on the driving shaft which acts
upon a lever having its fulcrum on the framing, which lever is jointed to the said
hooked slide bar, or bar having the hook secured in its end.
Instead of the hook slide bar there is or may be a hook on a lever arranged to
oscillate in a horizontal plane on a fulcrum pin secured under the table. The book
at the end of this lever will thus work in an arc and cause the thread to be taken
This hooked
to one side to a sufficient extent to be taken by the crochet needle.
lever is worked by a cam, crank, or excentric on the driving shaft of the machine,
the movement being transmitted by a lever and rod.
The part that carries the fringe or ornamenting thread is a lever with an eye at
its lower end for the thread to pass through. This lever has its fulcrum on a swivel
pin or stud jointed to the side of the upper part of the needle slide block, and this
lever has a cam slot in it, or there is a piece with a cam slot in it attached to the
lever, and in this cam slot a pin carrying an anti-friction bowl works, which pin
is secured in and moves up and down with the needle slide and acts upon the cam
slot to cause the lever to move to and fro to distribute the thread and cause it to be
taken and secured by the sewing and crochet needles. This lever, besides having an
oscillatory movement produced by the cam slot, has another oscillatory movement
at a right angle to that first named to get clear of the needles, which oscillatory
movement is or may be produced by a cam slot in a part fixed at one side to the .
lower part of the needle slide block. This movement is or may also be produced
by a link or lever having its fulcrum on the block for the needle slide.
The lever part carrying the cam slot acted upon by the pin from the needle slide
is or may be arranged to have only one oscillatory movement, and the lever having

page_text: the eye at its lower end for distributing the ornamental thread may be jointed upon
the first-named lever so as to move at a right angle thereto; and this lever is or
may be worked by a cam slot and a pin carried by the needle slide.
1.1947
istu
When the fringe thread is to be held or extended beyond the range of the
distributing lever this is done by another lever worked by a cam or excentric upon
the driving shaft.
Fig. 1 is an end elevation partly in section;. Fig, 2 is a side elevation partly, in
section; and Fig 13 is an under side view.
(. Fig: 2 is shown with a part supposed broken away from between the two parts
forming the Figure, as the table and jib part of the machine may be made of any
convenient length according to the class of articles to be operated upon!
1
a is the table of the machine; bis, the stand secured to or forming part of the
table a which carries the arm or jib b c is the driving pulley on the shaft cin
bearings in the arm b'; d, a cam on the shaft c, acting upon a bowl in a lever (d)
having its fulcrum on a bracket (b) secured on the stand (b); this lever (d) having a
clutch fork end, the projections of which enter a groove in the: enlarged part at the
end of a rod d which can-slide and partly rotate in bearings under the table: 'One
of the bearings (3) has a slot. in it curved at one end as shown; and a stud d
secured in the rod (d) and carrying a bowl works in this cam slot and gives the
rod or shaft da partial rotation at the inner end of its stroke, so that the hook d 2
which is cranked and secured in the end of the rod d³ will be moved to one side as
herein-after explained...
The shaft (c) has a disc at the end which has a crank pin that works the needle
slide (e), and there is a cam or cams that work the presser and feeding foot (f) t
both needle slide and presser and feeding foot being arranged and worked in.the
ordinary manner.
The needle slide (e) carries two needles, one (y) a threaded needle, the other (h) a
pointed crochet needle, similar to what is known as a Bonnaz necdlè. The thread
passes from a spool between ordinary friction discs (i), but, on the opposite side of
the arm (6), through a curl g² and then through a "curl" in a wire g¹ jointed on 3
a screw on the needle slide block (e), which wife has a spring upon it to press
against the face of the needle slide, block to give a little friction, this wire lever (g')
being lifted by a pin (e) in the needle slide when it ascends to cause it to
take up the slack thread. The thread, passes from the curl. or eye of the wire
lever (g) through a "curl" or "eye" (g) in a wire secured to the needle slide 3
block, and then to the eye, of the needle (g) to the cloth being stitched: The crochet
needle passes through a, tubular part or nipple (') carried on the lower end of
a vertical slide,, which is free to move up and down in guides (and ¹) secured
to the needle slide block. This slide. (*) has, a cross piece h; against the under side
of which comes a' pin or the head of a screw h in the needle slide (e), so as to cause 4
the slide to lift the nipple () from the fabric being sewn when the feed is to take
place, and the slide is pressed down by a spring (7), one end of which acts against
the upper bearing (h) of the slide, and the other end against the cross piece ³ on
the slide h²
4
When the needle slide bar (e) descends to its lowest position and has made a 4
slight, ascent the hook d under the cloth plate (a) begins to move; and, catches the
loop of the thread in the needle g, and takes the loop past. the front of the crochet
needle in a manner herein-after explained.
The hole in the needle plate for the needles g and h is in the form of a curved
slot, as shown in Fig. 3, and there is a piece 93 secured under the table, which has a 5
groove in it to guide the needle.g:
With the mechanism above described ornamental stitches may be made, but the
mechanism to be herein-after explained will add further ornament in the shape of
edging or fringes, which are secured and interlocked with the stitches produced by
the two needles g and hand the hook below the cloth plate: is a lever with a
cam slot in it mounted on a fulcrum pin secured to the needle slide block. This
cam slotted lever j is moved to and fro by a pin secured in the part from the

page_text: "
needle slide, which pin has a bowl upon it that fits the cam slot, which is shaped so
that the lever j is stationary when the needle slide is at the upper part of its stroke,
but is moved when the needle slide is at the lower part of its stroke, as herein-after
explained.
.
The lever (j) has another lever j³ jointed to it, but to move at a right. angle to
the lever j, and this lever (³) is acted upon by a spring j¹ secured to the lever j,
which presses it towards the needles g, h, but the extent of its movement in that
direction is governed by a cam piece ³ secured to the lower part of the needle slide
block. This cam piece j³ is shaped to permit the spring (j) to force the lever (13)
to the position in which it is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but when the lever (1) begins
its movement to the right of the needles (looking at Fig. 2) the cam³ forces the
lever back, so that it will clear the needles when passing in front of them, and
when the lever (j) has made its extreme movement to the right the cam ³ allows
the spring () to move the lever or distributor towards the needles, so that the
thread carried by it can come under the presser foot f.
T
The back movement of the lever (1) causes the cam (5) to. produce the reverse
noveinents in the lever or distributor to those described in the forward move-
ment. The thread of the distributor comes from a spool through ordinary friction
disc (i) to the eye in the foot of the distributing lever ..
The following is a description of the order in which the mechanism operates:-
When the needle slide bar (e) is at its highest position the point of threaded needle g
is, say, half an inch above the cloth, and the point of the crochet needle (/) is about
a quarter of an inch above the cloth, the nipple is also lifted about one-eighth
above the cloth, the presser foot f is down, and at about this time in the order of
rotation makes its feeding movement. The fringe distributor is at its extreme
left position, and the thread extends from it to the point where it was taken at its
preceding movement to the right, and extends in a line so as to come under the
needle (g) and on the forward side of it (that side towards which the fabric is fed);
then when the descending. movement of the needle slide begins it brings the
nipple to its lowest position in which the cross bar h² rests upon the upper edge of
the guide piece h³.. When the point of the threaded needle g has nearly reached the
cloth the fringe distributor begins to move, its quickest movement being that
caused by the cam piece j, which withdraws it from the needles; then as the needles
descend through the cloth the distributor passes in front of them. When the
fringe distributor begins to move quickly from left to right the presser foot f begins
to lift, and has lifted and begins to descend again by the time, or a little before, the
fringe distributor has arrived at its extreme right position, the cam incline j³
during the latter part of the inovement causing the end of the fringe distributor
to move forward, so that the line of the thread from the fringe distributor will pass
under and will be held by the presser foot (f) when it descends to its lowest
position. The needle slide bar e has arrived at its lowest position a little before the
presser foot has descended upon the cloth. The needle slide e dwells a little at
its lowest position, waiting for the presser foot f to descend, and then begins to rise
again, and at the same time the fringe distributor 3 makes its movement in passing
to its extreme left position, the movements at right angles being first from and then
towards the needles, the movements being reversed by the cam incline in passing
from right to left, the presser foot f remaining down all the time until the needle
slide c has arrived at its highest position, when the forward feed movement takes
place, and the movements above described are repeated at the next revolution of the
driving shaft c. When the needle slide has arrived at its lowest position the
hooks under the cloth plate has arrived at its extreme position to the left; the
cam d then causes it to begin to move to the right, and it catches the loop of
the thread in the needle g, which has made a slight ascent, before the hook comes
opposite the needle g to catch the loop and take it rapidly to the right, the two
threads forming the loop extending in a line, so that the lower side comes from the
eye of the needle to the under side of the hook d³, the other side from the fabric to
the upper side of the hook d³. When the hook d³ has nearly arrived at its extreme

page_text: right position the cam slot d³ gives a twisting movement to the rod d², which causes
the hook de fixed in its end to turn or move towards the needle h, thus bringing
the upper thread against and into the hook of the crochet needle, which catches it
and as the needle ascends draws it through the cloth. By the time the needle
slide (e) arrives nearest its highest position the hook d begins its reverse movement
from right to left, and arrives at its extreme position to the left when the needle
slide (e) arrives at its highest position. The loop of the thread drawn up through the
cloth by the, crochet hook. (h) is drawn througli the loop previously drawn up by it,
thus forming a chain stitch. The fringe. looped round the needle g at each to-and-
fro movement of the distributor j³, and consequently the fringe thread, is secured
by, the thread of the needle g and that loop of it brought up by. the crochet
needle h
.
There is a projection from the presser and feed foot, upon which a supplementary
foot or presser can be secured at the distance required to hold the fringe as left by
the distributor.
The machine is adapted to different lengths of fringe by changing the lever for
one with a cam slot, which produces the length of movement for the fringe required.
When a few of these levers are kept ready the change from one length of fringe to
another is made in a very short time, changes being made in the cam pieces when
required.
The nipple slide may be worked by a cam on the shaft if desired, and the fringe
distributor may be arranged differently to operate in the same manner, but the
arrangement described is the most simple.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the mode of
carrying the same into effect, and claim as my Invention,-
Firstly. The combination of a threaded needle (g) and pointed crochet needle (h),
together with its nipple (h¹), and a hook (d), acting substantially in the manner
herein-before described for producing ornamental stitches..
Secondly. The combination of a threaded needle (g), crochet needle (h), nipple (¹),
and hook (d), with a fringe distributor () to produce ornamental stitches, substan-
tially as herein-before described, and illustrated by the Drawings..
Thirdly. The combination and arrangement of mechanism for producing orna-
mental stitches, substantially as herein-before described, and illustrated by the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Fairweather, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
W. FAIRWEATHER. (L.S.)