IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RUFFLES, FRILLS, AND GATHERED FABRICS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPA- RATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert Taylor, of Mark Lane, in the City of London,
Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
RUFFLES, FRILLS, AND GATHERED FABRICS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPA-
RATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN." A communication from abroad by Henry John
Baker, of the City of New York, in the United States of America,
Merchant.
Sealed the 9th May 1865, and dated the 14th December 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert Taylor at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th December
1864.
I, HERBERT TAYLOR, of Mark Lane, in the City of London, Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF RUFFLES, FRILLS, AND GATHERED FABRICS, AND IN THE MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication to me from abroad by
Henry John Baker, of the City of New York, in the United States of
America, Merchant, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the production of ruffles, frills, and gathered
fabrics, and consists in so making such articles that the gathers are held in
place by a thread which passes through the cloth necessarily and invariably
between the gathers, the gathers resembling curved corrugations rather than
more sharply defined folds or plaits.

page_text: These gathers may be produced in an ordinary sewing machine, and stitched
either with a single thread chain stitch, a lock stitch, or double-thread loop
stitch, such as is known as the Grover and Baker stitch. In producing these
gathers in a sewing machine the feeding mechanism, that is to say, that
portion of the feeding device and presser foot which takes hold of and feeds
the cloth is disposed in such a position with reference to the stitching
apparatus that the cloth shall be fed just past the needle before the cloth is
gathered, and left free beyond the needle from the pressure of the foot, so
that it can be gathered by the stitching apparatus whilst in the act of drawing
up the loop or forming the stitch. For this purpose a secondary or additional
removeable presser foot or shoe may be employed capable of being placed
upon the presser foot, and so constructed and arranged as to be easily attached
to or detached from an ordinary sewing machine, so that when attached it
renders the stitching apparatus capable of gathering in the manner before
described, and when detached, of sewing a plain seam in ungathered work.
Or the separate foot or shoe may be dispensed with, and a special presser
foot provided having the shoe or part which projects downwards from the
under side formed thereon. As the sole object of this separate shoe or of the
projecting part of the presser foot is to change the position of that portion of
the feed mechanism which acts directly upon or feeds the cloth in its relation
to the position of the stitching apparatus either of the foregoing modifications
or other equivalent device may be employed. The fullness of the gathers may
be regulated either by changing the tension of the thread or the throw of the
feeder, or both if desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Herbert Taylor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HERBERT
TAYLOR, of Mark Lane, in the City of London, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Herbert Taylor, Her special license that I, the said Herbert Taylor, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Herbert
Taylor, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: 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
THE MANUFACTURE OF RUFFLES, FRILLS, AND GATHERED FABRICS, AND IN THE
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication to me from
abroad by Henry John. Baker, of the City of New York, in the United States
of America, Merchant, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said.
Herbert Taylor, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Herbert Taylor, 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 fol-..
lowing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The said Invention relates to the production of ruffles, frills, and gathered
fabrics, and consists in so making such articles that the gathers are held in
place by a thread which passes through the cloth necessarily and invariably
between the gathers, the gathers resembling curved corrugations rather than
more sharply defined folds or plaits.
These gathers may be produced in an ordinary sewing machine, and stitched"
either with a single-thread chain stitch, a lock stitch, or double-thread loop
stitch, such as is known as the Grover and Baker stitch. In producing these
gathers in a sewing machine the feeding mechanism, that is to say, that
portion of the feeding device and presser foot which takes hold of and feedś
the cloth is disposed in such a position with reference to the stitching
apparatus that the cloth shall be fed just past the needle before the cloth is
gathered and left free beyond the needle from the pressure of the foot, so. that
it can be gathered by the stitching apparatus whilst in the act of drawing up
the loop or forming the stitch. For this purpose an additional removeable
presser foot or shoe may be employed capable of being placed upon the
ordinary presser foot, and so constructed and arranged as to be easily attached
to or detached from an ordinary sewing machine, so that when attached it
renders the stitching apparatus capable of gathering in the manner before
described, and wheu detached, of sewing a plain seam in ungathered work...

page_text: Or the separate foot or shoe may be dispensed with and a special presser foot
provided, having the shoe or part which projects downwards from the under:
side formed thereon. As the sole object of this separate. shoe or of the
projecting part of the presser foot is to change the position. of that portion
of the feed mechanism which acts directly upon or feeds the cloth in its
relation to the position of the stitching apparatus, either of the foregoing modi-
fications or other equivalent device may be employed. The fullness of the
gathers may be regulated either by changing the tension of the thread or the
throw of the feeder, or both if desired.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in the corre-
sponding Figures.
Fig. 1 represents a plan partly in perspective, showing the upper or right
side of the gathered work as made according to this Invention; Fig. 2 is a
plan of the under or wrong side of the work on a rather larger scale than
Fig. 1; and Fig. 8 is a diagram edge view of the gathered work on.a large
scale, shewing more clearly the positions of the stitches with relation to the
gathers.
Although these views illustrate only a single thread chain or what is known
as a tambour stitch, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine
myself to this particular stitch, as the lock stitch or the double-thread loop
stitch, known as the Grover and Baker stitch may be used.
It will be seen on referring to these. Figures that the gathers are held in
place by a thread which invariably passes through the cloth or fabric between
the gathers, such gathers resembling regular curved corrugations rather than
more sharply defined folds or plaits.
pro-
Fig. 4 represents a side elevation of the instruments to be employed in
ducing this gathered work, which instruments may be adapted to any well-
known or other convenient sewing machine.
For convenience we will suppose the stitching to be produced by the single-
thread machine known as the Willcox and Gibbs' machine, suitably modified
for the purpose, that is to say, having that portion of the serrated or roughened
feeding device A, (Fig. 4), and presser foot B, which unitedly take hold of
and feed the cloth along, disposed in such a position with reference to the
needle C, that the cloth shall be fed just past the needle. C before it is
gathered and left free from the pressure of the foot B so soon as it passes
beyond the needle, thus leaving it at liberty to be drawn up or gathered by the

page_text: mere action of the stitching apparatus whilst in the act of drawing up the loop
or tightening the stitch. To accomplish this end an additional removeable
presser foot or shoe D may be employed capable of being easily fitted on to
the ordinary presser foot B, or, if preferred, in lieu of having the part D
removeable from the ordinary presser foot which will admit of ordinary
stitching being formed at will, it may be formed in one piece with a special
presser foot.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the production in a sewing machine of gathered work in such a
manner that the gathers are held in place by a thread which passes through
the cloth necessarily and invariably between the gathers which resemble
curved corrugations, in lieu of folds or plaits, as herein-before described and
illustrated by the Drawings.
Second, the application of a moveable foot or shoe D to the presser foot
of a sewing machine, in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
Third, the making of the presser foot of a sewing machine with a portion
projecting downwards from the under face thereof in one piece with the
presser foot, in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert Taylor, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five.
HERBERT TAYLOR. (L.B.)