Sewing machine

A sewing machine comprising:

• a housing assembly;
• a needle drive assembly disposed at least partially in the housing including:
• a drive shaft rotatable about a drive shaft axis;
• a needle feed cam operably connected to the drive shaft and rotatable therewith;
• a needle drive race slidably connected to the needle feed cam via a cam pin secured to the needle feed cam and at least partially extending through the needle drive race;
• and
• a needle assembly affixed to the needle drive race including:
• a needle bar;
• and
• a needle secured to the needle bar;
• wherein rotary motion of the drive shaft and needle feed cam about the drive shaft axis is translated into a needle path via the needle drive race, the needle path including a substantially vertical downstroke from a stroke peak toward a needle plate to a stroke depth, a horizontal carry portion along the needle plate, a substantially vertical upstroke from the needle plate, and a curvilinear or linear return portion to the stroke peak.

A sewing machine comprising a drive system to urge movement of a needle assembly, the drive system including:

• a needle feed cam rotatable about a drive axis;
• and
• a needle drive race slidably connected to the needle feed cam, the needle assembly affixed thereto;
• wherein rotary motion of the needle feed cam about the drive axis is translated into a needle path of the needle assembly via the needle drive race;
• and
• wherein the needle path includes:
• a substantially vertical downstroke from a stroke peak to a stroke depth;
• a horizontal carry portion from the stroke depth;
• a substantially vertical upstroke from the horizontal carry portion;
• and
• a curvilinear or linear return portion upstroke from the vertical upstroke to the stroke peak.

A method of sewing comprising:

• rotating a drive shaft about a drive shaft axis;
• rotating a needle feed cam about the drive shaft axis via rotation of the drive shaft;
• moving a needle feed race in a preselected race path, via an operable connection with the needle feed cam;
• moving a needle assembly through a needle path via movement of the needle feed race driven by the rotation of the needle feed cam, the needle path including a substantially vertical downstroke from a stroke peak to a stroke depth, a horizontal carry portion from the stroke depth, a vertical upstroke, and a return portion to the stroke peak.