IMPROVEMENTS IN TUCKING DEVICES AND GUIDES FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Edmund Russell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th June 1873.-A communication from abroad by Eugene
Bouillon, of the City of New Orleans, in the United States of
America.
I, JOHN EDMUND RUSSELL, of 66, Bread Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TUCKING DEVICES AND GUIDES FOR SEWING MACHINES," to be
as follows:-
The object and purpose of this Invention is to furnish a cheap and
simple device for forming and sewing tucks at the same and one
operation, also to ensure perfect uniformity in parallel lines in tucks
and between tucks, such a uniformity as cannot be obtained by the usual
method of marking and folding of the tucks previous to sewing them,
also to accomplish it in a more expeditious manner than has heretofore
been done, for in its operation it folds the fabric in form for a tuck,
regulates the tension of the fabric while being sewed, maintains
uniformity in parallel lines, and sews the seam all at the same and one
operation.

page_text: This Invention and improvement is applicable to all sewing machines,
and serves as a cloth presser in sewing the tucks, also as adjustable
guides to regulate the width of the tuck and width of space between the
tucks.
In reference to the Drawing A represents the hollow end of the
presser foot and can be slipped on to any of the various kind of cloth
presser bars used in sewing machines. This presser foot has a laterally
projecting bar with an index plate; B represents the head of the temper
screw which serves to regulate and adjust the vertical guides C and D,
and engages with these guides at their shank; E represents the opening
between these vertical guides; F represents two set screws to open
apart and close together the space between these vertical guides; S
represents a small spring between these guides to assist the said set
screws in opening apart the vertical guides when the screws are
operated for that purpose; H represents a thumbscrew for securing
together the cloth presser bar and presser foot with the guides attached;
I represents the pointed end of the horizontal guide and with the point
turned to stand at right angles with its body and parallel with the
presser foot and vertical guides; K represents the body of the horizontal
guide formed in the shape of a bow or scroll, with its shank end
working in a dovetail on the index plate L, and is engaged with the
temper screw M, which is combined with the index plate; N represents
a slot hole in the shank end of the index plate suitable to secure said
plate to the platform of a sewing machine by the aid of a thumbscrew;
P represents the cloth plate or platform of a sewing machine; O
represents the arm and head of a sewing machine with the needle, needle
bar, cloth presser bar, and the improved tucking device attached to it,
and ready for operation in forming and sewing tucks.
The operation is as follows:-The index plate L bearing the adjustable
horizontal guide is attached to the cloth plate or platform of a sewing
machine by a thumbscrew through the slot hole N, with the right angle
point I parallel with and on the same plane as the cloth plate and
presser foot in such a way as when the right angle point I is drawn
back against the presser foot a right angle will be formed by the com-
bination of the two, and with the needle near the inner corner of the
angle. The presser foot A bearing the laterally projecting bar, index
plate, and temper screw B, vertical guides C and D, are all attached to

page_text: the presser bar by the thumbscrew H. The vertical guides are now
adjusted to or from the needle by turning the temper screw B which
will regulate the width of the space between the tucks and the
horizontal guide on the index plate L is adjusted to or from the presser
foot and needle by turning the temper screw M which will regulate the
width of the tuck.
When all of these adjustments are completed then take the fabric
that is to be tucked and fold the first tuck in shape by hand, then feed
it to the sewing machine, the same as any other plain sewing, until the
seam is sewed. Then introduce a metallic or other strip into the tuck
just made for the purpose of distending it so that the tuck will appear
as if it was standing on its edge; the raw edge of the fabric is then
rolled in a roll parallel with the tuck just made and distended; then pass
this roll of fabric through under the bow or loop at the shank of the
horizontal guide, drawing the part of the fabric with the distended
tuck out, under, and then over the side of the right angle point I, and
then under the presser foot until the distended tuck on edge can be
introduced edgewise in opening E of the vertical and adjustable guides.
Then actuate the sewing machine to sew a seam, feeding the fabric into
it the same as in ordinary sewing; and when the seam has been sewed,
draw out the metallic or other strip from the tuck and introduce it
again in the tuck last formed to distend it, then introduce it edgewise in
the opening E as before described and continuously until the work is
completed.
It is plain to be seen that in the operation of forming and sewing the
tuck that the right angle point I is in it, and the fabric is stretched over
and travels parallel with the side of this said right angle point, and the
metallic or other strip in a tuck already made to distend the said tuck
also serves as a guide travelling through the opening E and parallel
with the side of the right angle point I, thus giving two parallel guides
in addition to the needle of the sewing machine, and when combined they
produce perfect uniformity in parallel lines in tucks and the spaces
between tucks. To increase the width of the tuck turn the temper screw
M which will move the horizontal guide and right angle point I, forcing
it from the presser foot and needle until the desired width is attained,
which can be noted on the index plate L, and the distance from the
needle to the outer edge of the right angle point I will be the width of
the tuck. To narrow the tuck a reverse operation is required.

page_text: To regulate the width of space between tucks turn the temper screw B
which will actuate the vertical guides suspended from the laterally
projecting bar on the presser foot, and the distance from the opening E
in the vertical guides to the needle of the sewing machine will be the
width of the space between tucks.