Apparatus for manufacturing fabric for coverings for architectural openings

An apparatus for forming fabrics for use, by way of example, in coverings for architectural openings includes a system for handling single or multi-layered fabrics by suspending the fabric from a lift tower, threading the fabric through various clamp systems within a housing for the apparatus, and subsequently forming horizontal rows of hobbles, tunnels, and/or attached rings by gripping and releasing the fabric with a vacuum clamp, upper and lower clamps, and a tucker blade clamp while a reciprocating tucker blade forms horizontal tucks in the fabric. Hobbles can also be formed in one layer of the fabric through use of the vacuum clamp which gathers a portion of one layer of the fabric while the other layer is handled differently. In doing so, hobbles are formed between tucks in the fabric with the hobbles establishing a fabric resembling a Roman shade.