Apparatus, system, and method sewing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system of manual sewing comprising using solid or hollow shapes, that is planar surfaces, to stabilize and display the area being worked on and using both hands to accomplish the sewing tasks. The area to be worked on is spread out and stabilized on a planar surface, and the planar surface itself is stabilized in space with a holding device or by the surroundings. Both hands are then free to do the actual sewing. Pincers and needle holders designed to assist the use in proper use are employed to optimize visualization and to facilitate the actual sewing. The use of eyeless needles with pre-attached thread, preferably swaged-on threads, eliminates the need for threading. Use of curved needles with needle holders facilitates sewing in small spaces. Kits are also contemplated that comprise a variety of sewing crafts of the present invention.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60 / 937,240 filed Jun. 26, 2007; 60 / 967,479 filed Sep. 5, 2007 and 60 / 967,845 filed Sep. 8, 2007, all of which are herein incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]Much sewing today is done with machines. However, sewing by hand is still a handicraft practiced by many people. The present invention relates to novel apparatus, systems and methods for sewing crafts and repairing fabric and textile materials by hand in an easier, faster and better way.BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION[0003]Although most sewing is performed with sewing machines, sewing by hand is still practiced by a variety of people. For example, there are people who create and repair cloth articles but who cannot afford to purchase a sewing machine. There are also people who simply prefer to sew by hand and / or do not know how to sew with a machine. There are hobbyists who specialize in...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]To facilitate sewing, kits are also available that provide needles with eyes that are pre-threaded. U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,954 discloses a mending kit consisting of individual thread and needle units having pre-threaded needles. A similar portable sewing kit with pre-threaded needles is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,392,261. These needles are advantageous in that the threading is done for the person sewing, which may be particularly advantageous for people who have unsteady hands or impaired vision or coordination. However, pre-threading does not prevent the thread from coming out of the eye of the needle during sewing, possibly requiring rethreading of the needle. Also, the threaded end of standard threaded needles is twice as thick as the rest of the needle and thread and is therefore sometimes difficult to pass through the fabric being sewn and may even damage the fabric when forced through because of it's increased thickness.

[0027]It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a method and system of repairing tears and holes in fabrics, re-attaching buttons, repairing upholstery, and creating and repairing handcrafted articles such as quilts, ornaments, and stuffed toys. The method and system according to the present invention is simple and designed to be easily learned by first time users.

Problems solved by technology

For example, there are people who create and repair cloth articles but who cannot afford to purchase a sewing machine.

There are hobbyists who specialize in hand-sewn handicrafts and upholstery repair professionals who at times must sew by hand either because of space constraints or because of specific job requirements that make sewing with a machine impossible.

Some students and young professionals without access to sewing machines and with no training on sewing machine use and limited budgets, repair articles of clothing by hand.

Depending on the skill and coordination of the person doing the sewing, visualization of the area being sewn may be difficult, and precise sewing may not be possible.

Even routine repairs using conventional manual sewing techniques may require considerable skill and time to accomplish.

Additional challenges of sewing by hand include: grasping small areas of material securely without one hand which obstructs the view of the area being sewn and sewing in small spaces when the area being worked on cannot be moved.

In addition, threading a needle and maintaining the thread in the eye of the needle may be difficult for some people depending on their vision, steadiness, and coordination.

Age-associated physical limitations such as impaired vision or unsteady hands may make sewing by hand with standard methods very difficult.

However, such embroidery hoops are not versatile and do not permit the sewing of material of various shapes, thickness and sizes, such as tubular articles of clothing, textile materials, quilts, upholstery, ornaments, stuffed toys, etc.

There is also the issue of how to fill a hole.

Darning, or filling a hole with woven stitching, is a well-known method of repairing holes in clothing, but requires considerable skill and time.

However, according to this patent, the darner ball must be held with one hand, leaving only one hand free to sew.

Further, the darner ball is not versatile and can not easily be used to sew or repair large articles or thick articles.

However, sewing a patch is time consuming and patches are not always sightly.

However, none of these disclosures relate to sewing crafts and repairing fabric by hand.

However, pre-threading does not prevent the thread from coming out of the eye of the needle during sewing, possibly requiring rethreading of the needle.

Also, the threaded end of standard threaded needles is twice as thick as the rest of the needle and thread and is therefore sometimes difficult to pass through the fabric being sewn and may even damage the fabric when forced through because of it's increased thickness.

However, this kit is limited to button reattachment and does not disclose metal needles.

Non-metal needles do not work well in applications involving thick fabric.

Metal needles with pre-attached thread are available for stringing beads, but have not been adapted to sewing fabric.

However, none of these patents disclose the use of needle holders or pincers for sewing crafts and repairing fabrics.

This package is designed for use during one procedure and is not adapted for sewing fabric, where thread can be used until it is too short for effective stitching.

Such a fine needle that has an eye is difficult to thread and the very fine thread makes this task especially challenging.

The loop of thread passing through the eye of the needle must pass through the hole created by the needle, which creates considerable resistance.

However, such solutions are double the work and also increase material expense.

This reduces the likelihood of needle sticks and potentially speeds up the sewing.

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