Improvements in Dress Guards and Method of Making and Fixing them to Ladies' Velocipedes or the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Dress Guards and Method of Making and Fixing
them to Ladies' Velocipedes or the like.
LAVINIA LENTON, Trimmings Manufacturer, Eagle Street, Coventry, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in non elastic straight cord guards for
ladies velocipedes and improved method of making the same, those now in use
being laced with a long cord lace through holes in the mud guard and holes in the
metal quadrant alternately.
This lacing is a long process as many yards of cord have to be drawn through
each hole.
Trellis cord guards, with hooks and elastic fastened to the net-work are now in
use.
This net-work being diamond pattern is well adapted for such fittings but the
straight cord guard as now made is not.
Therefore have I invented a new method of making a straight non elastic cord
guard and fastening to it in various parts hooks, studs, rings, elastic or the like
which are used to fasten it to the mud guard, the metal quadrant or any other part
of the velocipede now in use and also during the process of manufacturing the
said guard introducing into it a variety of colored cords without showing a join
which produces a novel effect.
I have shown that the object of my invention is to make a straight cord dress
guard attachable and detachable without the process of lacing and unlacing with a
long cord lace, also to improve the appearance of the said guard.
I now proceed to explain the process of manufacturing and fixing them to the
velocipedes or the like now in use.
I make a cord of silk, cotton, or the like, and turn or twist it round with the
spinning wheel until it is full of twist I thread on this cord as many hooks or the
like required for fastening the dress guard to the velocipede.
This twisted cord I call weft, because taking it in my hand also two or more
wires or threads which I call warp, I weave a length of fringe 4 inches long and
twelve inches deep more or less, having 20 more or less cord weft loops.
The warp wires or threads form the narrow heading of the fringe and are
crossed between the loops of weft these said loops being drawn together and bound
by them during the process of weaving the fringe. I place the hooks which are
threaded on the cord weft within the loops of the fringe preferably one hook within
each loop, these loops being set free turn or twist round into single cords with
hooks held within the convolutions in the looped ends thereof.

page_text: This dress guard is adapted for clastic or slide quadrants only and I fit it, to a
metal slide quadrant having eight holes drilled in it and a mud guard having 24
holes drilled in it in the following manner.
I thread the 24 single twisted cord loops of the fringe having the 24 hooks
held within the looped ends thereof, through the 8 holes in the metal quadrant,
three loops through each hole.
I pull them until the heading of the fringe is drawn close to and rests behind
the metal quadrant out of sight. I then clasp the 24 hooks into the 24 holes in
the mud guard and the dress guard is attached to the velocipede.
If more than one color is required in this guard I weave with several weft
cords instead of one each a different color.
When I have to fit a non-elastic quadrant I make the straight cord dress
guard and join elastic or the like to it in the following manner.
I take in my
hand the twisted cord having hooks or the like threaded on it, herein before
described, and wind it four times round a frame or reel making a skein of it.
I then take four inches more or less of elastic cord and placing the two ends thereof
upon one end of the skein, secure them there by binding the two single ends of
the reeled cord, several times round the said two ends of elastic cord and the reeled
non-elastic cord skein, tying them altogether quite tight and at the same time
forming an ornamental cord knot.
The other end of the skein of cord being free the loops of cord twist round into
single cords each having a hook held within the convolutions and end thereof.
I have now made, a tassel, about 12 inches deep having four twisted cord loops
with four hooks or the like within them and a loop of elastic cord within the head
of the said tassel and held firmly there by a binding or tie of silk cord or the
like. I use 8 of these skeins or tassels for a mud guard having 16 holes drilled
in it and a metal quadrant having 4 holes drilled in it.
More or less of these tassels are used by those who fit various cycle machines
according to the number of holes drilled in the various parts.
Therefore are these tassels most convenient as they will fit any cycle machine
and the trellis cord guards now in use will not also each tassel used may be a
different color and if used alternately the effect is novel.
My invention is applicable to, any velocipede or the like now in use and I may
have to make variations without departing from the principles of my invention.
Dated this 12th day of April 1898.
Improvements in Dress Guards, and Method of Making and Fixing
them to Ladies' Velocipedes or the like.
LAVINIA LENTON, Trimmings Manufacturer, Eagle Street, Coventry, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of my invention is to make a straight cord dress guard that can be
attached and detached in less time than lacing and unlacing with the long
cord lace
I find a straight cord guard is now in use having hooks and spring attachments.
The bullion cord being doubled and twisted together in long lengthis is cut into a

page_text: series of short lengths and the ends thereof secured within metal tubes the said
tubes having hooks attached to them which are adapted to clasp to the velocipede
By my method of manufacture the cost of the tubes and labour of fixing them are
saved.
I take a long length of twisted cord (known to the trade as bullion) half the
size required for a dress guard cord and thread 20 (more or less) hooks or the like
thereon, this bullion cord shall call weft.
I then take in my hand threads of silk, wire, or the like which I shall call warp
I then proceed to weave, with this weft and warp, 2 inches of fringe more or less
as required containing 20 weft loops more or less each 12 inches deep. I place
the hooks within the loops, in the ends thereof, the said loops when set free twist
round into single cords having hooks held within the convolutions of the cord in
the looped ends thereof. The heading of this fringe is formed by the warp threads
which tie and bind the weft loops close together therein.
When fitting this fringe or dress guard to a metal slide quadrant I thread the
ends of the short cords with hooks thereon through the holes drilled in the
quadrant two cords in each hole more or less, as required allowing the heading of
the fringe to rest behind the quadrant out of sight.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, the same letters denote the same parts
in all figures.
Fig. 1 is a front view of a sliding metal quadrant with a segment of fringe
threaded through three of the holes drilled in the said quadrant. C is the hook
A is the weft cord.
When I fit this fringe or dress guard to a non-sliding quadrant, I do so in the
following manner.
I take an elastic cord and thread or lace it into a metal ring or slot, and
into the small loops of weft cord in the heading of the fringe, alternately.
Referring to drawings Fig. 2 is a front view of the fringe or guard laced to a
piece of metal having a longitudinal slot therein.
C is the hook adapted to clasp to the velocipede. A is the weft cord. D is the
elastic lace. E is the slotted metal. B is the warp threads.
In fixing this dress guard to some non-elastic quadrants now in use, small
segments are required and as I cannot hide the ends of warp and weft without
varying the process a little I have to do so in the following manner.
Instead of binding each loop of weft cord with the warp threads I bind or tie
all the weft loops (4 more or less) together with the warp threads or wires.
I also take about 3 inches of elastic cord and tie the two ends of it firmly to the
heading of the fringe, with the warp threads.
I have then to hide the ends of warp and the two ends of elastic, so I use one
end of the weft cord for this purpose wrapping it several times round, the ends of
elastic cord, the warp ends, and the weft cord and forming with it an ornamental
cord knot.
I have now made what appears to be a tassel having 4 single twisted cords with
hooks or the like held within the looped ends thereof and an elastic cord loop
projecting out of the head of the said tassel.
I fasten a metal hook to the loop of elastic and clasp the hook to a metal ring or
slot.
Six of these tassels fit a mud guard having 24 holes drilled therein.
Referring to drawings Fig. 3 is a front view of a tassel or segment of fringe
fastened to a metal ring.
C is the hook. D is the elastic cord. F is the metal ring. H is the ornamental
knot of weft cord. A is the bullion or weft cord.
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. In a dress guard the method of making or weaving with a continuous bullion

page_text: or twisted cord and warp threads or wires, fringe or tassels forming a series of short
straight cords having elastic cord and metal clasps held within the looped ends
thereof, substantially as herein described for the purpose specified with reference
to Figures 1, 2, & 3 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In a dress guard, the method of hiding ends of elastic, ends of warp or tying
threads, or ends of weft cord, underneath an ornamental knot of cord or the like
material.