Improvements in Pile Fabrics.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 29th Jan., 1898
Improvements in Pile Fabrics.
I, MARGUERITE DROLET, of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec, Dominion of
Canada, Married Woman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:
My said improvements relate to that class of fabrics in which loops or tufts
of unspun wool or other material are secured to a suitable backing or ground fabric,
in imitation of Persian lamb, to be used in the manufacture of wraps, coats, and
trimmings; and it has for its object economy in manufacture, lightness in weight,
and a more close resemblance to Persian lamb than is possible in any prior fabric
known to me.
It has been heretofore attempted to make a fabric in imitation of Persian lamb
by securing to a suitable backing loops of unspun wool, and in order
to completely hide the underlying backing the loops have had to be
made thick and very close together, requiring much labor, a large
amount of wool, making the fabric hard, and giving to the com-
pleted article a weight much too heavy for any article of clothing,
the object for which it is intended to be used; and any bending of the cloth on a
line between any two of the loops exposes the underlying backing and gives to
the finished article a cheap and undesirable appearance.
My invention is designed to obviate the objectionable features above referred
to; and it consists in first covering the backing or ground fabric with a thin
layer of the wool or other material of which the loops are to be formed, and the
backing being hid from view enables me to form the loops of much less material,
looser, and at greater distances apart. This gives to the completed fabric a much
softer surface, a closer resemblance to Persian lamb, and a lightness in weight
not possible by the old method above referred to, besides a great saving of material
and labor.
To more particularly describe my invention I will refer to the accompanying
drawings, in which-
Figure 1 illustrates a portion of a partly-completed fabric embodying my inven-
tion, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the manner in which the loops
are secured to the backing or ground fabric.
The backing A of my fabric may be of any suitable material; but in practice
I have found thin flannel to be well adapted for the purpose. Upon the back-
ing A is placed a thin layer B of wool, carded and unspun, or other material of
which the loops C are to be formed; and as the object of this layer B is to hide the
surface of the backing it need be only barely sufficient to cover the same and
should be temporarily secured to the backing, as by sewing or basting, to prevent
derangement while forming the loops. The loops C are formed from thin strands
of wool passed through the covered backing by the aid of a needle, the ends of
the strands being secured by a double stitch in a manner well known. The loops
are formed loosely and of sufficient distance apart to give softness and lightness
to the finished article, and, as shown in the drawings, they are irregularly,

page_text: arranged in imitation of Persian lamb. If it should be desired to cut the loops,
each separate turn of each loop should be secured by a double stitch. After the
loops have been formed the short projecting ends of wool are removed by the well-
known operation of singeing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A fabric consisting of a suitable backing having raised loops or tufts of
wool or other material secured thereto, and an interposed layer of the same
material, substantially as' and for the purposes specified.
2. A fabric comprising a suitable backing, having raised loops secured thereto
formed from strands of unspun wool, the ends of each strand being secured by
a double stitch or knot, and an interposed layer of wool, substantially as and
for the purposes specified.
3. A fabric comprising suitable backing having raised loops formed from
strands of unspun wool, the said strands passing through the backing and having
their ends secured by a double stitch or knot and an interposed layer of wool,
substantially as and for the purposes specified.
Dated this 17th dov of December 1897
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.