Improvements in Hems or Seams for Sewed Articles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 21st July. 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hems or Seams for Sewed Articles.
I, JOHN GATES LEWIS, a Citizen of the United States of America, residing
at 5065, McPherson Avenue, St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, Manufacturer,
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 my invention is to make a hem or seam for sewed articles
which will be neat in appearance and durable.
My invention consists in a hem or seam for sewed articles in which a portion
of the material is folded upon itself and the folded portion secured to the main
part of the material by blind stitches piercing said material in the direction
of the length of the hem; and in other novel features which are described in the
following specification and pointed out in the claims affixed hereto.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a hem made in accordance
with my invention Fig. 1 is a front view; Fig. 2 is a transverse section; Figs. 3
and 4 are sectional views showing the manner of forming the hem or seam, and
Fig. 5 is an enlarged view showing the form of stitch. Like marks of refer-
ence refer to similar parts in the several views of the drawings. 10 is the main
layer of the material. In
folded back
the form of hem shown, a portion 11 is
upon the laver .10.
a separate piece of material in some cases.
This portion 11, however, may be
is preferably turned under, as best shown in Fig. 2, so that there will be no
The edge 12 of the portion 11
raw edge exposed in the completed hem or seam.
bent around a guide or finger 13 and the stitches passed through the same in
The layers of cloth are then
the direction of the length of the hem or seam.
ately at each side of the edge of the hem or seam.
The stitches pass down alter-
he seam beyond which the main layer 10 projects, the needle passes down
At that side of the edge of
hrough said layer 10, as shown by the dotted line A of Fig. 3.
nstances, the needle in passing down at the other side of the edge of the seam,
may pass through the layers 11 and 12 and into the main layer 10. In most
ases, however, I prefer to have the needle either pass into the outer layer 11
nly, as shown in dotted line 3 of Fig. 4, or through the layer 11 into the
yer 12, as shown in dotted line C in said figure. In either of the latter cases,
he layer 10 will not be drawn or puckered upon the side where the stitches
o not show, as would be the case especially in thin goods, if the needle pene-
ated into this layer 10. In the form of hem or seam shown, two threads are
sed to form the stitches; 14 being the upper, and 15 the lower thread, and
the interlocking point,
In some
I am aware that hems have previously been made in which the folded portion
the material was held to the main part of the material by blind stitches
ercing the goods in a direction at right angles to the length of the hem, and
do not claim the same.

page_text: 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:-
1. A hem or seam for sewed articles, consisting of a main layer of textile or
similar material, and one or more superposed layers of material secured to said
main layer by two connected rows of blind stitches passed into the material in
the direction of the length of the hem or sean, one of said rows of stitches
being at each side of the edge of said superposed layer or layers.
2. A hem or seam for sewed articles, consisting of a main layer of textile
or similar material, and one or more superposed layers of material secured to
said main layer by two connected rows of blind stitches passed into the material
in the direction of the length of the hem or seam, one of said rows of stitches
entering the main layer of material and the other entering one or more of said
superposed layers but not the main layer, whereby drawing of the main layer
is prevented.
3. A hem or seam for sewed articles, consisting of a main layer of material
folded upon itself to form the hem, the outer edge of the folded portion being
itself folded under as at 12, two rows of blind stitches comprising upper and
lower threads passed into the material parallel with and at opposite sides of
the fold 12, interlocked within the material and having their exposed threads
crossed on the line of the fold 12, but exterior thereto.
Dated this 5th day of December 1899