Needle guide components for a sewing machine

An improved feed dog device for a sewing machine having a material feed mechanism wherein a sewing needle and the feed dog together advance material to be sewn along a stitching path, the sewing machine including a work surface for supporting the material, a needle-reciprocating drive apparatus for moving the needle into and out of the material, and a thread loop pick-up device below the work surface, the sewing needle adapted to throw a thread loop below the work surface in alignment with the path of movement of the thread loop pick-up device, wherein the improvement comprises:

• the feed dog device including a needle hole having a V-shaped notch therein extending through the feed dog device, the V-shaped notch having an apex aligned with the stitching path and the V-shaped notch facing the direction of material advancement,
• the sewing needle being adapted to move downwardly through the needle hole adjacent the V-shaped notch,
• whereby when the material feed mechanism advances the material, if the sewing needle is out of alignment with the stitching path, the material urges the sewing needle longitudinally along the stitching path into the V-shaped notch and aligns the sewing needle laterally along the stitching path at the apex of the V-shaped notch, so that the thread loop thrown by the sewing needle aligns with the path of movement of the thread loop pick-up device;
• and
• wherein the feed dog device includes a pair of V-shaped notches, the V-shaped notches facing each other and having their apexes aligned with each other along the stitching path.

A lower needle guide for aligning a sewing needle of a sewing machine having a needle feed mechanism for advancing material being sewn, the sewing machine including a work surface for supporting the material, a drive mechanism for moving the sewing needle into and out of the material through the lower needle guide to throw a loop in a thread and back and forth along a stitching path to advance the material, and a thread loop pick-up device below the work surface, the sewing needle being adapted to throw a loop in the thread below the material with the thread loop being thrown in alignment with the path of movement of the thread loop pick-up device, so that the thread loop pick-up device catches the thread loop and avoids missing a stitch, the lower needle guide comprising:

• a needle hole including a V-shaped notch extending through the lower needle guide, the V-shaped notch facing the direction of material advancement and having its apex aligned along the stitching path, the lower needle guide being positioned longitudinally relative to the needle such that the needle moves through the needle hole adjacent the V-shaped notch as the needle moves downwardly through the material,
• whereby when the needle feed mechanism advances the material, if the sewing needle is out of alignment with the stitching path, the material urges the sewing needle longitudinally along the stitching path into the V-shaped notch, to align the sewing needle laterally along the stitching path at the apex of the V-shaped notch, so that the thread loop thrown by the sewing needle aligns with the path of movement of the thread loop pick-up device;
• wherein the lower needle guide includes a second V-shaped notch extending therethrough, with the two V-shaped notches facing each other and both having their apexes aligned with each other along the stitching path;
• and
• wherein the needle hole comprises the two V-shaped notches and forms a diamond-shaped needle hole.

An improved feed dog device for a sewing machine having a material feed mechanism wherein a sewing needle and the feed dog together advance material to be sewn along a stitching path, the sewing machine including a work surface for supporting the material, a needle-reciprocating drive apparatus for moving the needle into and out of the material, and a thread loop pick-up device below the work surface, the sewing needle adapted to throw a thread loop below the work surface in alignment with the path of movement of the thread loop pick-up device, wherein the improvement comprises:

• the feed dog device including a needle hole having a V-shaped notch therein extending through the feed dog device, the V-shaped notch having an apex aligned with the stitching path and the V-shaped notch facing the direction of material advancement,
• the sewing needle being adapted to move downwardly through the needle hole adjacent the V-shaped notch;
• whereby when the material feed mechanism advances the material, if the sewing needle is out of alignment with the stitching path, the material urges the sewing needle longitudinally along the stitching path into the V-shaped notch and aligns the sewing needle laterally along the stitching path at the apex of the V-shaped notch, so that the thread loop thrown by the sewing needle aligns with the path of movement of the thread loop pick-up device;
• wherein the feed dog device includes a pair of V-shaped notches, the V-shaped notches facing each other and having their apexes aligned with each other along the stitching path;
• and
• wherein the two V-shaped notches are adjacent each other to form a diamond-shaped opening for the sewing needle.