Abstract: A device for adding extra stuffing to quilted items. A trapunto rod consists of a tube 10 which holds the stuffing material, an ejection means (piston) 14 driven by a linear drive means (inner rod) 12 which slides inside the tube and ejects the stuffing material at a specific location between the layers of a quilted item, and a handle 16 which stops the piston at its ejecting limit.

Abstract: The quilting machine comprises a supporting frame with vertical uprights which support, at the top, two horizontal parallel guides. A truck which bears at least one sewing device is slidably suspended on the guides. The truck is composed of two side plates connected to one another by two beams which extend above and respectively below the plane of the cloth-holder frame and act as guide for a sewing head and respectively for a complementary hook device of said at least one sewing device.

Abstract: A comforter assembly apparatus includes a frame with first and second rolls of fabric associated therewith for supplying an upper sheet and a lower sheet to the apparatus. A pair of sewing machines are mounted on the frame so as to attach the side edges of the upper and lower sheets together to form a continuous fabric assembly. The fabric assembly surrounds, and is pulled through the interior of, a turning ring, so as to continuously invert the fabric assembly into an inside-out condition. A third layer of soft batting may be supplied to the fabric assembly to form a intermediate layer between the upper and lower sheets, by inserting the soft batting layer into the turning ring as the fabric assembly is inverted. In the preferred embodiment, the turning ring is an elongated ring having a leg projecting from each end thereof between a pair of feed rollers.

Abstract: In a quilting machine for quilting or stitching textile formations of cover-material webs and filler-material webs, the material webs to be stitched together are loosely withdrawn from stock rollers and sewn together along lengthwise edges or marginal portions of the material webs prior to entering a tenter device. Sewing the lengthwise edges or marginal portions includes simultaneously sewing on respective bands or ribbons which laterally extend beyond a workpiece to be quilted and serve for holding or accommodating the latter in the tenter device. It is thus possible to substantially provide the entire width of the cover-material webs and filler-material webs with a quilt pattern. In this manner, the length of waste cuttings of expensive cover material is substantially reduced.

Abstract: A roll to roll machine which incorporates the features of using a video camera and monitor to locate an intersection of a sewing needle and material and create a visual image of this intersection so that a remote operator can create a pattern of thread sewn into the material as the material passes from one or more feed rollers to a pickup roller. The movement of the vertically oriented U-shaped frame which carries the sewing machine head is controlled by one process controller while the sewing and stitching functions of the sewing machine head is controlled by a second process controller.

Abstract: A device for disabling and enabling one or more needles in a quilting machine, a multi-needle embroidery machine, or the like, is described.The device comprises a linear actuator (24) adapted to carry a needle (22) and to keep the latter, for a predetermined time, in a raised position relative to fabric (10) to be sewn.The device includes stitching yarn (44) return means (38) being actuated when needle (22) is disabled, in order to subject to a limited tension the portion of stitching yarn located between the disabled needle and the fabric to be sewn, to prevent the yarn from becoming tangled and from breaking.Furthermore, during the entire operating stage as mentioned above, the known yarn tensioning device (48) through which the stitching yarn is led before arriving at the needle, is disabled.

Abstract: A roll to roll machine which incorporates the features of using a video camera and monitor to locate the intersection of the sewing needle and material and create a visual image of this intersection so that a remote operator can create a pattern of thread sewn into the material as the material passes from one or more feed rollers to a pickup roller. The movement of the vertically oriented U-shaped frame which carries the sewing machine head is controlled by one process controller while the sewing and stitching functions of the sewing machine head is controlled by a second process controller.

Abstract: The quilting machine includes a cloth-holder cylinder supported rotatable about a horizontal axis and provided with means for fastening the cloth along a cylindrical path. Externally to the cloth, along a generatrix of the cylinder, there moves a sewing head the motion whereof is coordinated with that of the cylinder so that the sewing line follows a predetermined trajectory.

Abstract: The apparatus includes a pair of hoops constituting said cylinder and provided with hooking elements for fastening the lateral edges of the cloth and mutually connected by longitudinal bars provided with hooking elements for fastening the initial and terminal edges of the cloth. The apparatus further includes a framework guided perpendicularly to the cylinder tangent plane and whereon is slideable a cutting assembly below which are arranged means for elastic retention of the initial flap of the cloth, means being furthermore provided to actuate the framework between a lowered position in which the initial and terminal flaps of the cloth couple to the longitudinal bars and the cloth is cut defining the initial and terminal flaps, and a raised position whereat the cloth-holder cylinder rotates.

Abstract: Apparatus and method utilized in sewing apparatus for aligning a fabric with multiple needle heads in a sewing operation such as quilting together a backing material, quilting material and cover material having stripes for aligning the stripes with the multiple needle heads of the sewing apparatus consisting of a plurality of crowned split collars selectively positioned along one or more tensioning bars to gather the material for alignment of the stripes with the multiple needle heads.

Abstract: A method of automatically producing seams in fabric webs, especially sackings or ticks of (wadded) bed quilts, by producing the seams during, and with the aid of, a freely programmably relative movement between the fabric web and at least one sewing machine head. The fabric web is drawn continuously or successively (in steps) and against a constant take-up force along a linear path, and the sewing head performs program-controlled motions in a processed web portion extending transversely of said path. A system for carrying out this method, utilizes a machine table and an associated quilting-sewing machine having an arm and a machine head mounted to the latter. The arm (20) is guided by a pair of supports (6, 7) positioned perpendicular with each other and adapted to be moved in the longitudinal direction (X) and transverse direction (Y) by freely programmably controlled drive apparatus.

Abstract: A quilting machine employs bobbin holders which support bobbins each having a conical lower portion ending in a point. A plurality of hooks are driven in an eliptical path to engage and pull down a loop of thread formed by insertion of a needle through a needle plate and the partial withdrawal thereof. The hooks keep the loop open and pull it down so that it passes over the pointed lower end of the bobbin. In order to facilitate engagement of the loop over the bobbin, the bobbins are maintained in sloped fashion. A thread take-up mechanism pulls up the loop of thread with one of the strands of the loop passing behind the bobbin between the bobbin and the bobbin holder to form a lock stitch.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method for forming a quilt and a sheet of backing material from which backing pieces used in the method can be separated. The backing sheet has a plurality of outlines of one or more predetermined designs on one face and an adhesive on the other face. Each outline corresponds to a backing piece. The backing pieces are cut from the sheet of backing material and adhered to respective fabric pieces. Each fabric piece and adhered backing piece is cut along the predetermined outline into a predetermined design of the respective backing piece to form respective quilting pieces. Two quilting pieces are placed in a face to face overlapping relationship with edge portions of the two quilting pieces which are intended to be joined adjacent to each other and, in the case of curved edge portions, confronting each other. The two quilting pieces are temporarily secured together along a predetermined seam line by pinning or tacking, for example.

Abstract: Apparatus for quilting layered fabrics by a sewing machine. The fabric and liner are unrolled from parallel fabric and liner shafts onto a winding shaft for the quilted fabric and disposed beneath the carrier arm of the sewing machine carriage. A hand control for free-hand quilting may be extensible from the sewing machine head and retracted during pattern quilting. The sewing machine carriage is mounted on parallel rails extending transversely of the pattern on linear anti-friction bearings. Other parallel rails and anti-friction linear bearings extending longitudinally of the pattern also mount the linear bearings and carriage for movement longitudinally of the fabric to be quilted. A follower depends from the sewing machine carriage to engage and follow the pattern and controls movement of the carriage to conform to the pattern selected for quilting.

Abstract: At least one needle-bearing bar of a quilting machine is connected to a reciprocable shaft, a control device is operatively arranged selectively to engage and to disengage the needle-bearing bar from the shaft. The control device includes either two electromagnetic or a pneumatically operated cylinder. A timer can be provided to effect energization of the electromagnets or fluid delivery to and venting of the cylinder.

Abstract: In a quilting machine of the type including a bed plate, means for conducting material to be quilted over the bed plate, vertically reciprocal needles positioned above the bed plate for moving sewing threads through the material to form stitches therein, a presser foot positioned above the bed plate, means for supporting the presser foot for vertical reciprocation relative to the bed plate between upper and lower positions for periodically compressing and releasing the material, and means for driving the presser foot, there is disclosed an improvement wherein the presser foot supporting means comprises means including a pair of opposed, balanced springs for suspending the presser foot in a position intermediate the upper and lower positions, and wherein the presser foot driving means comprises means for cyclically, alternately, increasing and decreasing the compression of one of the springs and simultaneously decreasing and increasing the compression of the other of the springs to reciprocate the presser foot