IMPROVEMENTS IN ELASTIC SEAMS OR GORINGS FOR SHOES, GLOVES, OR OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon and
Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ELASTIC SEAMS OR GORINGS FOR SHOES, GLOVES, OR OTHER ARTICLES." A
communication from abroad by John Bigelow, of Boston, Massachusetts, United
States of America.
Scaled the 14th August 1876, and dated the 28th March 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morgan-Brown at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th March 1876.
WILLIAM MORGAN BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown
Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 13, Rue
Gaillon, Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELASTIC SEAMS OR GORINGS FOR SHOES,
GLOVES, OR OTHER ARTICLES."
This Invention of improvements in clastic seams or gorings for shoes, gloves, or
other articles, consists in sewing by hand or.by machine a series of ordinary stitches
with one ordinary thread and one rubber thread, the latter being subjected to
strong tension.
It is best to use the rubber thread in the shuttle and ordinary
thread in the needle.)
By subjecting the rubber thread to strong tension, a seam is made wherein the
rubber is distended, and has a continued tendency to draw back upon itself and
shorten the seam. This, when applied to the proper materials, makes them gather
and draw up and acquire the character of clastic goring. The amount of gather
depends upon the tension of the rubber thread while being sewn. In exceptional
cases both threads may be of rubber.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Morgan-Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
September 1876.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon aud Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 13, Rue Gaillon,
Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELASTIC SEAMS OR GORINGS FOR SHOES, GLOVES, OR
OTHER ARTICLES." A communication from abroad by John Bigelow, of Boston,
Massachusetts, United States of America.
The nature of this Invention consists in an elastic goring made by a sewing
machine of any suitable material by sewing a series of rows of stitches with one
ordinary sewing thread and one rubber thread, the latter being subjected to a
strong tension, as will be herein-after more fully set forth, reference being had to
the accompanying Drawing, which forms a part of this Specification, and in
which-
Figure 1 is a front view of the elastic goring; Figure 2 is a rear view of the same;
Figures 3 and 4 show detached parts thereof.
To make this elastic goring I use rubber thread a preferably in the shuttle and
ordinary sewing thread b in the needle, and the sewing is done in the ordinary
manner on leather, cloth, worsted, or any other suitable fabric A.
By subjecting
the rubber thread a to a strong tension a seam is made wherein the rubber is dis-
tended, and has a continued tendency to draw back upon itself and shorten the
seam. This, when applied to the proper materials; makes them gather and draw up
and acquire the characteristic of elastic goring. The amount of gather depends
upon the tension of the rubber thread while being sewed. And for a highly elastic
goring soft and light material, like glove, calf, and sheep skin for leather goods and
all kinds of knit and worsted; also woollen or cotton for cloth are preferable.
When a goring of this character is to be cut or divided one or more rows of plain
stitching across the elastic sean in a direction across or angular to its line of elas-
ticity answers every purpose of securing the ends of the rubber thread, which will
be exposed and preventing its resilient properties from injuring the goring. This
goring is very durable and can easily be repaired. In leather goring it can never
be stretched beyond its normal length before being gathered, and as this is less than
the length to which the rubber thread could be stretched it follows that the rubber
thread can never be unduly strained. The rubber thread is protected by imbedding
itself in the gathers of the leather.
Another advantage is that this goring can be made a part of the very material on
which its use is desired, without being made separate and afterwards united. For
instance, if a goring is desired over the instep in a shoe, the upper of the shoe can
be gored where desired. The same with the side pieces, and in this manner cumber-
some seams can be avoided.
This Invention may be used on any fabric or material where it can be applied,
and for any purpose desired, and is particularly adapted for sewing gloves, over-
stitching, &c.
Sometimes on light materials, where even gathers are required, I find a "spreader"
desirable. The spreader can be of any convenient make suitable to clamp and hold
the material to be sewed, so that it cannot be acted upon and gathered by the
rubber until sewed and released.
I have sometimes crimped the leather previously to sewing. This has a tendency
to assist the material to draw up in regular gathers. The same effect can be accom-
plished by using a wheel-feed and wheel presser-foot, both suitably geared and set
so as to engage one another. By this means the crimping is done as each stitch is
made, and the tension on the rubber thread be measurably reduced.
Another method of sewing an elastic seam with a lock-stitch machine, giving an
elastic stitch of equal strength with the common stitch, is as follows:-
This stitch can be sewed on any of the ordinary lock-stitch sewing machines by a
slight manipulation of the tension to suit the material worked on, and an alteration
of the needle, as will be explained.

page_text: The stitch itself is constructed with one elastic thread, preferably of rubber, in
combination with any ordinary thread. This arrangement furnishes the requisite
degree of clasticity to the completed stitch.
The rubber thread is best applied from the shuttle, in which case a moderate
tension is desirable. If, however, the rubber thread is fed by the needle, the eye
of the needle must be somewhat enlarged, and made to bulge outward toward the
centre to assume an elliptical form, and the edges must be rounded to prevent the
cutting of the rubber thread while under tension. I have also used a needle having
a square eye with perfect success.
In the Drawings Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views of elastic fabrics stitched
in the manner described, the shuttle thread a being of rubber, and the other thread
of any ordinary fibrous material to correspond with the work sewed on. Figure 7
is a perspective view of a modification of the elastic stitch, more properly an elastic
binding, the rubber thread a being fed by hand, and overstitched by an ordinary
overseaming machine. Figure 8 is a perspective view of the elastic stitch when set
by the overstitch machine, the rubber thread a being fed from the shuttle. This
Drawing more particularly shows the adaptation of the stitch in binding the edge
of materials which are clastic, or possess, give, or are particularly liable to ravel or
fray, making substantially a selvage edge to the fabric.
The rubber thread, besides furnishing the requisite degree of elasticity rendering
machine lock-stitching applicable to any elastic material, will not draw, owing to
its peculiar resilient nature when used as a cord in binding, or when fed from the
shuttle of an overstitch machine, but will give sufliciently to accomodate the stitch
to the line of strain, which in various textile fabrics of loose weaving, as also in
knit goods, is of great importance. In certain instances, when a great degree of
elasticity is necessary, each thread may be of rubber, the needle as well as the
shuttle thread, but the instances of such use would be exceptionable.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is--
First. The elastic seam having one thread of rubber, and the other of ordinary
sewing thread, substantially as described.
Second. An elastic goring, consisting of a rubber thread and a sheet of material
united by a sewing thread, substantially as and in the manner described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN. (L.S.)