IMPROVED METHOD OF SEWING, AND MACHINE FOR EXECUTING THE SAME
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick Curtis at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
May 1874.
I, FREDERICK CURTIS, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State
of Massachusetts, in the United States of America, do solemnly and
sincerely declare that I am in possession of an Invention for an
"IMPROVED METHOD OF SEWING, AND MACHINE FOR EXECUTING THE SAME," which
Invention I believe will be of great public utility, that I am the first and
truc Inventor thereof, and I do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for improved method of sewing, and machine for executing
the same, to be as follows:-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick Curtis at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
May 1874.
I, FREDERICK CURTIS, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and State
of Massachusetts, in the United States of America, do solemnly and
sincerely declare that I am in possession of an Invention for an
"IMPROVED METHOD OF SEWING, AND MACHINE FOR EXECUTING THE SAME," which
Invention I believe will be of great public utility, that I am the first and
truc Inventor thereof, and I do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for improved method of sewing, and machine for exccuting
the same, to be as follows:-
These improvements consist,-
.
First. In an improved method of sewing by the use of two upper
threads with a single needle, and a lower thread delivered from a shuttle
in the usual manner.
Second. In a needle having two or more eyes near its point and

page_text: Thirdly. In the peculiar construction of the sewing machine whereby
its main or important working parts may be instantly removed, wiped
clean, and returned to place without dismembering the machine or
removing any other essential portion thereof...
The Drawings accompanying this Specification represent in Figure 1
a right side face view of my stitch; in Figure 2 a view of my plural
eyed needle; in Figure 3 a perspective view of my machine; Figure 4.
is a transverse section of said machine.
In these Drawings A represents the main bed of the machine formed
with a curved standard or goose neck B, which terminates at front in a
vertical head C to support the needle bar D and the presser foot bar in
the usual manner of sewing machines.
The driving shaft E of this machine extends horizontally and longi-
tudinally below the bed A, and revolves in bearings, one of which is a
vertical wall to be herein-after explained.
In the front portion of the bed A I create an oblong opening or
orifice M, and surrounding this orifice I erect a corresponding shaped
base or entablature N, such base constituting the support of the sewing
plate or operating table. Within the annular base N an upright wall or
partition P is placed, the outer or front face of this wall being situated
immediately below the needle and channeled to receive the latter; R,
represents a forked or slotted bar constituting the outer portion of the
shuttle raceway, and placed in the upper part of the base N and in front
of the wall P, which latter constitutes the fixed or primary portion of
the raceway,
and I hinge the rear end of the bar R to the rear part of
the wall or base in order that such bar may be swung upon its pivot.
away from the wall, as shown in Figure 3 of the Drawings. The shuttle
cradle or carrier slides upon the race bar, and the object in constructing
the bar open at one end is to permit the cradle to be removed and the
parts wiped clean. The outer side of the annular base N is hinged to
the remainder at its rear end in order that it may be swung to one
side, as shown in Figure 3 of the Drawings, and expose the. bar R and
other parts.
The swinging plate is to be applied to the base N by a suitable catch
in such manner that it may be instantly removed and expose the works
below. The feed mechanism of this machine consists of a single plate.

page_text: b
O sliding at its front end on a stud a projecting from the wall P, and
resting at its other end on the top of a cam 6 affixed to the driving shaft
E of the machine, a finger or offset c being affixed to the side of the
plate and abutting against or disposed immediately to one side of a
second cam d also affixed to the driving shaft, the cam 6 effecting the
up and down movements of the feed, and the cam d the back and front
movements. The rear end of the plate o playing behind a standard e
erected in front of the wall P, and is kept down in place by a latch f
pivoted to the wall above it, the latch permitting the feed plate to be
instantly removed, cleaned, and returned to place.
The needle I use has two eyes g, h, placed closely together in order
that when two threads are employed, one in each eye, the loops of these
threads shall practically unite and form one loop which the shuttle
readily enters.
Many advantages result from a needle of this character and the use of
two threads with it.
First. As I am enabled to use double the amount of thread of other
needles, I am enabled to reduce the size of my needle nearly one half.
Second. The holes made in the leather or material are so small that
> the threads completely fill them, thus producing a very handsome stitch
as well as a very strong one, as I am enabled to obtain a very powerful
tension on both the upper threads and the shuttle thread, which in the
"closing of stock"
so called is very important.
Third. By using two colors of a pleasing contrast I produce a very
5 ornamental stitch.