AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF: SHAWLS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Cross, of Glasgow, North Britain,
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF:
SHAWLS."
Sealed the 24th May 1870, and dated the 27th November 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Cross at the.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the.
27th November 1869.
I, WILLIAM CROSS, of Glasgow, North Britain, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
MANUFACTURE OF SHAWLS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to certain improved shapes of shawls made of...
any fabric or material whereby this article of clothing will be made to
fit more comfortably to the body of the wearer than shawls of the ordinary..
shape.

page_text: shaped out to fit round the neck while the salient angles hang down in
front. If desired the other corners of the shawl may be rounded off.
The quarter cut out of the square shawl may be used as a neck wrapper
or for any other suitable purpose. But if this cut out portion is not
required I weave the shawls in a peculiar manner so as to obtain the
required shape and avoid any waste of the material. To this end I
It will of course be understood that the pattern of the cloth (if there
be any pattern) must be arranged to suit the peculiar shape, and in
weaving provision may be made for lines of division in any convenient
manner for cutting out the shawls with a fringe attached. But the
shawl may also be made as described without fringe, or the fringe may
be subsequently sewed on.
Another form of shawl in which the neck of the wearer is received
into a re-entering angle is made from an oblong piece, into the centre of
one of the long sides of which a straight slit or incision is cut. The
divided parts thus made may be folded back so as to leave an angular
space for the neck. The parts folded back will thus form a collar.
All the edges may be fringed, bound, or trimmed, as may be desired,
and the corners or some of them may be rounded off or cut to any
desired shape.
Another form of garment is made by cutting a square shawl diagonally
from corner to corner. A straight slit or incision is then made in the
middle of the outside of the half square formed by the diagonal line so
as to form a re-entering angle to receive the neck of the wearer. The
divided corners thus made may be folded back to form a collar, as in

page_text: the former instance, or a piece may be cut out altogether. This may
also be trimmed or fringed all round or otherwise ornamented.
Another shape may be made by folding the usual square shawl either
angularly or straight in unequal folds and then making a straight slit
or incision in the middle at the double fold so as to form a re-entering
angle to receive the neck of the wearer, and the divided corners thus
formed may be folded back so as to form a collar, as in the former
instances. This form may either be fringed, trimmed, or otherwise
ornamented according to taste..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Cross in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th May 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM.
CROSS, of Glasgow, North Britain, Manufacturer, send greeting
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Cross, Her special licence
that I, the said William Cross, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Cross, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thercafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, tho
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
MANUFACTURE OF SHAWLS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Cross, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Cross, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
-
My Invention of "An Improved Manufacturo of Shawls," which may
be made of any suitable fabric or material, consists in making these
articles of certain improved shapes whereby this article of clothing will
be made to fit more comfortably to the body of the wearer than shawls
of the ordinary shape.
The main feature of the Invention consists in so forming the shawl
that an angle or space is provided to receive the neck of the wearer, so
that the shawl may fit more comfortably to the person than heretofore.
This object may be effected in various ways, some of which are shewn in
the accompanying Drawing.
One of the improved shapes is shewn at Fig. 1. It will be seen that
it is a square shawl of any required dimensions, with one quarter of the
square cut out, as indicated by dotted lines. Into the re-entering angle
thus made the neck of the wearer will be received, and if desired, the
inside angle may be shaped out to fit round the neck while the salient
angles hang down in front. The shawl when folded, as it would be
when in use, would assume somewhat the appearance indicated at Fig. 2.
If desired, the other corners of the shawl may be rounded off as indi-
cated at 1, 1, 1, Figures 1 and 2. The quarter a which is cut out of
the square shawl of Fig. 1, as indicated by dots, may be used as a neck
wrapper or for any other suitable purpose; but if this cut out portion is
not required I weave the shawls in a peculiar manner so as to obtain the
required shape and avoid any waste of the material. To this end I
weave two of the improved shaped shawls together, as shewn at Fig. 3,
and I cut them out on the line 3, 3, after they are woven. It will of course
be understood that the pattern of the cloth (if there be any pattern)
must be arranged to suit the peculiar shape, and in weaving the fabric
provision may be made for lines of division in any convenient manner
for cutting out the shawls with a fringe attached; but the shawl may
also be made as described, without fringe, or the fringe may be sub-
sequently sewed on. If desired, the shawl may be cut out of an oblong
piece of cloth as at Fig. 3*, and long enough to make one end or angle

page_text: so much longer than the other as to admit of the long end being thrown
across the breast and over the left shoulder of the wearer in the Highland
style.
Another form of shawl in which the neck of the wearer is received
into a re-entering angle is shewn at Figures 4, 5, and 6, and is made
from an oblong piece into the centre of one of the long sides, of which
a straight slit or incision b, Fig. 4, is cut. The divided parts thus made
may be folded back at the dotted lines 4, 4, so as to leave an angular
space for the neck, as indicated at Fig. 5. The parts c, c, when folded
back will thus form a collar. The top corners 5, 5, of Fig. 5 may now be
folded over in front, and the garment will then assume the shape shewn
at Fig. 6, or if desired the corners 5, 5, may be brought still lower so that
the front edges 6 may fold over one another. All the edges of the shawl
may be fringed, bound, or trimmed as may be desired, and the corners
or some of them may be rounded off or cut to any desired shape.
Another form of garment is shewn at Figures 7, 8, and 9, and is made
by cutting a square shawl diagonally from corner to corner as shown
at Fig. 7. A straight slit or incision d is then made in the middle of the
outside of the half square formed by the diagonal line so as to form a
re-entering angle to receivo the neck of the wearer. The divided
corners e, e,. thus made may be folded back as indicated by the dotted
lines in Fig. 7, so as to form a collar as in the former instance and as
shewn at Fig. 8, or a piece may be cut out altogether. The top corners
7, 7, may then be folded over, and the garment will present the appearance
shewn at Fig. 9; this shawl may also be trimmed or fringed all round
or otherwise ornamented, and if desired the lower corners may be
rounded off as indicated by the dotted lines 8, 8, in Fig. 9.
Another shape (shewn at Figures 10, 11, and 12,) is made by folding
the usual square shawl either angularly or straight in unequal folds, as
indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 10 and shewn at Fig. 11, and then
making a straight slit or incision f, Fig. 11, in the middle at the double
fold so as to form a re-entering angle to receive the neck of the wearer.
The divided corners thus formed may be folded back as shewn in Fig. 11
so as to form a collar as in the former instances. Fig. 11 represents
the back of the shawl when folded ready to be put on; and Fig. 12
represents a front view of the shawl as worn on the person. This form
of shawl may either be fringed, trimmed, or otherwise ornamented

page_text: according to taste, and as it is worn double it will be a very warm
shawl for winter use.
Fig. 13 represents another form in which a wedge-shaped piece is
produced by cutting down in two diagonal lines. This piece is folded
back as indicated by the dotted lines, and the lower corners of the piece
may be again folded into the form shewn so as to constitute a kind of
hood.
Fig. 14 shews another mode of forming an opening or recess for the
neck. In this instance a slit parallel with the sides is cut down a certain
distance, and return cuts are made at right angles thereto so that two
flaps 9, 9, may be folded back leaving a square recess for the neck.
In addition to this a second vertical slit may be made and the corners
thus produced turned back as indicated.
Having now described my Invention of "An Improved Manufacture
of Shawls," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid, forming or shaping shawls with angular or other spaces, cut
out substantially as herein set forth for the purpose of receiving the neck
of the wearer, so that the shawl may be made to fit more closely to the
person of the wearer.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Cross, have hereunto set
my hand and seal the 24th day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy.