METHOD OF FORMING BY SEWING MACHINES STITCHES KNOWN AS "HEATHERING AND ADAPTATION OF APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1885

page_text: "
I, JOSEPH BUCHANAN ROBERTSON, of Lurgan in the County of Armagh, Ireland,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "METHOD OF FORMING
BY SEWING MACHINES STITCHES KNOWN AS "HEATHERING AND ADAPTATION OF
APPARATUS FOR THAT PURPOSE" and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Sewing machines are adapted for making the zig-zag stitching known as herring-
bone in either of two ways: According to one arrangement, the feed apparatus is
mounted as it were on a turntable, so that the line of foed, instead of coinciding
with the general line of stitching, is diagonal or inclined to it alternately to each
hand. Or, while the feed is always maintained in one line, that of the stitching,
the needle guide receives a to and fro motion at right angles to that line, as for
button holing, so that the needle descends alternately on each side of the central
line of feed producing the series of diagonal stitches. My invention relates to
means of effecting by machines arranged to operate in either of the ways above
mentioned, ornamental stitching of the class known as "heathering" or in some of
its forms termed " feathering," as I will explain referring to the accompanying
diagrams.
In the three kinds of sewing shewn by the figures, there are the single diagonal
stitches such as constitute plain zig-zag or herringbone, and at each angle of the
zig-zag there is a double stitch which may be directed diagonally forward as in
Fig. 1 or backwards as in Fig. 3, or simply at right angles to the line of feed as in
Fig. 2, the cycle in each case consisting of 6 successive descents of the needle as
marked by the numerals on the diagrams. The patterns shewn by Fig. 1 can
be produced by the turntable feed, the needle always descending in the same line,
by the following order of movements of the feed:
a feed along diagonal to right forwards.
b feed along diagonal to right forwards.
c feed along diagonal from right backwards.
d feed along diagonal to left forwards..
e feed along diagonal to left forwards.
f feed along diagonal from left backwards.
Or Fig 1 stitch can be produced by straight feed with reciprocating needle slide,
thus
a forward feed and needle moved towards left.
b forward feed and needle moved to left extreme.
c backward feed and needle moved towards right.
d forward feed and needle moved towards right.
e forward feed and needle moved to right extreme.
f backward feed and needle moved towards left.
"

page_text: a feed along diagonal to right forwards.
b lateral feed to right.
c lateral feed to left.
d feed along diagonal to left forwards.
e lateral feed to left.
f lateral feed to right.
Or this stitch Fig 2 can be produced by straight feed with reciprocating needle
slide thus:
a forward feed and needle moved towards left.
b no feed and needle moved to left extreme.
c no feed and needle moved towards right.
d forward feed and needle moved towards right.
e no feed and needle moved to right extreme.
no feed and needle moved towards left.
Finally, the stitch Fig 3 can be produced by turntable feed thus
a feed diagonal to right forwards.
b feed diagonal to right backwards.
c feed diagonal to left forwards.
d feed diagonal to left forwards.
e feed diagonal to left backwards.
f feed diagonal to right forwards.
Or stitch Fig. 3 can be produced by straight feed with reciprocating needle slide
thus:
.
a forward feed and needle moved towards left.
6 backward feed and needle moved to left extreme.
c forward feed and needle moved towards right.
d forward feed and needle moved towards right.
e backward feed and needle moved to right extreme.
f forward feed and needle moved towards left.
Such movements as I have described are given by cams in the usual way, all
that is necessary for producing the required sequences of movement being so to
gear these cams to the machine shaft that the movements are suitably timed to the
strokes of the needle.
'
I make no claim to a turntable feed nor to a reciprocating needle, slide, nor to
the cams or gear for working these appliances, which exist in various forms in
sewing machines adapted for button hole, french vein, revere, and other kinds
of stitching but:
'
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
1. The herein described method of producing heather stitching on' a sewing
machine by a recurring cycle of six stitches in the sequence sot-forth.
2. To gearing the feed and needle reciprocating cams of a sewing machine to
the main shaft as to produce the herein' described cycle of six stitches to form
heather stitch.