IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Warwick, of No. 49, Rutland Street, in the
City of Manchester, Sewing Machine Maker, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES.”
Sealed the 8th March 1867, and dated the 10th October 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Warwick at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th October 1866.
I, JAMES WARWICK, of No. 29, Rutland Street, in the City of Man-
chester, Sewing Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in so constructing sewing machines that by altering
certain parts thereof the same. machine may produce several distinct sorts of
stitches, that is to say, the lock stitch, the herring-bone stitch, the embroidery
stitch, the whip stitch, and others, according to the nature of the work under
operation. The alterations in the stitch are produced by improvements. in
that part of sewing machines known as the four-motion feed, the feed motion
changing the position of the cloth or other material to be sewn

page_text: b
In sewing machines of the ordinary construction the feeder bracket,
marked a in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, is stationary, being
fastened to the under side of the machine; now by my improvements I allow
the feeder bracket a to oscillate on a stud 6 when required to make à herring-
bone or angular stitch, but fix it with a thumbscrew c when required to
make a straight stitch; see Figures 3, 4, and 5. The herring-bone or
angular stitch is obtained by a screw d drawing a slide e of peculiar con-
struction, see Figures 2 and 6, attached to the ordinary straight stitch feed
motion h against the side of the feeding cam g, and by slackening the thumb-
screw c which allows the feeder bracket a, and with it the feeder f, to oscillate
on a swivel stud b as before mentioned; the sides of the cam 9 are bevelled
off, as shewn at g¹ in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and give the requisite lateral
motion while the circumference thereof gives the progressive motion to the
fabric or other material. By altering the position of the slide e by the screw d
more or less lateral motion is given to the fabric or material, by which means
the width of the herring-bone stitch is varied; the length and angle of the
herring-bone stitch is varied by means of the slide motion e acting in con-
junction with the ordinary straight stitch motion h, shewn in Figures 2 and 3.
The embroidery and the whip stitch are produced in the same manner as the
herring-bone stitch. In stitching button-holes and over the edge of the fabric
or other material the feed motion, which is the same as for the herring-bone
stitch, moves the fabric laterally as well as forwards in such manner that
every alternate stroke of the needle passes beyond the edge of the fabric, thus
sewing over it. When either the lock or chain stitch is required the slide
is moved beyond the reach of the feeding cam g by means of the screw d, and
the thumbscrew c is tightened to prevent the oscillation of the feeder bracket
and feeder.
The above improvements may be applied to certain sewing machines in
which the usual.vertical needle and shuttle are used, and to other machines
with the vertical needle and with a looper below.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Warwick in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WARWICK, of No. 49, Rutland Street, in the City of Manchester, Sewing
Machine Maker, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Warwick; Her. special license that I, the said James
Warwick, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I.
the said James Warwick, my executors, administrators, and assigns, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others),
that I, the said James Warwick, my executors or. administrators, by, an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner 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 James Warwick, do, hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is. to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement (that is to say):-
The nature of my Invention consists in so constructing sewing machines:
that by altering certain parts thereof the same machine may produce several:
distinct sorts of stitches, that is to say, the lock stitch, the herring-bone stitch,.
the embroidery stitch, the whip stitch, and other stitches, according to the.
nature of the work under operation. The alterations in the stitch are.
produced by improvements in that part of sewing machines known as the four-
motion feed, the feed motion changing the position of the cloth or other
material to be sewn.
And in order that my Invention-may be fully understood and, readily.
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet. of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sewing machine, the general construction of
which is similar to that known as the Howe machine, to which my improve-
ments are applied; Figure 2 is an end view of the same; and Figure 3. is a.
plan of my improvements; Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 áre detached portions.
of the machine. A is the table; B, the standard and top. arm; C, the needles
-lever;Dthe needle slide; and Esthe cam shafts the parts above enumerated

page_text: are common to the Howe machine. To the cam shaft E are fixed the shuttle
cam F and the needle cam G, which are provided with grooves capable of
producing two stitches for each revolvtion of the cam shaft as in the Grover
and Baker sewing machines.
In sewing machines of the ordinary construction the feeder bracket is
stationary, being fastened to the under side of the table of the machinė; now
according to my improvements I allow the feed bracket, as shewn in
Figures 4, 5, and 6, to oscillate on the stud 6 when required to make a herring-
bone or angular stitch, but I fix it with a thumbscrew c when it is required
to make a straight stitch. The herring-bone or angular stitch is obtained by.
the screw d drawing the slide e, see Figures 6, 7, and 8, attached to the
ordinary straight stitch feed motion h against the side of the feeding cam g,
see Figure 9, and by slackening the thumbscrew c, which allows the feeder
bracket a, and with it the feeder fto oscillate on the swivel stud b, as before
mentioned; the sides of the cam 9 are bevelled off, as shewn at gi in
Figures 1, 2, 3, 6, and 9, to give the requisite lateral motion while the
circumference thereof gives the progressive motion to the fabric or other
material. By altering the position of the slide e by the screw d, and by;
varying the width of the cam 9 more or less lateral motion is given to the
fabric or material, by which means the width of the herring-bone stitch is
varied; the length and angle of the herring-bone stitch is varied by means
of the slide motion e acting in conjunction with the ordinary straight stitch:
motion h. The embroidery stitch and the whip stitch are produced in the
same manner as the herring-bone stitch. In stitching button-holes and over;
the edge of the fabric or other material the feed motion, which is the same
as for the herring-bone stitch, moves the fabric laterally as well as forwards,
in such manner that every alternate stroke of the needle passes beyond the.
edge of the fabric, thus sewing over it. When either the lock or chain stitch-
is required, the slide e is moved beyond the reach of the feeding cam 9,
and the thumbscrew c is tightened to prevent the oscillation of the feeder
bracket a and feeder f.
The above improvements 'may be applied to other sewing machines in
which the usual vertical needle and horizontal shuttle are used, and to other
machines with the vertical needle and with a looper below.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to
limit myself to the details given, as the same must be varied according to
the particular construction of the machine to which my improvements are
applied. I also wish to observe that I make no claim to the well-known

page_text: parts of sewing machines, which are only shewn in the Drawing to illustrate
the mode of applying my improvements; but what I do claim is, ―
First, making the feeder to oscillate on a fixed stud, as described.
Secondly, the peculiar construction of the cam for moving the feeder, as
shewn and described.
Thirdly, the application of the slide and screw for producing the various
stitches, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Warwick, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of April,, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-seven.
JAMES WARWICK. (L.S.)