Machine for stitching the upper border of shoes commonly called moccasins

A machine for stitching together first and second pieces of material using stitching thread in order to form a joint and border in shoes commonly called moccasins, said machine comprising:

• a fixed planar work surface defining a work surface plane on which said material is disposed for stitching;
• an elongated needle disposed so that its longitudinal axis is perpendicular to said work surface plane, said needle having a hook formed in the end of said needle nearest the work surface;
• first reciprocating means for longitudinally reciprocating said needle along a first line of movement corresponding to its longitudinal axis, said reciprocation causing said hook in said needle to pass back and forth through said work surface plane;
• second reciprocating means for transversely reciprocating said needle along a second line of movement, said second line of movement lying along said work surface plane and intersecting said first line of movement;
• looping means for forming a loop of stitching thread, said looping means disposed on the opposite side of said work surface plane from said needle, said hook in said needle serving to engage said loop of stitching thread, and said longitudinal reciprocation of said needle serving to draw said loop of stitching thread through said material and through a previously formed loop, said transverse reciprocation in combination with said longitudinal reciprocation serving to pass said needle back through said material to form a chain stitched joint;
• feeding means for moving said material along said second line of movement toward said needle;
• pressing means for releasably holding previously stitched material in fixed relation to said work surface;
• and
• gripping means for gripping said first piece of unstitched material and for moving said first piece of material towards said needle, independently from said second piece of material.