IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT
to Isaac Merritt Singer. of New York, but now residing
at Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Gentleman, for the
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 2nd November 1863, and dated the 6th May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaac Merritt Singer at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th May 1863.
1. ISAAC MERRITT SINGER. of New York, but now residing at Glasgow,
in the County of Lanark. North Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES,"
to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention comprises various improvements in the details of sewing
machines, and has for object to render the action of the parts more efficient
and satisfactory, together with other advantages.
Of improvements relating to the needle, the first consists in making the
spool holder in the form of an inclined trough in which the spool lies, and
which is by preference formed with two flat sides at right angles to each other
with a slit along the angle for the thread to pass off by. With this holder a
more uniform delivery of the thread is obtained.
A second improvement consists in providing a clip to hold the thread between
the tension regulator and the needle at suitable periods, to prevent the elasticity
of the thread from carrying the slack back through the tension regulator.

page_text: At the period when the thread is drawn off the spool the clip is re-
leased.
A third improvement applies to the lever thread guide, used in the sewing
machines of the present applicant. Hitherto a bridle has been used to limit the
upward movement of this lever guide, such bridle being applied nearer to
the outer end of the lever guide than the part acted upon by the needle
slide.
The improvement consists in placing the bridle nearer to the fulcrum of the
lever guide, or in substituting for it a stop formed on the lever guide itself to
limit the upward movement; the parts are however so arranged that the needle
slide lifts the end of the lever guide a little higher than the bridle or stop
would permit, were it not for the elasticity or spring in the lever guide itself,
and on the return of the slide, the lever guide recovering this little extra
movement allows the thread to slacken very slightly, whereby it is prevented
from springing the needle out of its true position. The same end may be
obtained but not so simply by using a spring bridle in the position of the old
rigid bridle.
Of improvements relating to the shuttle thread, the first consists in substi-
tuting a vibrating shuttle for the ordinary reciprocating one. This vibrating
shuttle consists of a flat circular case to contain the shuttle spool and having
attached to it a head by which in one modification it is suspended, this head
being in the form of a portion of a sphere, and the thread issues at the centre,
which is the centre of motion, so that the variation in the length of free shuttle
thread is reduced to a minimum. The shuttle is in this modification supported
by a cavity in which the head fits and works freely. The loop of the needle
thread is opened for the passage of the shuttle by means of an instrument
which takes hold of it and draws it down and opens it, the needle having
only to carry it down a sufficient distance for the instrument to take hold.
The tension of the shuttle thread may be sufficient to hold up the shuttle
free of its support, but if not the shuttle is lifted slightly at the proper
time to permit of the needle thread passing freely between the head and its
supporting surface, which movement may be conveniently effected by causing
the shuttle in vibrating to one side to come in contact with an inclined surface.
The shuttle is made to vibrate by a driver similar to that used with the ordi-
nary shuttle. With this arrangement each stitch is completed independently
of the others.
In another modification of vibrating shuttle, there is substituted for the
supporting head a mere nipple forming a loose fulcrum for the shuttle to
vibrate on, and out of which nipple the shuttle thread issues. This shuttle is

page_text: supported by a curved path or race below, or by the driver, to which last a
circular motion in a vertical plane may be given if required.
A second improvement is applicable to the ordinary shuttle, and consists in
applying a curved wire to the back end of it like a rat's tail. This tail detains
each needle loop until after the shuttle has entered the next one; the first
loop so detained being drawn tight by the action of the tail in detaining the
second loop when the shuttle moves backwards. This arrangement improves
the appearance of the sewing on the upper surface of the cloth.
A similar effect is obtained by a third improvement which consists in forming
the shuttle with oppositely inclined notches on opposite sides of it, but with this
modification, the first loop is drawn tight when the shuttle is moving forward
with the next loop.
A fourth improvement is applicable to the ordinary shuttle, and consists in
forming it with a jointed nose or serpent head, which becomes elevated when
the shuttle is nearly completing its backward movement by the action of pro-
jections on the jointed nose, and on the bottom of the shuttle race respectively.
In moving forward the elevated head enters the loop of the needle thread, and
at the same instant turns down by the action of the projections referred to.
With this contrivance the needle requires to project a very short distance
below the cloth, the advantage of which is well understood.
A fifth improvement consists in holding the shuttle thread in a forward
position by means of a clip when the shuttle is moving backwards, whereby
the thread is prevented from tangling, and is in a better position for the next
descent of the needle.
Another portion of the Invention relates to the feeding and other details
acting upon the material being operated upon by the machine. In an improved
feed motion there is a reciprocating bar which acts as the prime mover of the
other details. In a part of its movement this bar becomes elevated by a
prominence on its under side riding over a stationary guide, and this rising is
communicated to the feeding dog by an intermediate piece which can only
move vertically, and thereby prevents the longitudinal motion of the bar
from affecting the dog. The dog is formed or fixed on a piece arranged to
move in any direction, and receives its forward motion from the prime
moving bar below by means of a pin on one end, and an inclined surface on
the other, or by means of inclined surfaces on both. The inclination of the
surface or surfaces is by preference 45 degrees of the circle to the ordinary
direction of feeding, and with this contrivance the feed will take place in the
ordinary direction, or in a direction having any inclination thereto up to
90 degrees of the circle accordingly as the dog may be guided by a grooved

page_text: plate, which is used in combination with the details described. This grooved
guide plate may have portions of the groove at right angles to each other,.
and be adjustable in one straight direction, or it may have the groove straight.
and be adjustable angularly. With the former grooved plate the feeding
motion will be all in either part of the groove. or a portion in one part, and
the remainder in the other part, at right angles according to the position of
the grooved plate with reference to the movement of the dog The length of
stitch is determined by adjusting the acting finger on the prime-moving bar
by means of a screw. 'The feeding dog is taken back to its starting point by
a second finger on the prime-moving bar, which like the former acts by
means of an inclined surface, and the return of all the parts is effected in such
a way that the movements are all positive, and not dependent on the action
of springs, or the like. This feed motion may be made to work with an
escapement action by shaping the prime-moving bar and the piece, by riding
over which it is elevated, so that on the return movement this bar passes
under the elevating piece, being depressed by an inclined surface on the back
of that piece.
For plaiting a single ply of material by this Invention a blade is made to
descend upon the material at the entering side of the presser foot. and as it
were scrape a plait up to the presser foot, when it passes under and is stitched,
this being repeated for each plait. With this arrangement the plaits all lie
one way, but to make what are termed box plaits a vertical or more or less
inclined surface is formed on the back of the presser foot, and the material is
led down in a direction bisecting the angle between the presser foot and the
table top. A blade forms a plait by scraping the material along the table
top, and a blade on the other side of the material then forms the second plait
to lie the other way by scraping the material down the back of the presser
foot. Two blades for forming the box plaits may be carried by an arm so
close together as to slightly compress the material passing between them, and
the arm carrying the two blades may be actuated by a vibrating crank or arm
which will cause the plaits to be formed on opposite sides alternately. or in
making box plaits the plait in one direction may be formed by the blade
scraping on the top surface of the table, the other plait being formed by a
finger, which at the proper periods depresses the material into a groove or
In connection with the various arrangements for plaiting the presser
foot is by preference made duplex, so that one part may be lifted for the intro-
duction of the plait whilst the other part still holds the material at the other
side of the needle.
recess.
In another arrangement for forming goffers and compressing the paris to

page_text: be stitched in the form of box plaits, an internal goffering instrument rises up
across a groove cut out of the feeding dog, and an external former descends
and shapes the ribbon or material upon the internal former. The internal
former having descended a part of the presser foot descends and compresses
the material into a box plait at a narrow part where the external former is
cut away to admit of this being done. The external former is then quickly
raised, and the feed carries the material forward. In this arrangement the
goffering piece may be heated when desirable for giving a permanent set to
the material.
For frilling or gathering one ply of material, and at the same time stitching
it to another ply, by this Invention there is combined with the ordinary presser
foot a lower blade, and the plain ply is passed between the foot and blade,
whilst the ply to be gathered passes below the blade. The result is that the
upper ply is not fed so fast as the lower one, which is acted on directly by the
feeding dog, and the lower ply consequently becomes gathered in a regular
and uniform manner. If necessary. the pressures of the foot and intermediate
blade may be adjusted by separate screws.
An important improvement comprised in the present Invention consists in
the application of a curved confining edge in the plane or nearly in the
plane of motion of the material for folding over the edge of such material for
a hem. The simplest form of hem folder made in this way consists of a ring
placed horizontally, and when a strip of material is drawn horizontally through
such ring, its two edges become folded in in a beautifully regular and simple
manner, the folded width becoming equal to the internal diameter of the ring.
To fold a hem on one edge only, the ring is slit angularly to admit the mate-
rial, the unfolded part going through the slit, and the main fold with its edge
turned in to make the edge fold passing over the forward part of the ring.
To make a guide or gauge for binding, and which if necessary will turn in
the edges of the binding material, a wire is bent backwards and forwards in
one plane with four or more folds, and the folds are then bent or folded across
in such a way as to nearly meet. This wire gauge or guide is placed so that
the edge of the material to be bound passes along between the folded parts,
and the binding is threaded through the wires.
To guide the material whilst forming a button hole according to one modi-
fication, a small button or partially flanged head is fitted to the table top. The
button hole is placed over this button, and the edge is kept against it whilst
being sewed, and at the end the angle is opened and made nearly straight by
the action of the flange on the head, and the curvature of the neck of the
button

page_text: According to another modification a small guide plate is placed below the
material, and guides and turns it with scarcely any assistance from the hand.
This button-hole guide is formed with a toothed rim on its under side shaped
to correspond to the form of the button hole, and this toothed rim is acted
upon by a pinion which feeds it round as the sewing goes on. The inside of
the toothed rim rests against a central pin or stud, which is formed with a
recess or recesses for the descent of the two needles which are used along
with this arrangement. To facilitate the shifting round of bulky articles when
button-holing or otherwise, a table is arranged to turn easily on wheels or
other supports either through a complete circle or through an arc merely.
To protect the edge of a button hole or other part of the material by
stitching answering the purpose of ordinary button-hole stitch five threads are
used by this Invention according to one modification. Two threads are in
separate needles, one of which descends beyond the edge; the third thread
is in a shuttle beneath. and locks the threads of both needles, and the fourth
and fifth threads or cords, as they may be, are laid backwards and forwards
across each other on the surface by vibrating guides being fixed down by
the needle threads, and forming a kind of braiding. The shuttle thread is laid
in a zig-zag form, but in some cases a finger or clip is introduced to draw it to
the grooved side of the needles at every stroke, and this causes it to be laid in
a very firm manner, and so as to closely resemble the hand button-hole stitch.
Instead of the two top threads (described as the fourth and fifth), a tape or,
braid may be stitched along the edge, and to give increased hardness and
thickness at the edge, this tape or braid may be turned in by passing it
through a horizontal guide with a slit having a curved edge at the side acting
like the hem folder herein-before described. An improved button-hole stitch
is formed with two needles and a shuttle, a loop hole or pointed finger being
added above the material, which at each stroke loops the thread of the inner
needle, and places it so that at the next stroke the outer needle carries its
thread down through it. A button-hole stitch is formed with a single thread
in the following manner: The needle descends through the material, and
the loop formed by it is caught and drawn round over the edge of the mate-
rial, and there is drawn through it the part of the thread above the material
so as to form a second loop. There are thus two loops formed for each action
of the needle, one from below, and the other from above the material. The
loop drawn from above is held until the succeeding descent of the needle is
formed, and the succeeding lower loop is drawn through it.
For machines requiring several sizes of throat, instead of providing throat
pieces of the full strength for all sizes, a single throat of the largest size is

page_text: formed in the necessary thickness of metal for strength, and throat pieces of
various sizes are formed in thin metal, each being placed when in use in a
slight recess upon the top of the main throat piece.
This Invention further comprehends the laying of a single thread or cord
in the form of a chain, or the interlacing of two or more threads or cords, so
as to form by the machine itself an ornamental braid or gimp, which is
stitched down as it is made by the action of the ordinary parts of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Isaac Merritt Singer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISAAC
MERRITT SINGER. of New York, but lately residing at Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark. North Britain, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three. in the twenty-sixth year of Her"
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Isaac Merritt Singer, Her special licence that I. the said Isaac
Merritt Singer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
1. the said Isaac Merritt Singer, 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 "IMPROVE
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that 1, the
said Isaac Merritt Singer, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly 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 1, the said Isaac Merritt Singer, 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 following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :--

page_text: My said Invention comprises various improvements in the details of sewing
machines, and has for object to render the action of the parts more efficient
and satisfactory. together with other advantages.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the
same may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended three Sheets of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to in describing my improve-
ments.
To prevent mistakes as to the positions of the paris the terms indicating
such positions will have reference to the position of an operator in using the
machine, it being understood that the operator sits with the hand wheel to the
right, the overhanging arm lying from right to left with the needle bar at
its left-hand end. the feed taking place in general in a direction from the
operator, the grooved side of the needle or needles being towards the operator,
and the shuttle race being parallel to the overhanging arm. The side towards
the operator will be termed the near side, and the opposite one the far side,
whilst the other sides will be termed the right and left sides or ends; and
these several terms will be indicated in the Drawings, wherever it seems
desirable, by their initial letters N, F, R. L. in red. The same reference
numerals are used to mark the same or like parts in all the Figures in which
they occur and in general the needle thread is shown by a red line, and the
shuttle thread by a blue line.
The first part of my said Invention relates to the needle thread, and the
first improvement is shown on Sheet of the accompanying Drawings,
whereon Figure is a left-hand sectional elevation, and Figure 2 a near side
sectional elevation (Figure 3 being a horizontal section, but not showing the
part concerned in the first improvement). This improvement consists in
making the holder for the needle-thread spool in the form of a trough 2,
which is fixed upon the overhanging arm 3, so as to have an inclined position,
as shown. The trough is formed with two flat sides 2, which are inclined to
each other at an angle, by preference. of ninety degrees of the circle, being
also, by preference, equally inclined from the horizontal plane. An end piece 4
closes the bottom end of the trough, and a slit is formed along the meeting
angle of the two sides 2. The spool is placed in the trough with its axis
parallel to the sides 2, and with its flanges resting on the sides, the lower
flange also resting against the end piece 4. The thread 5 passes off through
the slit at the meeting angle of the sides 2. and the resistance to its delivery
(which resistance affects its tension) is very uniform notwithstanding the
variation of the quantity of thread upon the spool. No special adjustments
are required for spools of different sizes, and whilst it is preferable to have the

page_text: two flanges of each spool of the same diameter, this equality is not indis-
pensable. The inclination of the trough from the horizontal is, by preference.
about twenty-five degrees of the circle, and its object is to cause the spool, by
its own weight, to bear constantly and uniformly against the end piece 4. thus
avoiding the irregularity in the frictional resistance to the delivery of the
thread which occurs with a horizontal trough from the spool moving back-
wards and forwards along the trough.
The second improvement consists in providing a clip to hold the thread
between the tension regulator 6 and the needle 7. The tension regulator 6
shown is of the kind used by me, but the improvement is applicable with
other kinds. The regulator is a wire 6 with an eye at one end, at which the
thread 5 enters, and the thread is made to take one or two turns backwards
and forwards round the wire by a spring clip on the wire, the tension being
varied by turning the clip on the wire. From the regulator 6 the thread 5
passes over the top of the needle-bar guide piece 8, through the fixed wire
guide eye 9. thence up to the lever or spring arm guide 10, and finally down-
wards towards the needle 7. The improved clip 11 is applied upon the top
of the guide piece 8, and it may be formed, as shown, in one piece with the
regulator wire 6. The clip is shaped to nip the thread by its spring pressure
down on the top of the guide piece 8, and it is prolonged beyond the nipping
point so that its end can be acted on by a pin fixed for the purpose in the
left-hand face of the needle slide 12. The office of the clip 11 is to prevent
the elasticity of the thread from carrying the slack back through the tension
regulator 6: it also prevents the spring-arm guide 10 from pulling the thread
from the spool until after each stitch has been tightened. The clip 11 is
lifted by the needle slide 12. when this slide has reached the top of its stroke
all but about a quarter of an inch, and the thread remains free until the
needle slide has moved the same distance in its return stroke downwards.
The third improvement relates to the lever or spring-arm thread guide 10
commonly used in my machine. Hitherto a bridle has been used to limit
the upward movement of this lever guide, such bridle being applied nearer to
the outer end of the lever guide than the part acted upon by the needle
slide 12. The improvement consists in placing the bridle nearer to the
fulcrum 13 of the lever guide, or in substituting for it, as shown in Figure 2,
a stop 14 formed on the lever guide itself, to limit or control the upward
movement. In Figure 6, on Sheet 2 of the Drawings, a bridle 15 is shown
placed as proposed. The object of this arrangement is, that the needle slide 12
may be adjusted to raise the end of the lever guide 10 a little higher than the
stop 14 or bridle 15 would permit were it not for the elasticity or spring in

page_text: the lever guide itself.
In consequence of the lever guide being so lifted it.
springs back in the extent of this little extra movement at the commencement
of the slide's return downwards, and thereby slightly slackens the thread and
prevents it from springing the needle 7 out of its position. The same end
may be obtained, but not so simply, by using a spring bridle 16, as shown in
Figure 7, in the position of the old rigid bridle, Figure 8 being a view at right
angles to Figure 7.
The second part of my said Invention relates to the shuttle, and the first
improvement therein consists in substituting for the ordinary reciprocating
shuttle a vibrating one of a peculiar kind and accompanied by certain details
necessary to its working. This vibrating or pendulous shuttle consists of a
flai circular case to contain the bobbin, and formed with a small spherical
head, by which in one modification it is suspended or retained. but in such a
free or loose manner that the loop of the needle thread may be easily passed
over it.
The shuttle thread issues from the middle of the near side of the
head, and this being in the axis of the shuttle's motion, that motion will never
occasion any slack between the shuttle and the article being sewed. The loop
of the needle thread is opened for the passage of the shuttle by an instrument
which enters it, opens it, and draws it down. the needle having only to carry
it down a sufficient distance for the instrument to take hold of it. The
shuttle is passed only about three-fourths through the loop towards the right
when the thread in being drawn up slips round the left-hand side of the
shuttle which completes the stitch, and in this way each stitch is completed
independently of the others.
A modification of these improved arrangements is shown in Figures 9, 10,
11, 12, and 13, on Sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings; Figure 9 being
a horizontal section, the bottom of the Figure corresponding to the far side in
the machine Figure 10 being a vertical section viewed as looking towards
the operator Figure being a transverse vertical section viewed as looking
towards the right; Figure 12 being a vertical section similar to Figure 10,
but with details in different positions, and Figure 13 being a transverse
vertical section of the shuttle with a bobbin shown in elevation within it.
The shuttle 17 is shown in its extreme position to the left in Figures 9
and 10, and in its extreme position to the right in Figure 12. Its spherical
head 18, connected by a short neck to the body, is retained between two
concave holders 19, 20, one of which, 19, is fixed to or formed upon the flat
vertical side 21 of the shuttle race, the other, 20, being hinged to the fixed
part 19, and being held in its closed position by a light spring 22. The near
side of the shuttle 17, which lies against the race 21, is open, or in other

page_text: words one of the discs of the bobbin may be said to form the near side of the
shuttle. A feather, 23, is made to extend from the middle of the head 18 to
the upper left-hand part of the body to prevent the loop from catching under
the head when drawn up, and on the lower right-hand side of the shuttle
body 17 there is an angular projection or nose 24, the point and near face of
which is shaped to lic against or nearly against the race side 21, whilst the
other side is gradually bevilled or rounded into the circular edge of the back
or far side of the shuttle, the object of this nose being to facilitate the entrance
of the shuttle into the loop, and the spreading of the latter over or across the
thickness of the shuttle. The distender or instrument for entering and
opening the loop of the needle thread, consists of a lever 25, jointed upon a
slide 26, to which a suitable motion from right to left, and vice versa, is given by
means of a cam or the like means. The lever 25 moves in a vertical plane
to an extent regulated by the stationary pins 27, 28, and it has jointed to the
far side of it a second lever 29, pressed against it by a spring, and shaped so
that when closed the left-hand ends of the two levers form a single point
which enters the loop of the needle thread, as shown in Figure 10. On the
motion of the slide 26 being continued a little further to the left of the
position in Figure 10, the action of the lower stationary pin 27 on the spur
of the lever 25 causes this last to turn downwards into the position shown in
Figure 12, and in so turning the lever 29. coming in contact with a stationary
wedge 30, is thereby opened and made to spread the loop. The shuttle 17 is
moved to the right in such a way that its nose 24 enters the loop the moment
the latter is drawn down sufficiently, and it passes about three-fourths through
the loop, as shown in Figure 12. and the bottom of the shuttle rests for an
instant on a small inclined stool 31. whereby its head 19, is lifted slightly to
facilitate the passage upwards of the loop. This stool 31 also serves to catch
the bottom of the loop, and to prevent its being carried to the right by the
shuttle, or by the distender 25, 29, when this last returns towards the right.
The return of the distender may commence the instant the shuttle is half
through the loop. As it returns it rises from the action on the wedge 30
of the spring of the lever 29, and is finally turned to its highest position, as
in Figure 10, by the action of the upper stationary pin 28 on a spring toe
on the top of the lever 25. The shuttle 17 is made to vibrate by a recipro-
cating slide 32, which is formed with a fork 33, to act on a nipple on the
middle of the back or far side of the shuttle, there being sufficient play
between the fork and the nipple for the thread to pass. The tension of the
shuttle thread may be varied by passing it through more or fewer holes formed
in the shuttle shell for the purpose. The shuttle bobbin is made to fill the

page_text: shuttle case with only sufficient clearance to turn freely, and it consists simply
of two discs fixed on a small axle. and I prefer it to rest and turn on the edges
of its discs instead of its turning on a spindle or centre.
In another modification of vibrating shuttle shown in Figure 14, there is
substituted for the supporting head a mere nipple 34. forming a loose fulcrum
for the shuttle 17 to vibrate on, and out of which nipple the shuttle thread issues.
The shuttle is supported by a curved path or race, or by the driver 32, to
which last a circular motion in a vertical plane is given. In combination with
this nipple shuttle the contrivances for distending the loop of the needle
thread may be like those already described, or any other convenient kind of
distender may be used with any modification of my vibrating or pendulous
shuttle.
The second improvement relating to the shuttle is applicable to the ordinary
shuttle, and is shown in Figure 15. which is a vertical section viewed as
looking towards the operator. The improvement consists in forming the
shuttle 17 with a tail 35 projecting from its back end like a rat's tail.
When the shuttle moves to the right the loop of the needle thread does not
slip up round its back end, but is detained by the tail and drawn to the left
when the shuttle moves in that direction. On the shuttle next moving to the
right, it runs, tail and all, out of the loop. and the loop is tightened by the
action of the tail on the next loop. This arrangement improves the appearance
of the sewing on the upper surface of the cloth.
A similar effect is obtained by a third improvement, which is shown in
Figures 16, 17, 18, and 19, Figure 16 being a plan of the shuttle, and
Figures 17, 18, and 19, vertical sections through the race viewed as looking
towards the operator and showing the shuttle 17 in different positions. The
shuttle is formed with oppositely inclined notches, one 36, near the point, and
the other 37, near the round end. When the shuttle moves to the right, the
right-hand notch 36 draws the loop to the right, as shown in Figure 18; and
when the shuttle moves to the left the loop first slackens and then becomes
caught in the left-hand notch 37, being freed from the other notch, and is
carried to the left, as shown in Figure 17. Each loop is finally tightened
by the shuttle moving to the right with the following loop, as shown in
Figure 19.
The fourth improvement relating to the shuttle, also applicable to the
ordinary shuttle, is shown in Figures 20 and 21, which are vertical sections
through the shuttle race, viewed as looking toward the operator, and showing
the shuttle 17 in different positions. The shuttle has jointed on its right-hand
end a nose or serpent head 38, formed with a heel or lug 39, which on the

page_text: shuttle moving to the left encounters a projection 40, standing up from the
bottom of the shuttle race against the far side of the shuttle. and the nose 38
is thereby erected, as shown in Figure 20. Immediately to the right of the
projection 40 there is a hollow in the bottom of the shuttle race, down into
which hollow the lug 39 descends when the nose 38 is erected. When the
shuttle moves to the right the point of the nose 38 enters the loop of the
needle thread, and immediately turns down in consequence of the movement
of the shuttle causing the lug 39 to leave the hollow, and the shuttle moves
onwards, as shown in Figure 21. With this contrivance the needle requires
to project a very short distance below the cloth, the advantage of which is well
understood. For the purpose of driving this improved shuttle, a slight cavity 41
is formed in it near its heel or left-hand end, and the driver (32) is formed
with a smoothly rounded projection which enters this cavity, but which fits
with suflicient looseness for the thread to pass easily. This arrangement will
be better understood from Figure 22. which is a sectional plan.
The fifth improvement relating to the shuttle is shown in Figure 22, just
referred to, and consists in providing a spring clip 42, which holds the shuttle
thread in a forward position or to the right-hand when the shuttle 17 is.
moving backwards or to the left, whereby the thread is prevented from
tangling, and is in a better position for the next descent of the needle. The
clip 42 bears against the race side 21, and is drawn away to receive the thread
at the proper time, namely, on the shuttle reaching the left-hand end of its
travel, by the action of a pin 43 on the driver 23, as shown in the Figure.
The thread is drawn away from the clip as the shuttle reaches the left-hand
end of its travel, the pressure of the spring being insufficient to detain it; that
pressure is, however sufficient to hold the thread when slack out of the way of
the needle. A clip has before been used to hold the shuttle thread when the
shuttle is moving forward, and to assist in tightening the stitch. My improved
clip, just described. however, has nothing to do with tightening the stitch,
and acts when the shuttle is moving backwards. its office being, as already
stated, to prevent the thread from tangling.
The third part of my said Invention relates to the feeding and other details
acting upon the material being operated upon by the machine.
One modification of my improved feed works is shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3,
on Sheet of the accompanying Drawings. The section is supposed to be
taken just beneath the horizontal surface plate of the machine, but the feeding
dog 44, the serrated parts of which project through the surface plate when
feeding, is retained in position. The principal part of the improved feed works
is a bar 45, carried by two brackets 46, 47, and made to reciprocate from

page_text: right to left, and vice versa. by a crank or eccentric pin on the lower end of
the vertical spindle 48, to which it is connected by the rod 49; this bar may
be termed the prime moving bar; and in the position shown it has been
moved through a part of its travel to the right, and has been raised from its
lowest position by an incline 50 on its under side riding over the left-hand
support or bracket 47. In rising it has lifted the feed dog 44, so as to make
its teeth engage with the fabric, but in order to prevent the feed dog from
being moved to the right by mere friction, the prime moving bar 45 docs not
act directly on it, but through a thin spring blade 51, fixed so as not to
move horizontally. The horizontal movement for the stitch is imparted to the
feed dog 44 by a pin 52, carried by the prime moving bar 45, and projecting
up through a slot in the intermediate spring piece 51. The pin 52 is made
adjustable in the prime moving bar 45 by means of a screw 53, the length of
stitch depending thereon, since as the stroke of the prime moving bar is
always the same, the stitch will be longer or shorter accordingly as the pin 52
is adjusted to come in contact with the feed dog 44, at an earlier or later part
of the bar's stroke.
One object of the arrangements is to obtain a variable direction of the feed,
either from the operator or towards the right hand, or in any direction
intermediate between these two, and for this purpose the part of the feed dog
44 acted on by the pin 52 is inclined, by preference at angle of forty-five
degrees of the circle, in a direction from the operator, and towards the left
hand.
With this arrangement, if the feed dog can only move towards the right
hand, the pin 52, will move it in that direction, whilst if it can only move
away from the operator the pin will cause it to move in that direction although
itself moving to the right. In the same way the feed dog will when the
pin 52 presses on its inclined surface move in any intermediate direction to
which it may be confined. The feed dog 44 may be mounted in various
ways to permit of its different movements. In the modification represented
it is formed or fixed on the left-hand end of a long thin bar 54, the right-
hand end of which is slotted, and held by a screw, with which arrangement
the movements of the feed dog have sufficient freedom. The feed dog 44 is
constrained to move in the required direction by means of a pin 55 projecting
up from its bar 54 into a slotted guide plate 56. This guide plate 56 is made
circular and is fitted into a circular socket in the under side of the surface
plate, and it can be turned in this socket so as to place its guide slot in the
direction in which the feed is required. For the purpose of adjustment the
guide plate 56 is formed with a lever, a rod 57 from which is connected to

page_text: a lever 58, turning on a fixed pin, and having an external handle by which
it can be set.
I have now to describe how the various details are returned. On the
prime moving bar 45 first moving towards the left an inclined tongue 59 on
the front side of it enters under a stationary inclined piece 60, and causes the
bar to move down, which permits the feed dog 44 to drop clear of the fabric.
On the prime moving bar 45 continuing to move towards the left a pin 61
(Figure 3), on it comes in contact with an incline 62, on the far side of the
feed dog har 54. and canses the feed dog to return to its starting point in
whatever direction or to whatever extent it may have been moved by the
preceding motion of the prime moving bar 45 to the right." In Figure 4 a
different form of guide plate 56 is shown. having a slot, one part of which
is at right angles to the other part, and this guide plate is adjusted by being
shifted to or from the operator by means of a lever 63. In the position shown
the feed will take place entirely in a direction from the operator. If the
guide plate 56 is moved towards the operator as far as the pin 55 will permit,
the feed will take place entirely to the right. If the guide plate 56 is adjusted
in any intermediate position, then if the stitch is long enough one part of the
movement. will take place in a direction from the operator, and the remainder
towards the right, but the effect on the fabric and stitches will be as though
the movement had taken place in an oblique direction. In Figure 5 a
different arrangement is shown for working the prime moving bar 45, and
for varying the length of stitch. The prime moving bar is continued to the
right hand as far as the vertical spindle 48. and is formed with projections so
as to be acted upon directly by an eccentric 64 on the spindle 48. The space
between the projections is wider than the eccentric, and a wedge 65 is
introduced at the right-hand side. and the length of the stitch is varied by
moving this wedge 65 in or out. In another modification of the feed works
the prime moving bar 45 works with an escapement. The piece, in riding
over which the bar rises so as to lift the feed dog 44. is fitted to have a
slight vertical motion which is controlled by a spring, and the part of the bar
acting on it is a lateral projection, which on the return of the bar lifts it and
passes under it. The spring returns the piece to the proper position for the
next movement.
In this third part of my said Invention are comprised various improved
arrangements for plaiting, gathering, and goffering, and in one arrangement
for plaiting a blade is made to descend upon the material at the entering side
of the presser foot, and as it were scrape a plait up to the presser foot, when
it passes under and is stitched, this being repeated for each plait. With this

page_text: arrangement the plaits all lie one way, but to make what are termed box
plaits à vertical or more or less inclined surface is formed on the entering
side of the presser foot, and the material is led down in a direction bisecting
the angle between the presser foot and the table top. A blade forms a plait
by scraping the material along the table top, and a blade on the other side of
the material, then forms the second plait to lie the other way by scraping
the material down the surface on the presser foot. Two blades for forming
the box plaits may be carried by an arm so close together as to slightly com-
press the material between them, and the arm carrying the two blades may
be actuated by a vibrating crank or arm which will cause the plaits to be
formed on opposite sides alternately.
One modification of my improved plaiting contrivances is shown in left-hand
end elevation in Figure 23. on Sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings, and in
near side elevation in Figure 24. The revolving crank-pin disc 66, which
works the needle slide 12, has a series of holes drilled in it to receive pins 67,
there being more or fewer pins inserted according to the size of plaits
required in relation to the ordinary feed, which is retained as will be herein-
after more fully explained. The pins 67 project towards the right and act on
a toothed wheel 68 fast on the end of a spindle 69. carried by brackets 70, 71,
fixed to the overhanging arm 3. From the right-hand side of the wheel 68
there projects a pin 72, as seen best in the detached view, Figure 25, which
as the wheel turns round acts alternately on the two horns of an oscillating
lever piece 73, centred on a stud 74, fixed to the bracket 70. The horns.of
the lever piece 73 carry inclined pieces 75. which are adjustable and are
inclined in opposite directions, so that when the pin 72 in coming round acts
on one it moves the lever piece in one direction, and when it acts on the other
it moves the lever piece in the opposite direction. The other end of the lever
piece 73 is formed with a rack or toothed arc 76, which gears with a pinion
on a spindle, 77, carried by the brackets 70, 71, and this spindle is con-
sequently turned alternately in opposite directions by the oscillating motion
of the lever piece 73. On the end of the spindle 77, there is a crank 78, 10
the end of which there is connected by a stiff joint a lever 79, having at its
end a pair of plates 80, between which the material to be formed into plates
passes. The lever 79 is formed with a spur 81, which comes in contact
alternately with two pins 82, 83, carried by a bracket 84, and which control the
lever's movements. There are two presser feet, one, 85, of the common
kind at the far side of the needle 7, and the other, 86, at the near side of
the needle, the latter formed with a broad surface slightly inclined from the
vertical. The parts are shown in the position in which a plait is about to

page_text: be formed by a scraping action of the blades 80 down the inclined presser
foot 86. The next oscillatory movement of the lever piece 73 will cause the
crank 78 to turn in the direction of the arrow, and it will cause the lever 79 to
assume successively the positions shown in the 'detached views, Figures 26, 27,
and 28. In Figure 27 the blades 80 are shown carrying the plait under the
presser foot, and under the needle, and a notch is cut out of the blades to allow
the needle to descend and fix the plait before the blades retire. The second half
of the movement of the crank 78 draws the plates 80 from under the presser
foot 86, and the projection 81 catching on the upper pin 83 causes the
lever 79 to bear the plates 80 down on the table top. When the lever
piece 73 oscillates back again, the crank 78 turns in the opposite direction,
and makes the next plait on the table surface, so that this plait will lie in the
opposite direction to the preceding one formed on the surface of the presser
foot 86. The parts described may be adjusted or modified so as to cause the
plaits to lie all in one direction.
Or, by a further modification in making box plaits, the plait in one direc-
tion may be formed by a blade scraping on the top surface of the table, the
other plait being formed by a finger which at the proper periods depresses the
materials into a groove or recess. It remains for me to explain how the
If there
plaiting is varied by altering the number of pins 67 in the wheel 66.
are as many pins as there are teeth in the second wheel 68, this wheel will
obviously make one complete revolution for each up-and-down stroke of the
needle, that is, for each revolution of the wheel 66, if there are only half as
many pins, two revolutions of the wheel 66 will be required to produce one
complete revolution of the wheel 68; if there is only one pin, as many revolu-
tions of the wheel 66, will be required as there are teeth in the wheel 68, and
Two plaits
proportional results will be obtained by other numbers of pins.
or one complete box plait is formed for each revolution of the wheel 68, and
if this wheel has eighteen teeth, for example, and there is one pin on the
wheel 66, a box plait will be formed in each successive length of eighteen
stitches, whilst if there are more pins the plaits will be formed in propor-
tionately shorter lengths.
For gathering or frilling one ply of material and at the same time stitching
it to another ply, I use an arrangement such as is shown in left-hand end
elevation in Figure 29 and in near side elevation in Figure 30, on Sheet 2 of
the accompanying Drawings, In this arrangement. there is combined with
the ordinary presser foot a lower blade 87, and the plain ply is passed
above the blade 87, and between it and the presser foot 85, whilst the ply to
be gathered is passed below the blade 87. The blade 87 constitutes the free

page_text: end of a strip of metal which is bent round, as at 88, to be attached to the
back of the presser foot 85, and the blade is also held in position by a smaller
blade 89 attached to it, and bent so as to clip the near edge of the presser
foot 85. The feed dog 44 acts directly on the under ply of material, and the
feeding movement of that ply is only resisted by the friction of the blade 87
on its upper surface, whereas the movement of the upper ply is resisted on
both sides, on the under side by the blade 87, and on the upper side by the
presser foot 85, and is consequently slower, so that when the two plies become
stitched together, the under ply becomes gathered or frilled in a regular and
uniform manner.
If necessary a screw may be applied to the blades 87 and 89
for the purpose of regulating the relative pressures of the blade 87 and of the
presser foot 85.
For forming goffers and compressing the parts to be stitched in the form of
box plaits. I employ the improved arrangements shown in Figures 31 and 32
on Sheet 3 of the accompanying Drawings, Figure 31 being a sectional left
hand end elevation, and Figure 32 a sectional near side elevation. The means
whereby the movements are obtained are not shown, but they consist of
revolving cams or revolving discs or pulleys formed with cam grooves
or surfaces acting through the intervention of rods or levers, and can be
easily constructed by the practical sewing machine maker when the required
movements are explained to him. In the improved arrangements the acting
surface of the feed dog 44 is more extended than usual, and the middle part is
cut away to permit of the rising up of an internal goffering instrument or
goffer former 90, which is, however, shown in its lowest position. When the
internal former 90 has risen and lifted up the material an external former 91
descends and shapes the material upon the internal former 90. The internal
former then descends and a near presser foot 92 descends across a narrow
space cut away from the middle of the external former 91, and compresses the
middle of the goffer formed in the material into a box plait. The external
former 91 is then quickly raised, and the feed carries the material forward until
the compressed part of the goffer is all under the far presser foot 85. In this
arrangement the internal goffer former 90 may be heated when desirable for
giving a permanent set to the material.
An important improvement comprised in my present Invention consists in
the application of a curved confining edge in the plane or nearly in the plane
of motion of the material for folding over the edge of such material for a hem.
The simplest form of hem folder made in this way consists of a ring 93 such
as is shown in plan in Figure 33, Sheet 3, of the Drawings, and in edge view
in Figure 34. This ring is fixed to an arm 94 on the presser foot 85, and

page_text: A
when a strip of material is drawn through horizontally in the manner indicated
in Figure 35. its two edges become folded in in a beautifully regular and
simple manner, the folded width becoming equal to the internal diameter of
the ring. To form a double fold for a hem on one edge of the material the
ring is slit obliquely, or a piece of wire is bent into an equivalent form.
suitable form 95 for a broad-hem is shown in plan in Figure 36, and the
manner of passing the material through it is shown in Figure 37. A form 96
suitable for a narrow hem is shown in plan in Figure 38, and the manner of
passing the material through it is shown in Figure 39. For giving a single
turn-in to the right-hand edge of trimming or other material, a simple wire
bent into a hook at its right-hand end may be used as shown in near side
view in Figure 40.
An improved binding gauge acting on the same principle is shown in
Figure 41 on an enlarged scale. and as it is seen in perspective by the
operator. This gauge consists of a wire bent, as shown, and fixed down to
the table top by a screw 97 to the right, and a little to the near side of the
needle 7. The dark parts are at a lower level than the light parts. The edge
of the material lies towards the right and at right angles to the near side of
the machine. The binding is passed inside of the near vertical loop of the
wire and outside of the far vertical loop 98 (the vertical loops being the right-
hand loops). If the binding is of sufficient breadth the upper and lower
horizonial loops 99 will turn in its edges, and therefore a binding material
without selvedges may be used if cut broad enough for its edges to be turned
in by the gauge.
To guide the material whilst forming a button hole according to one
modification, a small button.or partially flanged head is fitted to the table top.
as shown in plan in Figure 42, in near side clevation in Figure 43, and in
left-hand end elevation in Figure 44. The button-hole is placed over this
button and the edge is kept against it whilst being sewed, and at the end
the angle is opened and made nearly straight by the action of the flange
100 on the near side of the head and the curvature of the neck of the
button.
Another modification of button-hole guide is shown in plan in Figure 45,
and in vertical section in Figure 46. In this arrangement the material is
received on a guide plate 101, which rests on the table top, and which is
formed with a central opening 102, shaped generally to the form of the
button hole, but somewhat larger in size. A number of points project from
the upper surface round the edge of the
opening 102, to hold the material

page_text: steadily and firmly, and on the under side there are teeth formed round the
opening, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 45. With these teeth there
gears a little pinion at 103, which itself gears with a pinion 104 on the top
of a spindle placed to the near side of the shuttle race, and having a wheel 105
at its lower end, to which any suitable intermittent feed movement is imparted.
To keep the teeth on the under side of the plate 101 in gear with the
pinion 103, and at the same time to keep the plate itself with the material on
it always in the proper position, a round boss or pin 106 is made to project up
within the opening 102 as far as the top surface of the plate, and the toothed
rim on the under side of the plate is held between this pin 106 and the
pinion 103. In this pin 106 is formed the throat or opening for the down-
ward passage of the two needles used in forming the edge of the button hole.
In some cases the guide plate 101 may consist only of the rim round the
opening 102 with the points, and with the teeth by which it is moved round.
In another modification the plate 101 may have pointed pins at the outer
corners or sides, and when the material to be operated upon has been placed
on it, a top plate 107, as shown in the sectional near side elevation, Figure 47,
may be applied to hold it down, this top plate being formed with holes to pass
upon the pins at the corners or sides.
button-holing,
To facilitate the shifting round of bulky articles when
(without arrangements such as are shown in Figures 45, 46, and 47,) or
when doing ornamental or other work, a table 108, as shown in plan in
Figure 48, and in near side elevation in Figure 49, is arranged to turn on
wheels (or slides), either through a complete circle, or through an are merely.
In the modification shown, the table 108 forms a little more than a quadrant
of a circle. It rests on three wheels. which run in a circular groove 109
formed in the table top, its central edge resting directly on a slightly raised
surface.
To protect the edge of a button hole or other part of the material by
stitching, answering the purpose of the ordinary button-hole stitch, I use five
threads by my present Invention according to one modification. Two threads
are in separate needles, one of which needles descends beyond the edge, the
third thread is in a shuttle beneath, and locks the threads of both needles,
and the fourth and fifth threads, or cords, as they may be, are laid backwards
and forwards across each other on the surface by vibrating guides, being fixed
down by the needle threads, and forming a kind of braiding. This arrange-
ment differs from a similar one I have heretofore had in use, in having the
addition of the fifth thread with its vibrating guide, and it is shown in

page_text: Figure 47, the vibrating guides being shown detached in sectional plan in
Figure 50. The guides are bent wires 110, IE1, fixed each on a separate
little pinion turning loosely on a pin 112, carried by a bracket a little to the
far side of the needles 7. A little forked slide 113 is formed with rack
teeth to gear on opposite sides of the two pinions. so as to turn these in
opposite directions, and this slide reciprocates horizontally in a bracket. and
receives its motion from a lever 114, which last is actuated by a small cam
groove barrel, above indicated by dotted lines in Figure 47, and driven at half
the speed of the crank disc 66. Each guide carries its thread to one side of
the needles at one stitch, and back again at the next stitch, and the guides
move in opposite directions, and make their threads cross each other.
shuttle reciprocates in a plane parallel to the plane of the two needles, and as
the material moves at right angles thereto, the shuttle thread becomes laid in
a zig-zag form on the under side of the material.
As the
In another modification, however, shown in horizontal section in Figure 51.
a finger or clip 115 is introduced to draw the shuttle thread to the grooved
side of the needles at every stroke, and this causes it to be laid in a very firm
manner, and so as closely to resemble the hand button-hole stitch. This finger
or slip 115 is made of a piece of spring metal, and is fixed to the far side of
the shuttle race just below the table top. The shuttle driver 32 is fitted with
a pin 116, which on the driver moving to the right strikes a part of the
finger which is bent across. The part of the finger near the point is shaped
to lie against the rounded part of the near side 21 of the shuttle race, close
to the recess formed for the descent of the needles, and when the driver
presses the finger towards the right, the rounded surfaces causes the end of the
finger whilst being drawn to the right to move also over the shuttle, and in
such a way as to get to the far side of the shuttle thread. Then on the
shuttle returning to the left, the finger 115 springs back and carries the
shuttle thread to the near side of the needles, its end being formed with a
slight concavity to retain the thread. Instead of the two top threads (herein-
before described as the fourth and fifth) a tape or braid may be stitched along
the edge; and to give increased hardness and thickness at the edge this tape
or braid may be turned in by passing it through a horizontal guide with a slit
having a curved edge at the side, acting like the hem folder herein-before
described.
I form another improved button-hole stitch with two needles and a shuttle,
a looper or pointed finger being added above the material, which at each
stroke loops the thread of the inner needle, and places it so that the outer

page_text: needle carries its thread down through it. This contrivance is shown in
sectional plan in Figure 52, and in near side edge view in Figure 53, the
looper being a curved wire 117. with a forked point fixed to a small pinion
made to oscillate by a small rack 118.
I form a button-hole stitch with a single thread in the following manner:-
The needle descends through the material, and the loop formed by it below is
caught and drawn round over the edge of the material, and there is drawn
through it the part of the thread above the material, so as to form a second
loop. There are thus two loops formed for each action of the needle, one
The loop drawn from
from below and the other from above the material.
above is held until the succeeding descent of the needle and the succeeding
lower loop is drawn through it.
For machines requiring several sizes of throat. instead of providing throat
pieces of the full strength for all sizes, a single throat of the largest size is
formed in the necessary thickness of metal for strength, and throat pieces of
various sizes are formed in thin metal, cach being placed when in use in a
slight recess upon the top of the main throat piece, or on the top of that pari.
of the table through which the main throat is formed. Figure 54 is a plan
showing the application of one of the thin throat pieces 119.
Another modification is shown in Figure 48, the thin throat piece 119
being square, and with throats of different sizes at the corners, one being
substituted for the other by simply turning the piece round into a different
position. The throat piece may be fixed by a screw, as in Figure 54, or by a
small wedge, as in Figure 48, or it may be held by having the sides and
groove into which it fits dovetailed.
My said Invention further and finally comprehends the laying of a single
thread or cord in the form of a chain, or the interlacing of two or more
threads or cords, so as to form by the machine itself an ornamental braid or
gimp, which is stitched down as it is made by the action of the ordinary parts
of the machine. Various contrivances are already in use for making a chain,
braid, or cord of the kind referred to, and this part of my Invention consists
simply in combining such contrivances with the ordinary parts of the machine,
so that the chain, braid, or gimp may be formed just in proportion as it is
stitched down to the material to be ornamented by it.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is or may be performed, I have to state that I do not
restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that
what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured

page_text: to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is. the arranging
or combining of sewing machine details or appliances. substantially according
to the improved modes herein-before described.
In witness whereof. I. the said Isaac Merritt Singer. have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of October. in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
ISAAC MERRITT SINGER. (L.S.)