THREAD TRIMMING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINES

A manually operated thread cutting attachment for a sewing machine which may be used in place of the conventional sewing machine presser foot. A manually operable drive wheel is fastened on a short shaft journaled in an enlarged presser foot shank and extending in the direction of feed. Secured to the front of the shaft is a disk-like member carrying on its periphery a thread engaging finger, which when the shaft is initially manually turned, swings across the top of the presser foot sole plate and engages the needle thread, drawing it slightly to one side of the needle hole in the presser foot sole plate. The thread engaging finger remains in this position by means of a latch member mounted with the knurled drive wheel while the operator turns the hand wheel of the machine. As the needle descends to form the next stitch, it lays a needle thread loop over the threading engaging finger. The knurled drive wheel is thereafter further manually rotated causing the thread engaging finger to pull upwardly and outwardly on the needle thread and thereby draw bobbin thread up through the throat plate so that both the needle thread and the bobbin thread extend up through the hole in the presser foot sole plate in position to be cut by a knife slidably mounted in the presser foot. The knife is actuated by a further turning of the knurled drive wheel which causes a strike on the disk-like member to engage and slide the knife. When thread severing is completed a spring effects return of the thread engaging finger to its initial position.