Improvements in or relating to Edge Stitching of Fabrics and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 1st Aug., 1899-Accepted, 1st Dec., 1899
Improvements in or relating to Edge Stitching of Fabrics and
Apparatus therefor.
I, HARRIET RUTH TRACY, of 58, Brondesbury Villas, Maida Vale, London, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentlewoman, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide a machine stitched edging, for
ornamenting or protecting fabrics, which is more durable than those hitherto
in use; said edging being more especially applicable to the making of button
holes.
Hitherto only one thread has been employed in sewing machines for button
holing, scalloping and like work, my improvement consists in using two threads,
forming a locked chain stitch, the stitches being formed in pairs, the stitches
of each pair being placed one behind the other, and each pair placed side by
side along the edge of the fabric.
In carrying out my invention I employ a lock chain stitch machine, prefer-
ably of the type employing a revoluble loop taker, which holds the cop or
bobbin for the bottom thread, and I employ a locked chain stitch, but in place
of the usual forward feed of the fabric I provide a vibratory, or back and
forth feed, so that the stitches are formed in pairs, one at the edge of the fabric,
and each alternate stitch behind the first at a distance from the edge of the
fabric equal to the desired width of the edging. I also provide a side feed for
the fabric between each set of two stitches, which may be regulatable, so that
the sets of two stitches may be placed more or less closely side by side.
This side feed may if desired be given to the fabric by the hand of the
operator.
As an alternative method I may dispense with the vibratory or back and
forth feed of the fabric, keeping this latter stationary during the formation of
each pair of stitches, and giving the necessary movement to the needle to place
these stitches in their proper position relative to each other.
Any suitable mechanism may be employed for thus traversing the needle as
for instance, by placing the needle eccentric in the needle bar, and giving the
latter a half turn by means of a curved cam groove.
In forming button holes, the hole may be cut before or after the stitching in
any usual manner, or a knife may be mounted on the work clamp or otherwise
to cut the hole while the stitching is in progress.
Dated this 29th day of October 1898.
HARRIET RUTH TRACY..
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Edge Stitching of Fabrics and
Apparatus therefor.
I, HARRIET RUTH TRACY, of 58, Brondesbury Villas, Maida Vale, London, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentlewoman, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide a machine stitched edging, for
ornamenting or protecting fabrics, which is more durable than those hitherto
in use; said edging being more especially applicable to the making of button
holes.
Usually only one thread has been employed in sewing machines for button
holing, scalloping and like work, my improvement consists in using two threads,
forming a locked chain stitch, the stitches being formed in pairs, the stitches
of each pair being placed one behind the other, and each pair placed side by
side along the edge of the fabric.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the upper surface of a piece of
fabric edged with my improved stitch and
Figure 2 is a similar view of the under surface of the same.
Figure is a side view partly in section of the needle bar arm showing one
arrangement for partially rotating the needle.
Figures 4 and 5 are details of Figure 3 on an enlarged scale.
The stitches are formed in pairs a a', one stitch, (say a) of each pair being
formed at the edge or just beyond the edge of the fabric, and one (say a¹) behind
the other, at a distance equal to the desired width of the edging. The pairs
of stitches are placed side by side along the edge of the fabric at such a dis-
tance from each other as desired: for button holing the pairs would be close
together, for some forms of ornamental edging a more or less wide interval
would be left between each pair. is the locking thread.
In forming the stitch I preferably employ a machine of the type described
in my previous Patents Nos. 15071 of 1897 and 22946 of 1898, in which a
revoluble looptaker is employed, which takes up its own slack, and holds the
cup or bobbin for the bottom or locking thread. To form the stitches in pairs
I provide a plate or frame, such as is well-known in connection with button-
hole machines, to give a vibratory or back and forth feed to the fabric, in addi-
tion to the usual forward feed which is given to the fabric between each pair of
stitches.
Or instead of giving a vibratory feed to the fabric when forming a narrow
edging, such as is suitable for a buttonhole I may keep the fabric stationary
during the formation of the stitches of each pair, and give the necessary
motion to the needle to place these stitches in their proper position relative to
each other, by vibrating it in a horizontal plane parallel to the axis of the loop-
taker.
It is evident that this arrangement is only suitable for narrow edging since
the movement given to the needle should not be sufficient to prevent the thread
loop from engaging the loop taker in either position of the needle.
Many forms of mechanism for thus vibrating the needle are known in the
art, but I prefer the following. Instead of placing the needle centrally in its
needle bar, I place it eccentrically, and I partially rotate the needle bar back-
wards and forwards on its axis, when in its raised position so that the needle

page_text: is clear of the fabric. Any convenient form of mechanism may be employed
for this purpose, a suitable arrangement being shown in Figures 3, 4, 5.
A is the arm of a sewing machine and B is the needle bar carried thereby
and reciprocated vertically in any usual manner through the horizontal shaft C.
Projecting from the upper part of the needle bar is a pin B', engaged in a
slot D formed at one end of a horizontal bar D, which is carried in the arm A
so as to be capable of reciprocation. A pin D2, depending from the other end
of the bar D, engages in a cam groove, E', formed in the periphery of a
wheel E, mounted on a shaft E* and receiving rotary motion from the driving
shaft C through its pinion C¹ and a chain of gear wheels F, so arranged as to
give a half revolution to the wheel E between every two revolutions of main
shaft C.
The needle G is placed eccentrically in the end of the needle bar as shown
in dotted lines in Figures 4 and 5.
.
The cam groove E is so arranged relatively to the pin D³ that the bar D is
reciprocated when the needle bar B is about the top of its stroke, and the
slot D is of a length equal to the distance through which the needle bar is
reciprocated.
Figures 4 and 5 are plan views of the bar D, its cam wheel E and needle
bar B showing the two positions of the needle caused by the reciprocation of
the bar D. By this arrangement the needle bar makes two complete recipro-
cations forming two stitches whilst the needle is in the position shown in
Figure 4. The bar D is then drawn back by the portion E³ of the cam groove,
rotating the needle bar and bringing the needle to the position shown in
Figure 5. The needle again makes two stitches when the bar D is returned
by the portion E4 of the cam groove to the position shown in Figure 4.
In forming buttonholes the hole may be cut before or after the stitching in
any usual manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
7
1. An edge stitching for fabrics comprising a series of locked-chain-
stitches, arranged in pairs, placed side by side along the edge of the fabric, the
stitches of each pair being made the one at the edge of the fabric the other
back from it substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of
the accompanying drawings.
2. In a sewing machine placing the needle eccentrically in the needle bar
and partially rotating the latter substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In a sewing machine the combination of a reciprocating needle bar, a
needle placed eccentrically thereon, and means to partially rotate the needle
bar on its axis substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. The combination with a needle bar such as B 13 of a bar such as D D' D'
and means to reciprocate the bar such as a cam wheel E E operated by the
driving shaft C through gearing such as C, F, substantially as described or
illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 1st day of August 1899.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.