Sewing machine

In a sewing machine for stitching material, said sewing machine comprising motor means for powering said sewing machine;

• needle means, responsive to said motor means, for forming stitches;
• zig-zag means for controllably displacing said needle means in a direction angularly displaced from the path of material through the machine to form a zig-zag stitch pattern, said improvement of said zig-zag means comprising:
• control means, responsive to manual setting of a desired stitch pattern, for providing a control signal indicative of a desired displacement of said needle means from said path of material through said machine;
• converter means, responsive to said control means, for producing a variable thickness, said thickness varying according to said desired displacement, said converter means comprising a plurality of packet means for providing a variable thickness, said thickness variable between a thick and thin position;
• electromagnetic activating means for operating said packet means between said thick and thin positions;
• linkage means for sensing said variable thickness of said converter means and displacing said needle means in response thereto;
• said packet means comprising at least two plates, each of said plates having at least one raised portion and one flat portion, said plates, acting in cooperation with said raised and flat portions, providing a variable thickness of said packet means when said plates are moved relative to each other, said packet means further comprising rocker means, responsive to both plates of said packet means, for moving one of said plates in response to movement of the other of said plates in the opposite direction, said movement varying the thickness of said packet means between a thick and thin position.