IMPROVEMENTS IN TERRY FABRICS
Year: 1888

page_text: I, FRANK LEAKE of Philadelphia, in the County of Philadelphia, and State of
Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN TERRY FABRICS and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement and accompanying drawings:
My invention is an improved terry fabric of that class in which one surface is
composed almost wholly of loops, and the opposite surface of a design or designs in
loops upon a plainly woven back ground.
•
Heretofore in the manufacture of terry fabrics, of this particular class, the pattern
has invariably been formed by the contrast between the looped surface and the plainly
woven back ground.
In the class of terry fabrics known as double faced; that is, a fabric having an even
looped surface upon both sides, the pattern is formed by loops varying in color, the
design appears upon one side in loops of one color, and the same design upon the
opposite side in loops of a different color.
My invention is an improvement upon the former class of fabrics, in which an even
terry surface is formed upon one side with a plainly woven under surface, relieved by
designs formed by the terry loops.
This invention consists of forming the even terry surface of warp threads of mingled
colors, whereby a design may be formed in the even terry surface by simply drawing
through to the opposite side alternate threads, or threads of one color differing in
color from the remaining threads, thus leaving against a back ground of mingled
terry loops, a design composed of the remaining terry loops of one color only, and
upon the opposite side, the alternate loops which have been drawn through constitute
a like design against a background of plainly woven fabric.
•
It will be observed that this invention differs from the first known' method above
referred to, by forming designs of the terry loops of one color in the midst of a terry
surface of loops of mingled colors; while it differs from the double faced fabrics hereto-
fore known, by reason of the fact that the design is not formed upon the terry surface
by shifting or reversing the colors from one side to the other, but simply by shifting
to the opposite side, alternate loops of one color, out of the mingled mass, which leaves

page_text: upon the terry surface at this point, loops of one of the remaining color, thus forming
the design which shows clearly against the loops of mingled colors which surround
the design, while upon the opposite face the design shows clearly in loops of the color
drawn through, against the closely woven ground fabric.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1, is a plan view of a portion of the fabric made according to my invention,
the terry surface being here reprensented with the designs, or those places where
alternate loops have been carried through to the opposite side, by loops a greater
distance apart.
Figure 2, is a corresponding view of the opposite side.
In carrying out my invention, I take warp threads of alternating colors, for instance,
one yellow and one white, and place them along-side of each other, arranging them
in number according to the width of the fabric to be formed, these warp threads con-
stitute the loops or terry surface, the operation of weaving being carried on in the
ordinary and well known manner. This terry surface so formed of the threads of
different colors, produces a varied and novel effect in mass, and when it is desired to
form designs upon the surface, by drawing through the white loops to the opposite
side, the design of the yellow loops will show distinctly against the background of the
mingled yellow and white loops, and when the yellow loops are drawn through, the
white loops will show in the same manner, and thus designs of all characters may be
represented upon the surface of the fabrics."
On the opposite face against the closely woven ground fabric the loops drawn
through form a design in the opposite color from that on the other face, the one
design being formed of loops of a single color in the midst of a mass of mingled
colors, and on the opposite face by the loops of the other color on a closely woven
ground. In a design representing a vine or flower or the like, the loops of both
colors may be drawn through to the side with the least amount of loops, to form the
center of the flowers of mingled loops, or to vary in this way other ornamental
designs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A terry fabric having one surface composed of loops of mingled colors, with
designs formed upon said surface by threads of one color, substantially as described.
2. A terry fabric consisting of a surface of terry loops of mingled colors, having
designs in said surface by threads of one color a greater distance apart than the
threads of the mingled looped surface, the intermediate loops differing in color, being
carried through to form a design upon the opposite side, against a background of
plainly woven fabric, substantially as described.
3. A terry fabric consisting of a surface of terry loops of mingled colors, having
portions of said surface formed of loops of one color in the midst of a mass of loops
of mingled colors, and the opposite surface having designs formed against a closely
woven ground fabric in loops of the color drawn through to form the design upon the
other side, the designs being varied by drawing through to this side clusters of the
mingled loops to aid in forming designs by contrast with the loops of a single color,
substantially as described.
Dated this 23rd day of November 1888
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.