Cannon Mills Company

William S Fisher

An apparatus and method is provided for forming a double-folded wide hem in cut textile articles, such as would be used for the open entrance end of a pillowcase, the top of a bed sheet and the like. Rectangular cut articles are successively fed in a longitudinal path of travel and are stopped for hem folding during such travel. A predetermined width of one edge portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the path of travel of each article is elevated and stopped in the folding position. The elevated portion is folded over the remainder of the article and over a stationary folding shoe having a transverse dimension corresponding to the desired width of the wide hem being formed in the article, while forming a first fold in the edge portion of the article around an outer longitudinally-extending edge of the stationary folding shoe. A forwardly-extending portion of the folded-over edge portion of the article is folded around and under an inward longitudinally-extending edge portion of the stationary folding shoe, while forming a second fold in the article to complete folding of the double-folded hem. The articles may then be fed from the folding mechanisms and through a sewing machine for stitching the double-folded wide hem in the textile article.

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Concord, NC, United States of America

William S Fisher