IMPROVEMENTS IN HEM FOLDERS AND TUCKERS FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Morrison, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HEM
FOLDERS AND TUCKERS FOR SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 15th April 1868, and dated the 14th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Morrison at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th November 1867.
I, JOHN MORRISON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
HEM FOLDERS AND TUCKERS POR SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements in or additions to hem folders of
the kind described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me,
bearing date the Thirtieth day of September in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, No. 2175.
In constructing hem folders according to my present Invention I form the
said folder at the end of an arm hinged to a base plate, the said arm being
capable of being turned on its binge in a vertical plane for the purpose of
introducing the fabric to be hemmed; the said base plate is not fixed directly
to the sewing machine, but is jointed by a rule joint or other joint to a con-
necting piece fixed to the sewing machine. By means of the said joint the
base plate.can be turned at pleasure in a horizontal plane out of the way of
the needle of the sewing machine. The arm carrying the folder is graduated

page_text: into inches and parts of inches, and upon the said arm is a spring slide, by
regulating the position of which on the arm the width of the hem or of the
tuck when the instrument is used as a tucker, as herein-after explained, may
be determined. The said slide also serves to fix down the arm carrying the
folder, the said slide having a finger or projection which engages under the
edge of a slot in the base plate parallel to the said arm. When it is wished
to raise the arm the slide is pushed back on the arm till the finger or pro-
jection comes opposite to a cross slot, when the arm can be raised, the finger
or projection being disengaged from under the edge of the slot. To the end
of the arm and immediately over the folder a spring plate may be placed, the
said spring plate having a slot in it, through which the needle works; the
said spring plate serves to guide the edge of the hem.
When the instrument is used as a tucker the fabric is passed under the
folder and arm carrying it until it comes against the slide which has been
adjusted on the arm to the required width of the tuck.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Morrison in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MORRISON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Machinist, send
greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give. and grant unto me,
the said John Morrison, Her special licence that I, the said John Morrison,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Morrison, 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 HEM FOLDERS AND
TUCKERS FOR SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Morrison, 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

page_text: 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 John Morrison, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of the improvements in or additions to hem folders
of the kind described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me,
bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, No. 2175.
In constructing hem folders according to my present Invention I form
the said folder at the end of an arm hinged to a base plate, the said arm
being capable of being turned on its hinge in a vertical plane for the purpose
of introducing the fabric to be hemmed; the said base plate is not fixed
directly to the sewing machine, but is jointed by a rule joint or other joint to
a connecting piece fixed to the sewing machine. By means of the said joint
the base plate can be turned at pleasure in a horizontal plane out of the way
of the needle of the sewing machine. The arm carrying the folder is
graduated into inches and parts of inches, and upon the said arm is a spring
slide, by regulating the position of which on the arm the width of the hem or
of the tuck when the instrument is used as a tucker, as herein-after explained,
may be determined; the said slide also serves to fix down the arm carrying
the folder, the said slide having a finger or projection which engages under
the edge of a slot in the base plate parallel to the said arm. When it is
wished to raise the arm the slide is pushed back on the arm till the finger or
projection comes opposite to a cross slot, when the arm can be raised, the
finger or projection being disengaged from under the edge of the slot. To
the end of the arm and immediately over the folder a spring plate may be
placed, the said spring plate having a slot in it, through which the needle
works; the said spring plate sarves to guide the edge of the hem if desirable.
When the instrument is used as a tucker the fabric is passed under the
folder and arm carrying it until it comes against the slide which has been
adjusted on the arm to the required width of the tuck.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure represents in plan, Figure 2 in side elevation, and Figure 8 in
end elevation a hem folder (which may also be used as a tucker) constructed

page_text: according to my Invention; Figure 4 represents the base plate of the folder
turned aside upon its joint; Figures 5 and 6 are parts of the same, as herein-
after explained. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in each
Figure of the Drawing.
a is the folder, constructed of two helical plates of steel according to the
Patent herein-before referred to, the said folder being formed at the end of
the arm b hinged at 6 to the base plate c; this base plate c is jointed by the
rule joint d to the connecting piece e fixed to the sewing machine. Instead
of the rule joint d any other convenient joint may be used. By means of the
joint d the base plate c and parts carried by it may be turned in a horizontal
plane out of the way of the needle of the sewing machine, as represented in
Figure 4. The folder a and arm b are made by preference from one piece of
steel, that is, the arm 6 has a forked piece on its end which is fashioned into
the folder a; the folder a may however be made of a separate piece of steel
attached to the said arm b. The arm 6 may be raised in a vertical plane, as
indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, when it is wished to introduce the fabric
to be hemmed between the plates of the folder a. The arm 6 is graduated in
the manner represented in Figures 1 and 4, and on the said arm is a spring
slide f,f, by regulating the position of which on the arm 6 the width of the
hem (or tuck) may be determined: By an examination of the Drawing it
will be seen that the spring slide consists of a cross plate f and a spring clip,
which clip slides upon the arm b and holds the slide firmly in any position in
which it is placed on the said arm. The said spring slide f,f", also serves to
fix down the arm & carrying the folder a. The fixing down of the arm b is
effected by means of a finger or projection f³ on the cross plate f engaging
under the edge of the slot 63 in the base plate c. By moving the slide f,f;
until its finger or projection f' comes opposite the cross slot g in the plate c
the finger fo is liberated and may be lifted through the said cross slot, and the
arm band parts carried by it raised from the base plate c, as indicated in
Figure 2. The spring slide is represented separately in Figure 5. Instead
of jointing the graduated arm to a base plate of the kind represented the said
arm may be jointed to any other convenient part of the sewing machine.
Immediately over the folder a is a spring plate h for the purpose of guiding
the edge of the hem as it emerges from the folder a, the needle of the sewing
machine working through the slot in the said plate. The under side of
the free end of the spring plate h-has a longitudinal shoulder h³, against which
the edge of the hem bears and is thereby guided. An under side and cross
section of the spring plate h are represented in Figure 6; by an examination
of which Figure 6 the construction of the shoulder for guiding the edge of the

page_text: hem will be readily understood; the said spring plate is not fixed rigidly
to the arm b, but is jointed thereto at h*, so that when necessary it may be
turned out of the way of the needle, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1.
This spring plate may be dispensed with, as it is not necessary in all cases to
use it.
When the instrument is used as a tucker the fabric is passed under the
folder a and arm b, that is, between the folder a and base plate c, until it
comes against the slide f.f, which has been adjusted on the arm b to the
required width of the tuck.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the
same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but
I claim as my Invention of improvements in hem folders and tuckers for
sewing machines,―
Firstly. Forming the hem folder a upon the end of a graduated jointed
arm carried by a base plate c capable of motion in a horizontal plane,
substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
Secondly. Regulating the width of the hem or tuck, and fixing the graduated
arm 6 to the base plate c, by means of a spring slide f,f,f³, constructed and
used substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing.
Thirdly. Guiding the edge of the hem on passing from the folder by means
of the spring plate h, ha, ha, ha, constructed and fixed to the graduated jointed
arm b, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Morrison have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN MORRISON. (L.B.)