Cloth guide mechanism in a sewing machine

A sewing machine cloth guide mechanism of the type wherein a cloth is fed downwardly and in a first direction away from a sewing area of the sewing machine from a position above the sewing machine, the cloth is folded along one side edge thereof, and the cloth is then fed in a second direction over a needle plate of said sewing machine and through the sewing area while a seam is sewed in the cloth in a direction parallel to said second direction and parallel to the folded side edge, said cloth guide mechanism comprising:

• a first guide member extending over the needle plate with a first clearance therebetween;
• a second guide member positioned above said first guide member with a second clearance therebetween;
• said cloth passing through said second clearance when being fed in said first direction, and then passing through said first clearance when being fed in said second direction;
• a cloth positioning member attached to said first guide member and including upper and lower guide pieces, said lower guide piece extending through said first clearance, and said upper guide piece extending through said second clearance, said upper and lower guide pieces comprising means for guiding the folded side edge of said cloth while said cloth is fed in said first and second directions, respectively;
• said second guide member having an edge inclined to a line normal to said second direction;
• a guide rod extending upwardly from said second guide member;
• gripping means, slidably mounted on said guide rod, for resiliently gripping said cloth as it is led from the position above the sewing mechine in said first direction;
• the feeding of said cloth in said second direction exerting a first force tending to urge said folded side edge of said cloth against said upper and lower guide pieces;
• and
• means, connected to said gripping means, for urging said gripping means upwardly along said guide rod and for thereby exerting a second force opposing said first force on said cloth.