The shuttle would be driven back and forth as in a loom, as he had seen it thousands of times, and passed through a loop of thread which the curved needle would throw out on the other side of the cloth; and the cloth would be fastened to the machine vertically by pins.

A curved arm would ply the needle with the motion of a pick-axe.

A handle attached to the fly-wheel would furnish the power.
On that design Howe made a machine which, crude as it was, sewed more rapidly than five of the swiftest needle workers.

But apparently to no purpose.

His machine was too expensive, it could sew only a straight seam, and it might easily get out of order.