An installation of this type is disclosed, inter alia, in US Patent US 5 694 857. The installation according to this US patent is provided with a sewing machine which has a so- called left-hand sewing head which is capable of sewing material that is fed through the sewing machine from left to right and the installation is provided with a sewing machine which has a right-hand sewing head which is capable of sewing material that is fed through the sewing machine from the right-hand side to the left-hand side. The two sewing machines are on either side of a guide track with the aid of which a strip of textile can be fed between the sewing machines. The sewing machine which has the left-hand head can then process the first end edge of the strip of textile and, for example, produce a seam in the latter. The other sewing machine will at the same time process the opposite side of the strip of textile. The aim of this sewing machine is to guide a strip of material in one operation through two sewing machines positioned alongside one another in order to produce an end product in a single processing operation.

A first disadvantage of the installation according to the said US patent is that this installation makes use of both a so-called sewing machine having a right-hand head and a sewing machine having a left-hand head. This means that in addition to the conventional sewing machine that is used to sew material that is fed from left to right, a sewing machine also has to be developed which is capable of processing material that is fed from right to left. A further disadvantage is that the material is fed through the two processing machines at a specific fixed speed. If, for example, it is desired to produce a blind seam using the first processing machine and it is desired to produce a safety stitch using the other processing machine, it is then necessary for the two operations to be carried out at a synchronised speed. It is not possible to adjust the speed of the piece of textile to one of the two processing machines. This means that the speed always has to be set as a compromise between the speed desired for the two machines,

A further disadvantage of the installation according to the US patent is that the width of the strip that is processed is restricted. The reason for this is that the distance between the two sewing machines delimits the movement path through which the textile is fed. It is not possible to process both sides of a relatively wide strip, for example for making a curtain, using the installation according to the said patent.

Furthermore, the installation according to the US patent is intended mainly for processing long strips of material. Such a strip is clamped in the machine and fed through the machine from beginning to end. It is not possible to process relatively short pieces, for example for making an individual curtain, with the aid of the installation according to the US patent.

In the light of the above, the aim of the present invention is to provide an installation of the type mentioned in the preamble with which the said disadvantages are avoided as far as possible.

Said aim is achieved according to the invention in that the installation has a table, the transport means comprising a conveyor belt for transporting textile over the table in a first transport direction from a first end edge of the table to a second end edge of the table through the first processing machine and for transporting textile in a second transport direction from the second end edge of the table to the first end edge of the table through the second processing machine, the installation being provided with means for synchronising the speed of the conveyor belt with each of the processing machines.

The installation according to the invention can be used, inter alia, for attaching large pieces of textile to one another, for example when making curtains. Because the installation is provided with both a first and a second processing machine, the conveyor belt being equipped to transport textile through both the first and the second processing machines, it is possible for different processing operations, such as, for example, sewing curtain material together and making a blind seam, to be carried out on one and the same machine.

These operations are not carried out simultaneously, but can be carried out successively.

For carrying out the first processing operation the speed of the conveyor belt is synchronised with the speed of the first processing machine. The material can then remain

on the conveyor belt and the operator can walk to the other side of the installation and take up position behind the second processing machine. The textile is then fed back in the reverse direction and specifically is fed through the second processing machine. In this case the speed of the conveyor belt can be matched to the optimum speed for the second processing machine. In this way the textile can be fed at an optimum speed through both the first and the second processing machines with the aid of the conveyor belt.

Despite the fact that different operations, such as sewing a first and a second strip of material together and the production of a blind seam, are carried out on the textile, this does not mean that an independent installation is needed for each processing operation.

Space can be saved effectively with the aid of the installation according to the invention.

The installation according to the present invention is further improved in that the first and the second processing machines are arranged on either side of the longitudinal axis of the conveyor belt.

As a result of this measure it is possible for a user to operate each of the processing machines from the side of the conveyor belt. In the longitudinal direction of the conveyor the user does not run the risk that when a processing operation is carried out the textile becomes jammed against a processing machine located downstream. When a first processing operation has been completed, the user can walk to the other side of the table and there can continue with the second processing operation that can be carried out on the textile.

According to the invention it is furthermore possible that the first and the second processing machines are arranged on either side of the longitudinal axis of the conveyor belt.

To prevent the textile that is being processed on the installation according to the invention jamming against the processing machine on the opposite side, the latter can be closed off during use with the aid of a cover. The cover can then perform the guide function which at this point in time is being performed by a fixed guide on the conveyor. The cover ensures that the textile is not able to become stuck behind projecting parts of the processing

machine located opposite.

For the sake of clarity it is pointed out that in the present invention the term processing machine is used to refer to machines such as sewing machines, in which context consideration can be given to machines which are equipped for making a blind seam, a sewing machine with one or more needles, a machine that is equipped for making a safely stitch, a straight stitch machine or any other suitable machine for carrying out processing operations on textiles It is furthermore pointed out that in the present invention the term textile is used to refer to materials which may be natural or synthetic materials and are suitable for subjection to a processing operation, such as, for example, a sewing operation.

The invention will be further explained with reference to the appended figures, in which : Figure 1 shows an overview of the installation according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows a detail of a mouse that can be used together with the present invention.

Figure 1 shows an installation 1, for processing textile, in accordance with the present invention. The installation 1 comprises a table 2 and a first processing machine 3 positioned at the long side of the table. Said processing machine 3 is, for example, a sewing machine. A conveyor belt 7 is mounted on the table 2. Said conveyor belt 7 can be moved in two directions with the aid of a drive motor 5. In order to be able to move the textile that is placed on the conveyor belt 7 through the processing machine 3 at the correct speed, the installation 1 is provided with synchronisation means which control both the speed of the sewing machine and the speed of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt 7 is mounted on a frame, that is indicated diagrammatically by the reference numeral 6. So as to be able to guide the textile in the correct manner through a first machine 3, the table 2 is also provided with a guide 8 over which a mouse 9 can be slid. The mode of operation of this mouse. 9 is explained in more detail with reference to Figure 2.

According to the invention it is advantageous to position at least a second processing

machine 4 alongside the conveyor belt 7. The second processing machine 4 is positioned opposite the first processing machine 3. According to the invention it is possible to perform a first operation on textile using the first processing machine 3 and then to walk round to the second processing machine and there perform a second processing operation on the textile. In order to ensure that textile that is guided through the first processing machine 3 does not become jammed against the second processing machine, the latter can be closed off by a removable cover (not shown) when the installation is in use. This cover can also be extended to ensure that the textile does not roll off the opposite side of the table 2 when performing a first processing operation on the first processing machine 3.

Guiding of textile through the first or second processing machine can be further improved with the aid of a mouse 9 such as that shown in Figure 2. Said mouse 9 is provided with a needle element 10 that can be pricked through the textile to be processed. The presence of the mouse 9 ensures that the material is fed to the first processing machine 3 in the correct way.

It is clear that textile processing machines other than those shown in Figure 1 can also be used in the present invention.