An Improved Festooning and Hemming or Edging Attachment for Sewing Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Mar., 1895-4ccepted, 27th Apr., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Festooning and Hemming or Edging Attachment for
Sewing Machines.
We, FRANZ RICHARD OTTO, Manufacturer, of 60 Oelsnitzerstrasse, and
WILHELM HERMANN VIERTEL, Merchant, of 23 Dobenaustrasse, both of Plauen,
in the Kingdom of Saxony, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention, the nature of which will be best understood by reference to the
accompanying drawings, (Figs. 1 to 30, Sheets I and II) relates to festooning and
hemming mechanism adapted for attachment to, and for use in conjunction with,
sewing machines. Its method of operation widely differs from similar appliances
hitherto known, the peculiarity and novelty of the invention more particularly
residing in the arrangement and mode of co-operation of the main parts of the
mechanism.
The threads for forming the festoons, which are stitched on to the upper and
lower sides of the edge of the material by the ordinary operation of a sewing
machine, are at the edge itself looped in a characteristic manner with a special
thread introduced for the purpose and a looping or tying thread, the result being
a smooth, neat and strong hem at the outer edge of the material, to which a variety
of colours may be given by means of the filling or core thread and the tying
thread.
The supply, introduction and junction or looping together of the overcasting
thread, the filling or core thread and the looping or tying thread are ensured by
the operation of a sewing machine fitted with a special device, the construction,
method of driving, and operation of which will be readily understood from the
following description with due reference to the drawings, in which;
Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a sewing machine fitted with the improved
attachment or festooning mechanism ;
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section along line R-R of Fig. 1 ;
Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of the mechanism on a larger scale;
Figs. 5 to 7 are cross sections thereof in three different planes of Fig. 4;
Figs. 8 to 13 are detached views of details of the apparatus ;
Figs. 14 to 19 are diagrams illustrating successive stages of the operation of the
improved device;
Figs. 20 to 23 show the structure of the finished festoons ;
Figs. 24 to 26 represent a festooning device comprising several spools; and
Figs. 27 to 30 illustrate the method of operation of the multiple spool
mechanism.
The improved festooning mechanism is attached to the bed-plate of the sewing
machine, and it comprises in its construction a case or sleeve B retained in position
by means of a bearing A.
The case B is provided with a toothed rim or wheel C, and is driven from the
shaft D of the sewing machine through the medium of auother tooth wheel E, by
which means uniform rotary motion is imparted to the said casing B. Behind the
wheel C is situated a thread-spool S, retained in place by, or within, the case K,
and carrying the looping or tying thread a. This tying thread a is led through the
sleeve B, to the tying thread guide b, by a narrow tube r.
Within the sleeve B there is located a longitudinally movable piece of tubular

page_text: shape, G, to the opposite end of which are secured the two guides 9 g for the
overcasting or festooning thread, and also the guide H for the filling thread.
The tubular piece G is shifted backwards and forwards within the sleeve B by
a suitable lever mechanism J and L; and as it performs these movements, the
guides I for the overcasting thread are also moved backwards or forwards,
as the case may be; but the guide H for the filling thread remains at
rest during those movements; such result being attained owing to the tubular
shape of the said guide H, and in consequence of its being held fast at its rear
portion by an arm.
The joint operation of the main parts or devices of the festooning mechanism,
just enumerated, takes place in conjunction with the operation of the sewing machine
needle, in the following manner :-
The overcasting or festooning threads which are held above and below the
ground material or piece of fabric by their guides g g are placed upon the surface
of the fabric along undulating or zig-zag lines, as illustrated in Figs. 16, 17 and 19.
For this purpose the guides for the overcasting thread are, at each stitch of the
sewing machine needle N, moved once forwards and once backwards; and while this
is being done, the needle-thread n stitches on to the ground material the inward
curves of the festooning or overcasting threads, as illustrated in Figs. 20 to 23. As
to the process of tying and securing the outward curves of the festooning loops, it
is performed by the case or sleeve B, owing to the rotation of which, the
tying tread a is carried round the overcasting or festooning thread, as
illustrated in Figs. 14 to 19. At the same time as the festooning threads h h
are tied by means of the thread a, the filling thread i, which is simply laid
in and then retained by the stationary thread guide H, is connected with the
overcasting threads; the said supplemental or filling thread i being also enclosed
in the winding or loop of the tying thread a, as this thread a performs its circuitous
movement together with the case or sleeve B.
The several operations of forming the overcasting threads into loops above and
below the surface of the material, by means of the reciprocating overcasting
thread guide; of stitching on or securing the inner curves of the said overcasting
thread loops; and of enclosing the filling or core thread by means of the tying
thread which for this purpose is carried round in a circle, are all repeated at each
stitch or stroke of the sewing-machine needle, with the result, that a firm and neat
edging or hem is obtained all along the outline of the festoons.
In order that variously coloured tying threads may be employed and similarly set
in operation, at the same time, the invention may be modified in the manner here-
after described and illustrated by way of example in Figs. 24 to 30 of the
drawings.
In this case, instead of one thread bobbin S, several spools S³, S³, S³, S',
may be
provided, together with a corresponding number of tying-thread-guides 61, 62, 63, 64,
which, however, will not act simultaneously, but successively, so that at each stitch of
the sewing machine needle, the case or sleeve B will perform, say, a quarter of a
revolution (if there be four spools and guides); consequently it is not until after
the sewing machine has completed four stitches, that a tying thread a can come
right round the overcasting and filling threads.
By means of this arrangement festoons may be provided with variegated edgings
or hems as desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the, same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is ;-
A festooning and hemming attachment for sewing machines, adapted to lay the
festooning thread in loops or wave-lines on both sides of the ground material, by
means of a reciprocating threadguide g, g, then to sew or stitch the said loops on to
the ground-material by means of the ordinary sewing thread and to tie and connect
the said loops at the edge of the material in conjunction with a filling or core thread i

page_text: by means of a tying thread or threads a guided in a circle by a thread guide b,
the whole substantially as described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this 21st day of March 1895.
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
433, Strand, London, Agents.