IMPROVED QUILT OR BED COVERING
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mitchell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th December 1880.
WILLIAM MITCHELL, of Waterfoot, in the County of Lancaster.
IMPROVED QUILT OR BED COVERING."
"AN
The object of this Invention is to produce a quilt or bed-covering which shall be
cheaper, warmer, and more durable than those at present in use.
The Invention consists principally in the combination of felted or other cloth
with a "batt" of unfelted wool or other suitable fleecy material or mixture of
materials, the said combined article being manufactured as hereinafter described,
and forming an improved quilt or bed covering.
In manufacturing my improved quilt or bed-covering I take two pieces of felted
or other cloth (say, one scarlet and one grey, for example) of the length and width
required, and I first sew them together by a row of stitching down the centre of
the same in a longitudinal direction.
I then take a "batt" of wool or other suitable fleecy material or mixture of
materials of the same dimensions and in the form of a thick loose sheet or "batt "
as it leaves the "batt frame," and I cut or sever it longitudinally into strips of,
say, from six to ten inches wide, as may be deemed most advisable, and separating
the two pieces of felted or other cloth I lay one of these strips between them close
up to the first row of stitching above named.
I then put in a second row of stitching outside the edge of the strip of woollen
or other fleece so as to confine the same closely, and I proceed to put in and stitch
(in a similar manner) as many strips of woollen or other fleece as may be required
to reach the edge of the quilt.
I then turn the quilt round, and beginning at the other side. of the central row
of stitches work in the strips of fleece in the same manner till I reach the other
edge

page_text: By this method of proceeding, beginning at the centre and working strip by
strip towards the edges, I am enabled to perform the work with an ordinary small
sewing machine without the necessity for a long arm.
Having thus stitched in the requisite number of strips of fleece I then proceed
to bind the whole round the edges and to stitch or otherwise work a border round
the same if required.
Quilts or bed-covering made in this manner with strips (instead of whole sheets
or loose flocks) of woollen or other fleece stitched therein, as described, will present
a much fuller, more raised, and better general effect than heretofore, and at the
same time they will be less costly and warmer than those made in any of the usual
known ways.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Mitchell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th June 1881.
WILLIAM MITCHELL, of Waterfoot, in the County of Lancaster.
IMPROVED QUILT OR BED COVERING."
"AN
The object of this Invention is to produce a quilt or bed covering which shall be
cheaper, warmer, and more durable than those at present in use.
The Invention consists principally in the combination of felted or other cloth
with a
"batt" of unfelted wool or other suitable fleecy material or mixture of
materials, the said combined article being manufactured as hereinbefore described,
and forming an improved quilt or bed covering.
In manufacturing my improved quilt or bed-covering I take two pieces of felted
or other cloth (say, one scarlet and one grey, for example) each of the length and
width required, and I first place one upon the other and sew them together by a
row of stitching down the centre of the same in a longitudinal direction.
I then take a "batt" of wool or other suitable fleecy material or mixture of
materials of the same dimensions, and in the form of a thick carded sheet or "batt "
as it leaves the "batt frame," and I cut or sever it longitudinally into strips of,
say, from six to nine inches wide, as may be deemed advisable, and separating the
two pieces of felted or other cloth I lay one of these strips between them close up
to the first row of stitching above named.
I then put in a second row of stitching outside the edge of the strip of carded
batt of wool or other fibre so as to confine the same closely, and I proceed to put
in and stitch (in a similar manner) as many strips of carded batt of wooll or other
fibre as may be required to reach the edge of the quilt.
I then turn the quilt round, and beginning at the other side of the central row
of stitches work in the strips of fleece in the same manner till I reach the other
edge.
By this method of proceeding, beginning at the centre and working strip by
strip towards the edges, I am enabled to perform the work with an ordinary small
sewing machine without the necessity for a long arm.
Having thus stitched in the requisite number of strips of fleece, I then proceed
to bind the whole round the edges and to stitch or otherwise work a border round
the same if required.
In some cases instead of stitching in each strip of fleece separately, as above
described, I put in the whole number of longitudinal rows of stitching through the
two felts before introducing any of the strips of fleece. I provide two long pieces
of tin of the width and length of one of the strips, but with one end slightly tapered
and the corners rounded off. I place one of the strips of fleece between the two
strips of tin (sandwich fashion), and I pass the whole (tapered end first) into one
of the spaces between the two felts formed by two rows of longitudinal stitching,
and then withdraw the tins one at a time, leaving the strip of fleece in the space
between the two felts.
This I repeat until all the longitudinal spaces have been filled, and I then bind
and stitch the edges as before.
Quilts or bed covering made in this manner with strips (instead of whole sheets
or loose flocks) of woollen or other fleece stitched therein as described will present
a much fuller, more raised, and better general effect than heretofore, and at the
same time they will be less costly and warmer than those made in any of the usual
known ways.

page_text: 1
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together
with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention the
improved bed quilt or covering, manufactured as bereinbefore described, and more
especially I claim the introduction of the carded batt of unfelted wool or other fleecy
material or mixture of materials in strips or sections between the two felted or
other cloths, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mitchell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
WILLIAM MITCHELL. (L.S.)