Improvements in the Method and Means employed in Stitching Together Pieces of Fabric Joined Edge to Edge.
Year: 1893

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by ERNST MORITZ BACH, of Burgstadt, Saxony, in
the German Empire, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in the Method and Means employed in Stitching
Together Pieces of Fabric Joined Edge to Edge.
I JOSEPH SINCLAIR FAIRFAX, of 433 Strand, in the County of London,
Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer, 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, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, relates to
the method and means employed in stitching together pieces of fabric joined edge
to edge with the characteristic result, that the join or seam obtained forms no rib
or thickening of any kind. To attain this object, the loops of the thread are first
drawn upwards between the two edges of the material, and are then alternately
directed sideways over one or the other of the said edges. When they have thus
been drawn to either side, the needle, which is also adapted to move sideways and
alternately, enters the loop and fixes it to the material. It follows, that the needle,
by completing a stitch alternately on one or the other of the pieces to be joined,
forms a seam along which the thickness of the material is exactly the same as it is
throughout the pieces stitched together, while its elasticity remains unimpaired both
in the direction of the seam and at right angles thereto. This latter result is of
paramount importance especially in the case of knitted goods in which it is most
desirable that the original elasticity of the fabric should be retained; and it will
therefore be seen that the seam produced by this improved method is, in all respects,
superior to what has been devised in this direction before.
In carrying out this method of stitching, it is proposed to employ the improved
machine the construction of which will be best understood by reference to the
accompanying drawings; in which :
Fig. 1 is a front elevation ;
Fig. 2 a sectional end elevation; and
Fig. 3 a partial plan of the machine.
Fig. 4 is an elarged view of the seam ;
Fig. 5 is a detail view of the loop-taker arrangement employed in the formation
of loops; and
Figs. 6 to 25 are respectively, plans and elevations illustrating the successive
stages of formation of the loops or stitches, and of the seam which they constitute.
In the drawings A designates the frame erected upon the bed-plate B. To B is
secured a hollow arm C the axis of which coincides with the direction of operation
of the machine. Within this arm is located the loop-catcher or loop-taker G
together with its operating mechanism. From the spindles W and W₁, through
the medium of suitably shaped eccentrics or cams E, E', E', levers H, H', and
rod H2, motion is imparted to connecting bars J, J, M, for the purpose of operating
the parts employed in sewing. These are: the needle N fitted in the needle-bar Ni
and arranged to draw along with it the thread F in any suitable manner; the loop-
taker S; the presser D, and the other loop-taker or hook G mentioned above.
In addition to the usual vertical reciprocating motion, the needle N receives a
radial swinging or oscillating motion, say by means of cranked arms such as K K¹;
and in unison with its up-and-down motion, the presser D is arranged to move.
The loop-catcher S is pivotted at i, and its motion is also two-fold, viz. up and
down, and, alternately, from one side to the other.
The hook G pivotted at P is reciprocated by means of the connecting bar M ;
Price 8d1

page_text: and as G, in conjunction with N, slides in guides N³, with the assistance of the
spring and pin O, (Fig. 5), G is also moved up and down, by the contact of G₁
with the pin O, and, in turning on the pivot of the joint, receives a backward
swinging motion.
The seam, of which Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view, and which joins the two
pieces of material meeting end to end, is produced by the co-operation of the
needle N with its thread F and the loop-catchers G, S, in the following manner :-
I will assume that the initial position of the operative parts is as suggested in
Fig. 4 and clearly shown in the detail views Figs. 6 and 16, the successive stages of
the formation of the stitches will be exactly such as illustrated from Figs. 6 and 16
to Figs. 15 and 25; the method of operation in these different stages being as
follows:
Figs. 6 and 16. The needle is at the top on the left; the loop-taker S is on the
left of the needle, below; the hook G is drawn back, at the top, and has travelled
up the cam. The loop held by G is drawn to the left by S, so that, as shown in
Figs. 7 and 17, the needle may pass through the loop and enter the material Z.
The loop-catcher S now recedes, and in so doing rises; while G descends, and its
projection G¹ meets O, whereby it is caused to turn in its pivot-joint, in doing which
it releases the loop, so that the parts.are brought to the stage shown in
Figs. 8 and 18. The needle now enters the material and descends to the limit of
its downward stroke. The loop-catcher S remains at rest at the extreme point of
its upward stroke, while the loop-catcher G, upon completing its downward move-
ment, recedes horizontally.
Figs. 9 and 19. The needle then rises, and while the loop-catcher S remains
inoperative, the other loop-catcher G moves towards the needle, its point entering
the loop.
Figs. 10 and 20. As the needle continues to ascend, the loop is raised by G
which combines an advancing movement with its rising motion, and thereby carries
the loop over the surface of the material. The needle N in the meantime describes
half a circle and, together with S, moves to the right.
Figs. 11 and 21 to 15 and 25. From these figures it will be seen that the
operative parts will now resume the same positions and repeat the same movements,
while the needle is shifted to the right and deals with the second piece of fabric in
the same way as it did before with the first; the two pieces being connected by the
thread drawn across from one piece to the other.
Figs. 15 and 25, illustrate the position of the parts in the stage immediately
preceding that which is represented in Figs. 6 and 16. The movements described
are now again repeated on the left, the needle having by this time travelled back to
the first (or left) piece of fabric.
It will thus be seen that at each stitch a fresh loop is formed, so that as two
stitches are completed, a loop is stitched on to the two pieces to be joined, and the
desired connection made.
To produce the seam referred to herein, the loops of the stitching-thread should
be drawn upwards, from the lower part of the cloth-supporting plate, between the
two edges of the cloth, and carried laterally, and alternately, over each of the two
edges. The loop is thus guided by means of the loop-catcher S, which intercepts
the loop, and carries it to the left or to the right, as the case may be. After the
loop has been thus drawn to either side, and placed upon the edges of the material,
the needle passes through it and tightens it upon the material (thereby completing
the stitch). The loop-catcher S is, accordingly, adapted to reciprocate both back-
wards and forwards, and to the right and left. For this purpose the loop-catcher S
is connected with a carrier S' loosely arranged upon the cloth-presser-bar V (Figs. 1
and 2). The carrier proper m, of the loop-catcher S is, besides, provided with a
nose or tappet a (Fig. 2), which a spring f constantly presses against the slide c to
which the vertical rod 6 is attached. The rod 6 moves within guides d, d, (Fig. 2)
and is connected with the double-armed lever y, pivoted to the frame A (Fig. 1),
and the shorter arm of which has an eye h adapted to receive the connecting rod k

page_text: which carries a roller situated underneath the plate B. A cam or eccentric n
(Fig. 1) engages with the said roller 1, when, through a raised portion of the
cam n, the connecting rod k is drawn downwards, while the loop-catcher S performs
a rearward movement; at which moment the needle N passes through the loop and
fixes the loop on to the material.
The next movement to be performed by the loop-catcher is a reciprocating one
to the right and left, whereby the loop is carried alternately to the right and left
side of the pieces of cloth to be stitched together. For this purpose, the carrier S'
is worked by the connecting bars J, J', (Fig. 1), through the intervention of the
lever J (pivoted at J³) and connection J to a slide holder J' in which the
carrier S¹ is capable of sliding. The bars J, J' are actuated by a double-armed
lever H (Fig. 1), pivoted at o.
A small roller p is fixed to the part of the lever H' which is situated underneath
the stitching (cloth-supporting) plate. This roller is acted upon by a helical
cam E, mounted upon the shaft W', in such a manner that the lever H¹ performs
a swinging or oscillating movement, whereby the carrier S' of the loop-catcher S
is also swung to the right and left, carrying the loop with it. The lever H¹ is
pressed by a spring F against the screw-cam. With this mechanism, which
ensures the lateral motion of the loop-catcher, is connected the mechanism that
imparts the required oscillating motion to the needle (Figs. 1 and 2). The needle
is adapted to reciprocate in two different ways; (1) upwards and downwards, and
(2) to the right and left.
The needle bar N₁ carries at its head a cranked arm K' (Figs. 1 and 3) which,
by means of a pin i, engages with a cranked arm K adapted to move on a pivot I.
This cranked arm K is connected with the connecting bar J' secured by means of
a bearing II to the connecting bar J. The bar J' must therefore participate in
all the movements of the bar J and, through the medium of the said cranked arm K,
produce the turning motion of the needle-bar to the right and left, and if the needle
is placed eccentrically in the needle bar with regard to the axial line, it is moved
to the right and left by the oscillating motion of the cranked arm K.
In the production of the desired seam an important part is performed by the
thread-catcher G, adapted to retain the thread until it is grasped by the loop-
catcher. The said thread catcher receives the thread from the needle, below the
cloth-supporting plate, and then emerges from the plate, along with the thread
which it transfers to the loop-catcher in the shape of a loop; whereupon the
thread catcher swiftly returns to its former position underneath the plate (Figs. 1
and 5).
The thread-catcher G, which is pivoted at P, is reciprocated by means of the
bar M, while it moves (with a pin sliding in curved guide-grooves) in such a
manner that, during its forward stroke, it is lifted out of the sewing-machine-plate.
During its backward movement the tappet G¹ which it carries, impinges upon the
spring-controlled pin O, whereby its motion is checked for a short time. At this
juncture, however, it is turned upon its pivot P, while tension is applied to the
spring. Owing to this turning or pivotal motion of the catcher, its point descends
and releases the loop it had caught. Owing to the motion of the bar M the
tappet G of the thread catcher is removed from the pin O, and returns to its
original position under the action of the spring Q, so that the thread-catcher also
rapidly passes through the sewing (cloth-supporting) plate again.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. The herein described method of joining pieces of fabric together edge to edge
on a machine whereby loops formed by its needle on one side of one piece of the
material are caused to pass between the meeting edges of the said pieces and are
alternately fixed by stitches on the other piece of the material, substantially in the
manner described and shown in the drawings.

page_text: 2. In a sewing machine, means whereby its needle is adapted and operated to
enter alternately one or other of two pieces of fabric placed edge to edge and form
a thread loop on one side (the lower for example) to be grasped by a hook which
passing between the edges to be joined raises the loop with it and presents the loop
in such a position that the needle may enter it, another hook or loop taker being
employed, if necessary, to hold the loop on one side during this operation to
facilitate and ensure the passage of the needle through the loop, substantially in
the manner and for the purpose herein described.
3. In a sewing machine, the hook G with its actuating mechanism, substantially
as and for the purpose herein described and illustrated with reference to Figs. 1,
2 and 5.
Dated this 11th day of May 1893
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
433, Strand, London, Agents for the Applicant.