Method and apparatus for producing a fabric or leather article

Abstract

A method and apparatus for producing a fabric or leather article, in particular an article to be padded, comprising the steps of: at an embroidery machine (3), automatically stitching a stack of cloth (20d) according to a stored template containing a pattern of reference stitching lines (S1-S5); applying a plurality of markers in the form of respective additional seams according to a corresponding arrangement of reference markers (M1-M4) provided in the stored template; optically photographing (5) the stitched portion of cloth and determining any displacement of the applied markers with respect to the arrangement of reference markers (M1-M4); based on the displacement and on the mutual arrangement of the stored reference markers (M1-M4) and the pattern of stitching lines (S1-S5), determining, by interpolation, the actual pattern of stitching lines present on the stitched cloth (20d); automatically cutting (53) along the stitching lines based on the actual pattern obtained with interpolation.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a device for producing a fabric or leather article, in particular an article to be filled, for example with eiderdown.

[0002] Automatic quilting methods are known, in which a continuous cloth to be filled is first advanced at a sewing head and then at a cutting head, using a perforated conveyor belt through which the cloth is held without any slippage by means of air suction. A method of this type is described in patent application DE3801820A1.

[0003] A disadvantage of the method in which cutting must be performed around the seam as a closed line is that the cutting line must be kept spaced apart from the previously provided stitching line with precision.

[0004] Another disadvantage is that the semi-finished product obtained at the end of cutting can be difficult to distinguish for the operator and, therefore, in the absence of an overall slowing down of the production line, difficult to classify.

[0005] The use of known stitching methods and cutting methods can also pose some problems for the production line, in particular when the production line requires continuous human intervention to perform certain steps.

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a fabric or leather article and a corresponding device that can improve one or more of the aspects in the background art mentioned above.

[0007] Within the scope of this object, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a fabric or leather article and a corresponding device that allow obtaining a semi-finished product that is accurately stitched and cut along the seam.

[0008] It is another object to provide a method for producing a fabric or leather article and a corresponding device that can be used with a plurality of mutually different templates.

[0009] It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a fabric or leather article and a corresponding device for obtaining a semi-finished product that can be easily and quickly identified and used for subsequent processes such as filling and / or garment tailoring.

[0010] It is another object to provide a device for producing a fabric or leather article that can also be used in a production line of garments.

[0011] Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art in a manner that can replace any existing solution.

[0012] The main aim of the present invention is particularly to provide a method and a device which are highly reliable, relatively easy to provide and cost-competitive.

[0013] This aim, as well as these and other aims, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a method for producing a fabric or leather article, in particular an article to be padded, comprising the steps of:

[0014] - feeding to an embroidery machine a superimposed cloth made of at least two cloths superimposed on each other;

[0015] - advancing said superimposed cloth stepwise along a substantially rectilinear direction;

[0016] - at said embroidery machine, automatically stitching said at least two cloths according to a stored template along a stitching line, wherein said template comprises a pattern of reference stitching lines;

[0017] characterized in that it comprises the steps of:

[0018] - during said automatic stitching, applying a plurality of markers in the form of respective additional seams, said markers being distributed two-dimensionally on the exposed face of the superimposed cloth according to a corresponding arrangement of reference markers provided in said stored template;

[0019] - after said automatic stitching, feeding the stitched portion of said superimposed cloth to a station for automatic cutting;

[0020] - optically photographing said stitched portion and determining any displacement of said markers applied to said superimposed cloth with respect to the arrangement of reference markers stored in said template;

[0021] - based on said displacement and on the mutual arrangement of reference markers and pattern of stitching lines provided in said stored template, determining by interpolation the actual pattern of stitching lines present on said stitched portion of cloth;

[0022] - automatically cutting said stitched portion, said cutting being performed substantially along said stitching lines based on said actual pattern obtained by said interpolation, so as to automatically adapt said cutting to any slackening and / or wrinkling of the cloth resulting after said stitching step.

[0023] Optionally, the above method can be provided with one or more features of the dependent claims.

[0024] The aims and objects of the present invention are also achieved by a device for producing a fabric or leather article, in particular an article to be padded, which is adapted to perform the above method, said device comprising:

[0025] - a feeder of pieces of cloth, configured to unwind the cloths from respective reels along a direction of advancement and to superimpose them on one another;

[0026] - a memory device comprising a storage template containing a pattern of reference stitches and a plurality of reference markers arranged according to a reference arrangement with respect to said pattern;

[0027] - an embroidery machine comprising at least one sewing head and at least one frame adapted to tension and temporarily hold the superimposed cloths during stitching, said embroidery machine being associated with control means configured to perform automatic stitching of the superimposed cloths along the stitches corresponding to the pattern of the storage template by relative movement between the at least one sewing head and the frame;

[0028] - said embroidery machine being adapted to apply, on the superimposed cloths, in positions corresponding to the reference arrangement stored in the template, a plurality of markers in the form of seams, in two dimensions;

[0029] - downstream of the embroidery machine with respect to the direction of advancement, means for optically photographing the cloths stitched by the embroidery machine and a machine for automatic cutting of the stitched cloths;

[0030] - control means comprising the following stored instructions:

[0031] - detecting, by means of the optical photographing means, the positions of the markers applied on the stitched cloths;

[0032] - determining any displacement of the applied markers with respect to the reference arrangement stored in the template;

[0033] - determining, by interpolation, the actual pattern of stitches present on the stitched cloths, on the basis of the displacement and of the mutual arrangement of the reference markers provided in the storage template and of the pattern of stitches, so as to adapt the cutting automatically to any slackening and / or wrinkling of the stitched cloths after release of the stitched cloths by the frame of the embroidery machine;

[0034] - said automatic cutting machine being adapted to perform automatic cutting of the cloths substantially along the stitches on the basis of the actual pattern obtained by the interpolation.

[0035] Optionally, such a device can be provided with the features of the dependent claims.

[0036] Further features and advantages of the application will become more apparent from the description of preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0037] Figure 1 is a side view of the device according to the present application;

[0038] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device of

[0039] Figure 3 is Figures 1 to 2 is a partial detail view of the tensioning frame of the cloth in the embroidery machine of the device of

[0040] Figure 4 is a view of an embodiment of the storage template used in the device of the preceding figures.

[0041] With reference to the figures cited, the device according to the present application, indicated in its entirety with the reference number 1, comprises a feeder 2 of cloth in the form of a plurality of reels. The feeder 2 is provided with a plurality of unwinding units 2a, 2b, 2c having a horizontal unwinding axis, arranged in such a way that the cloths 20a, 20b, 20c can be unwound from the respective reels 21a, 21b, 21c and fed in a mutually superimposed manner and along a substantially rectilinear advancement direction D to a downstream machine, so as to form a multi-layered sheet 20d having a number of layers corresponding to the number of cloths 20a, 20b, 20c input.

[0042] The cloths 20a, 20b, 20c can (optionally, but not necessarily) have substantially the same width with respect to a direction perpendicular to the advancement direction D, so that they can be superimposed substantially aligned at the outlet of the feeder 2.

[0043] In the embodiment shown, the superimposed cloths are three and are formed by two cloths 20a-20b suitable for forming the bags used to fill the down in the subsequent filling step and by a third cloth 20c suitable for forming the outer layer of the garment filled with down and cut downstream of the device 1.

[0044] As an alternative, at the feeder 2, for example as described in Italian patent application No. 102016000111981, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, and according to predetermined positions, a bag for filling the down previously formed can be inserted between at least two cloths during the superimposition step.

[0045] In particular for the production of filled articles, for example garments filled with goose down, the material for the cloths of the present application is the one commonly used in the textile and / or upholstery industry.

[0046] Specifically, the fabric used may be made of woven fabric (the term is intended to refer to woven fabric, mesh, nonwoven fabric, stuffing sheet or polyester sheet for filling, synthetic sheet in general) and / or leather (including imitation leather), but other materials, generally preferred plastic film or sheet that can be unwound from the roll, may be associated with woven and / or leather fabric.

[0047] Downstream of feeder 2, device 1 includes embroidery machine 3, which includes at least one sewing head, and more preferably, has a plurality of sewing heads 31a...31f aligned along the forward direction D, for example, six sewing heads (not all are shown in the figures for space saving). The sewing heads 31a-31f can be mounted on a common longitudinal member 30 parallel to the forward direction D.

[0048] In addition, the embroidery machine 3 includes at least one embroidery frame 32, which is adapted to tension and temporarily hold the folded fabric 20d in a manner known per se during sewing, and is adapted to move according to a stored embroidery program.

[0049] Embroidery machines with a fixed sewing head and a fabric embroidery frame that moves according to the embroidery program are known, for example, in patent application DE19722616.

[0050] In the illustrated embodiment, the embroidery frame 32 includes longitudinal grippers and lateral grippers 33-34, which can be activated upon command during the step of the stitching feed being input into the stacked fabric 20d of the embroidery machine 3, so as to hold the stacked fabric 20d in two mutually perpendicular directions and to tension the stacked fabric.

[0051] The device 1 also includes a memory device, for example located in the embroidery machine 3 itself, which contains and stores at least one template, which includes a graphic or pattern of reference stitch lines S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 and a plurality of reference marks M1, M2, M3, M4 distributed relative to the pattern according to a reference arrangement.

[0052] The storage template corresponds to a digital pattern (e.g., in vector file form) and includes multiple substantially closed reference lines S1, S2, S3, S4, S5. These reference lines correspond to the actual seam lines of a specific layout within a rectangular area A, which must be provided by one of a plurality of sewing heads 31a-31f. In the example shown, the layout is formed from a plurality of semi-finished products (or items) P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, which will be obtained by cutting and subsequently manufactured to form, for example, a padded coat or jacket.

[0053] The embroidery machine 3 is associated with control means, for example a computer numerical control (CNC) of the entire apparatus 1, configured to actuate the relative movement between the sewing heads 31a-31f and the embroidery frame 32 on the basis of the stored template, so as to implement the automatic stitching of the superimposed cloth 20d along the stitching lines corresponding to the pattern of the stored template and according to the additional seams of the reference arrangement of the marks according to the specific aspect of the application, so that the marks M1-M4 of the stored pattern are advantageously reproduced on the superimposed cloth 20d in the form of corresponding additional seams.

[0054] One advantage of the application is that the marks consist of respective seams (for example in the form of loops) obtained by the same sewing heads 31a-31f that reproduce the pattern S1-S5 stored in the template in the form of seams. Therefore, in the stitching step, the marks are also applied on the superimposed cloth 20d in the form of additional seams simultaneously with the stitching lines applied to the cloth 20d, the marks being arranged with respect to the stitching lines in the same way as the stored template.

[0055] Since the sewing heads of known embroidery machines allow the application of threads of different colors, it is possible to associate threads of a different color (for example with high contrast with respect to the color of the exposed face of the superimposed cloth 20d) with the marks, so as to facilitate their automatic recognition in subsequent stations.

[0056] The embroidery machine 3 is adapted to move the frame 32 with respect to the sewing heads 31a-31f and to actuate said sewing heads so as to provide on the superimposed cloth 20d seams corresponding (in a 1:1 ratio or according to a known scale factor) to the reference arrangement of the reference lines S1-S5 and of the marks M1-M4.

[0057] Since the superimposed cloth 20d is kept taut by the embroidery frame 32, the working area of each sewing head 31a-31f is a planar rectangular area that corresponds to the rectangular area A of the stored template or digital pattern in a 1:1 ratio or according to a known scale factor. Therefore, each actual stitching line provided by each sewing head 31a-31f corresponds exactly to the corresponding stored reference stitching line S1-S5 (except in the case of a known scale factor).

[0058] The reference stitching lines S1-S5 can optionally have interruptions along one or more portions O1, O2, O3, O4, O5, so that the sewing heads 31a-31f do not perform any stitching of the superimposed cloth 20d at these portions O1-O5. In this way, at the end of the stitching step, corresponding inlets are obtained at these portions O1-O5 for accessing the respective internal pockets formed between the cloths 20-20b-20c and delimited by the seams, into which inlets the filling material (for example, goose down) can be inserted in a filling station (not shown) located downstream of the embroidery machine 3 with respect to the advancement direction D. In the embodiment shown, the filling station is located downstream of the entire apparatus 1 with respect to the direction D.

[0059] In order to obtain a plurality of pockets within a given closed stitching line S1-S5, the reference stitching lines S1-S5 can also comprise one or more chords T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 connecting two respective points of the respective closed line S1-S5. The stitching along said chords T1-T5 is performed by the same sewing heads 31a-31f that perform the stitching corresponding to the lines S1-S5. Advantageously, the portions O1-O5, which are devoid of seams and arranged side by side along the closed lines, are spaced apart by one end of one of said chords T1-T5, so that each pocket to be subsequently filled is delimited by at least one of said chords T1-T5.

[0060] The reference arrangement of the markers M1-M4 in the stored template is two-dimensional (i.e., over the entire X-Y Cartesian plane, and not only along one axis), and the reference markers M1-M4 are preferably arranged outside the closed lines S1-S5 of the pattern. In particular, a plurality of peripheral reference markers M1, M2 are arranged along a peripheral zone of the rectangular area A (for example, close to all the vertices of the rectangle A), while at least one other reference marker M3-M4 is closer to the inside of said area A than the peripheral markers M1-M2, more precisely along a respective curved portion of the stitching lines S1-S5 of the pattern (such as S1’ and S2’), and preferably along the direction of the radius of curvature of said curved portion.

[0061] Downstream of the embroidery machine 3, the apparatus 1 can comprise a stretching station 4 for pulling the stitched cloth (which corresponds to the superimposed cloth 20d after the stitching has been performed), which allows the unwinding of the individual cloths 20a-20c from the respective upstream reels 21a-21c, the stepwise advancement of the superimposed cloth 20d along the advancement direction D, and the feeding of the stitched portions of the cloth 20d towards the downstream stations, which will be described hereinafter.

[0062] The advancement of the stack 20d between the feeder 2 and the stretching station 4 is substantially equal to the length of the embroidery frame 32 along the direction D, so as to feed to the embroidery machine 3 a portion of the stack 20d having a length such that the stored pattern can be simultaneously reproduced on a plurality of adjacent rectangular areas of the stack 20d by actuating in parallel the plurality of sewing heads 31a-31f. The length of the embroidery frame 32 in the direction D is substantially a multiple of the length of the side of a rectangular area of said plurality of rectangular areas in the advancement direction D.

[0063] During the entire stitching step, the advancement of the stack is stopped upstream of the stretching station 4.

[0064] Advantageously, the stretching station 4 comprises a buffer unit for temporarily accumulating the stitched portion of the stack 20d exiting from the embroidery machine 3.

[0065] The buffer unit comprises a plurality of groups of deflection rollers 42-43 having horizontal axes and movable towards / away from each other, for example in a direction substantially perpendicular to the advancement direction D, and between which the stitched portion of the stack 20d, also referred to herein as “stitched cloth”, is guided on a winding path. A group of deflection rollers 42 can be arranged on a movable support 41, while the other group of deflection rollers 43, for example offset with respect to the deflection rollers 42, can be provided in a fixed position.

[0066] By mutual spacing / approaching of the groups of rollers 42-43, the buffer unit of the stretching station 4 can accordingly accumulate a greater / fewer amount of stitched cloth produced upstream by the embroidery machine 3, without blocking the downstream processing stations.

[0067] Said downstream stations comprise a machine 53 for automatic cutting of the stitched cloth, associated with means 5 for optical shooting of the cloth 20d stitched by the embroidery machine according to the stored pattern. The optical shooting means 5 can comprise one or more video cameras 52 arranged on a mounting frame 51 located above the automatic cutting machine 53, the video cameras being directed towards the machine. In this way, it is possible to shoot an entire rectangular area, corresponding substantially to the area A of the stored pattern, which contains all the markings applied on it by the embroidery machine 3, in particular by the sewing heads 31a-31f performing the stitching on it.

[0068] According to an alternative embodiment (not shown), the optical shooting means can be located upstream of the cutting machine 53 and downstream of the embroidery machine 3 and / or of the stretching station 4.

[0069] The automatic cutting machine 53 can be provided with a conveyor belt 56 on which a segment of the stitched portion of the stack 20d is placed and which advances intermittently, so that the belt 56 is stopped only during the cutting step.

[0070] Above the strip there is a support with a cutting head 54, for example of the Cartesian type, mounted so as to be movable along a beam 55, which in turn can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the beam 55. The cutting tool can be of any type, for example a laser or a blade.

[0071] The means for controlling the apparatus 1 are programmed to move the movable beam 55 of the cutting machine 53 to a position that does not interfere with the optical shooting step by the camera 52.

[0072] In the embodiment shown, the cutting machine 53 is configured to perform the cutting of the layouts P1-P5 along the stitching lines of the portion of the stitched cloth corresponding to a single rectangular area A of the storage template, in a predetermined time T1.

[0073] The preset cutting time T1 is related to a preset embroidery time T2, which is the time used by the embroidery machine 3 to completely reproduce the storage template on a plurality of adjacent rectangular areas of the superimposed cloth 20d by means of the corresponding sewing heads 31a-31f in parallel. In this case, T2 = n*T1, where "n" is the number of sewing heads of the embroidery machine. The buffer unit of the stretching station 4 is adapted to compensate for this speed difference between the embroidery machine 3 and the automatic cutting machine 53.

[0074] With the release of the embroidery frame 32 at the end of the stitching step, the stitched portions of the superimposed cloth 20d downstream of the feed are no longer tensioned along the two perpendicular directions and they are respectively subjected to relaxations and wrinkles that can deform or reduce the size of the stitching lines and of the arrangement of the markers with respect to the storage template.

[0075] The application therefore provides that the means for controlling the apparatus 1 comprise and also store the following instructions:

[0076] - detecting, by means of the optical shooting of the camera 52, the position of the markers applied on the stitched portions of the superimposed cloth 20d, i.e. the stitched cloth, coming out of the embroidery machine 3;

[0077] - determining any displacement, i.e. any different arrangement, of the applied markers with respect to the reference arrangement M1-M4 stored in the template;

[0078] - determining, by means of interpolation, the actual pattern of the stitching lines present on the stitched portions of the cloth 20d at the shooting device 5, based on said displacement and on the mutual arrangement of the reference markers M1-M4 with respect to the pattern of the stitching lines S1-S5 provided in the storage template, in order to actuate the cutting machine 53 accordingly. It is therefore possible to make the cutting automatically adapt to any relaxations and / or wrinkles of the stitched portions of the cloth 20d generated as a result of the release of said portions by the embroidery frame 32 of the embroidery machine 3.

[0079] The automatic cutting machine 53 is thus adapted to perform automatic cutting of the stitched portions of the superimposed cloth 20d according to the actual pattern obtained with said interpolation, in particular around the stitching lines formed by the embroidery machine 3 and with a substantially constant distance from said lines, for example less than 1 cm, so as to obtain the semi-finished products P1-P5 of the original layout. These semi-finished products resulting from the cutting are mutually completely separated, can then be filled with down and / or can then be joined to form a finished product, for example a garment.

[0080] Downstream of the cutting machine 53 a labelling station 6 can be provided with a Cartesian applicator 61, adapted to apply to the respective semi-finished products P1-P5 obtained in the automatic cutting step respective automatically readable labels, for example with QR codes or bar codes.

[0081] The labelling station 6 is also configured to complete its work within a preset time, which is preferably equal to the time T1 of the cutting station 53.

[0082] Downstream of the apparatus 1 a further station (not shown in the drawings) can be provided for receiving a batch of semi-finished products P1-P5 for association with the picking up and feeding to subsequent processing stations, for example stations for filling (with down) and / or stations for making garments. In the case of manual picking up of the semi-finished products at said receiving station, an acknowledgement button can be provided at said receiving station connected with the means for controlling the apparatus 1 and is manually pressed each time the operator completes the picking up of all the semi-finished products P1-P5 from the receiving station. If the button is not pressed within a predetermined time corresponding to T1, i.e. the working time of the cutting machine 53, the control means cause the apparatus 1 to stop.

[0083] The operation according to the present application and the corresponding method are evident from the structure of the apparatus described above.

[0084] In practice it has been found that the application achieves the intended aim and objects.

[0085] The application thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variants, all of which are included within the scope of the inventive concept, all the details can also be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

[0086] In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, can be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.

[0087] This application claims priority from Italian patent application No. 102021000000398, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0088] In the case of technical features mentioned in any claim followed by reference signs, the sole purpose of these reference signs is to increase the intelligibility of the claims and, therefore, the interpretation of each element identified by such reference signs by way of example through such reference signs has no any limiting effect.

Claims

1. A method for producing a fabric or leather article, said article being a to-be-stuffed article, said method comprising the steps of: feeding a superimposed cloth (20d) made of at least two cloths (20a-20c) superimposed on each other to an embroidery machine (3); stepwise advancing said superimposed cloth (20d) along a substantially rectilinear direction (D); at said embroidery machine (3), automatically stitching said at least two cloths (20a-20c) along a stitching line according to a stored memory template, wherein said memory template contains a pattern of reference stitching lines (S1-S5) arranged inside a rectangular area (A); characterized in that it comprises the steps of: applying, during said automatic stitching, a plurality of markers in the form of respective additional seams, said markers being two-dimensionally distributed on an exposed face of said superimposed cloth (20d) according to a corresponding arrangement of reference markers (M1-M4) provided in said memory template, said arrangement of reference markers (M1-M4) comprising a plurality of peripheral reference markers (M1, M2) arranged along a peripheral zone of said rectangular area (A) and at least one inner reference marker (M3, M4) located more internally of said rectangular area (A); after said automatic stitching, feeding said superimposed cloth (20d) to a station (53) for automatically cutting a stitched portion of said superimposed cloth (20d); optically photographing said stitched portion and determining any displacement of said markers applied to said superimposed cloth (20d) with respect to the arrangement of said reference markers (M1-M4) stored in said memory template; based on said displacement and on the mutual arrangement of said reference markers (M1-M4) and of the pattern of said stitching lines (S1-S5) provided in said memory template, determining, by interpolation, an actual pattern of said stitching lines present on said stitched portion of said superimposed cloth (20d); automatically cutting said stitched portion, said cutting being performed substantially along said stitching lines based on said actual pattern obtained with said interpolation, said cutting automatically adapting to any slackening and / or wrinkling of said superimposed cloth (20d) generated after said automatic stitching.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The line for obtaining each applied marker has a color optically distinguishable from the color of the area of the face on which the respective marker is applied.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, Said at least one inner reference marker (M3, M4) is arranged laterally in the vicinity of a respective curved portion (S1', S2') of one of said stitching lines (S1-S5) of said pattern.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, In said automatic stitching step, said superimposed cloth remains tensioned to form at least one substantially rectangular and planar stitched area (A) suitable for matching the stitching lines and markers applied by said embroidery machine (3) to said pattern and to said reference markers (M1-M4), respectively; and wherein the side of said rectangle in the direction of advancement (D) of said superimposed cloth is substantially equal to the advancement pace or is a divisor of the advancement pace.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The automatic sewing step includes the step of reproducing the suture lines (S1-S5) in parallel according to the pattern on a plurality of rectangular areas (A) by means of corresponding sewing heads, wherein the plurality of rectangular areas are arranged side by side along the substantially straight direction (D).

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of temporarily stacking the stacked fabric between the automatic sewing step and the cutting step to compensate for any speed difference between the two steps.

7. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, At least one of the multiple stitches (S1-S5) of the pattern is a basic closed line, the reference marks (M1-M4) are arranged outside the basic closed line, the stitching is interrupted along one or more portions (O1-O5) of the basic closed line, the portions (O1-O5) being adapted to define corresponding entrances for access to the respective bags formed between the stacked fabrics by the stitching step.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein, The progress is essentially equal to the number of rectangular regions multiplied by the length of the side.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method also includes a step of labeling the semi-finished product after the cutting step.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein, The method also includes the step of inserting down feathers into the bag.

11. An apparatus (1) for producing textile or leather articles, said articles being filled, said apparatus being adapted to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, said apparatus comprising: A feeder (2) for multiple pieces of fabric (20a-20c), the feeder (2) being configured to unwind the multiple pieces of fabric (20a-20c) from the respective rolls (21a-21c) in the forward direction (D) and to stack the multiple pieces of fabric to form a stacked fabric (20d). A memory device includes a memory template comprising a pattern of reference stitches (S1-S5) arranged within a rectangular region (A) and a plurality of reference marks (M1-M4) arranged relative to the pattern according to a reference arrangement, the arrangement of the reference marks (M1-M4) including a plurality of peripheral reference marks (M1, M2) arranged along the periphery of the rectangular region (A) and at least one inner reference mark (M3, M4) located further inside the rectangular region (A). An embroidery machine (3) includes at least one sewing head (31a-31f) and at least one frame (32) adapted to tension and temporarily hold the folded fabric (20d) during sewing. The embroidery machine (3) is associated with a control device configured to perform automatic sewing of the folded fabric (20d) along a sewing line corresponding to the pattern (S1-S5) of the stored template by relative movement between the at least one sewing head (31a-31f) and the frame (32). The embroidery machine (3) is adapted to apply a plurality of marks in two dimensions on the stacked fabric (20d) during the automatic sewing process, the marks being in the form of seams at positions corresponding to the reference marks (M1-M4) stored in the storage template; downstream of said embroidery machine (3) with respect to said advancement direction (D), optical shooting means (52) for optically shooting the stitched fabric formed by the stitching of the plurality of pieces of fabric by the embroidery machine (3) and an automatic cutting machine (53) for automatically cutting the stitched fabric; control means comprising the following stored instructions: detecting, by means of said optical shooting means (52), the position of the marks applied on the stitched fabric; determining any displacement of the applied marks with respect to the reference marks (M1-M4) stored in the stored template; determining, by means of interpolation, the actual pattern of the stitching lines present on the stitched fabric, based on said displacement and on the mutual arrangement of the reference marks and the pattern of the stitching lines (S1-S5) provided in the stored template, so that said cutting automatically adapts to any slackening and / or wrinkling of the stitched fabric after the release of the stitched fabric by the frame (32) of the embroidery machine; said automatic cutting machine (53) being adapted to perform an automatic cutting of the stitched fabric based on said actual pattern obtained with said interpolation, substantially along the stitching lines.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, said embroidery machine comprises a plurality of said sewing heads (31a-31f) arranged side by side along said advancement direction (D) and adapted to replicate in parallel the stitching lines (S1-S5) according to said pattern on a plurality of rectangular areas (A) arranged side by side along said advancement direction (D); and wherein said apparatus (1) comprises a buffer (4) located downstream of the embroidery machine (3) and upstream of the automatic cutting machine (53), for temporarily accumulating the stitched fabric output from the embroidery machine (3) to compensate for any speed difference between the machines located upstream and downstream of the buffer (4).

13. The apparatus of claim 11 or 12, wherein, said shooting means (52) are arranged at the automatic cutting machine (53), which comprises: an advancement belt (56) adapted to receive the stitched portion of the superimposed fabric (20d) exiting from the embroidery machine (3) and placed on said advancement belt; a support (54) movable on command along the belt according to a plurality of axes and provided with at least one cutting tool.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, said shooting means (52) are installed in a fixed position above the advancement belt (56) to shoot the entire rectangular area (A) containing all the marks applied according to the reference marks (M1-M4).

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