IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF EMBROIDERY
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Renals, of Bread Street, in the City of London,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF EMBROIDERY."
A communication from abroad by Jacob Steiger, of Herisau, Switzerland.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Renal at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th September 1881.
JOSEPH RENALS, of Bread Street, in the City of London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PRODUCTION OF EMBROIDERY." [A communication from abroad by Jacob
Steiger, of Herisau, Switzerland.]
This Invention relates to the production of guipure embroidery and the
embroidery upon loose or open fabrics, such as net, by means of the embroidery
machine.
It is well known that in working with this machine a firm fabric for a base is
required to be used to receive the embroidery stitches, but the removal of this firmn
base involves a considerable amount of trouble, not to say skill, and the character of
pattern worked is necessarily limited.
In order to render it unnecessary to remove the ground fabric by fine scissors,
as is at present the case in the production of guipure embroidery, a fabric is used as
a base which is capable of being dissolved or destroyed by chemical or equivalent
means.
In working according to this Invention a guipure pattern is designed having all
parts connected together, so that the embroidery when produced will require no
external support. The fabric on which the embroidery is formed will be composed
of animal fibres, the embroidery thread being formed from vegetable fibres.
When the embroidery is complete it is submitted to a chemical process which
will destroy the animal fibre, and thus the embroidery will be left free of the base
fabric on which it was formed.
Instead of this fabric of animal fibres paper may be used either alone or backed
with light animal textile material; the destroying of the paper backing is effected
by a chemical process, as above mentioned, that will not affect the embroidery
thread.

page_text: When for the embroidery coloured vegetable or animal materials are used which
do not allow of a destructive chemical process being employed, paper with or
without a lining is used as a base and removed from the embroidery by a rubbing
process, the perforated lines formed by the needles facilitating the removal.
In some cases the cloth for receiving the embroidery may be formed of vegetable
fibres and may be destroyed by steaming or burning. To allow of this the
embroidery thread must be prepared to resist the action of steam or fire in any
approved manner.
In order to obtain a full stitch in embroidering lace, net, or such like fabric, the
fabric is covered with paper to give it a body, and this paper is afterwards removed
by submitting the fabric to the ordinary bleaching process, or the paper may be
removed by the rubbing process above mentioned.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joseph Renals in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th March
1882.
JOSEPH RENALS, of Bread Street, in the City of London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PRODUCTION OF EMBROIDERY." A communication from abroad by Jacob
Steiger, of Herisau, Switzerland,
This Invention relates to the production of guipure embroidery and the
embroidery upon loose or open fabrics, such as net, by means of the embroidery
machine.
It is well known that in working with this machine a firm fabric for a base is
required to be used to receive the embroidery stitches, but the removal of this firm
base involves a considerable amount of trouble, not to say skill, and the character of
pattern worked is necessarily limited.
In order to render it unnecessary to remove the ground fabric by fine scissors,
as at present in the production of guipure embroidery, a fabric is used as a
base which is capable of being dissolved or destroyed by chemical or equivalent
means.
In working according to this Invention a guipure pattern is designed having all
parts connected together, so that the embroidery when produced will require no
external support.
In the accompanying Drawing an illustration of this embroidery is given at
Fig. 1, which shows a pattern so designed as to make in itself an open fabric,
the parts composing it being well tied together. The fabric on which the
embroidery is produced will be composed of animal fibres manufactured by spinning
and weaving or in any other approved manner, the embroidery thread being formed
from vegetable fibres.
When the embroidery is complete it is submitted to a chemical process which
will destroy the animal fibre, and thus the embroidery will be left free of the base
fabric on which it was formed.
For the purpose of removing the base fabric any well known or approved
chemical process may be employed, thus, for example, the embroidered fabric may
be steeped in a solution of caustic soda or potash which rapidly dissolves animal
tissues while it has little or no destructive effect upon vegetable fibres; the
embroidery when removed from this solution should be washed in clean water to
free it from the alkali and extraneous matters.
Instead of this fabric of animal fibres paper may be used alone, or, if desired,
with light animal textile material.
The destroying of the compound backing may be effected by the chemical process
above mentioned, which will not affect the embroidery thread, and the paper will
at the same time become displaced, or when paper alone is used the treatment may
be similar to that to be presently described.
When for the embroidery coloured vegetable or animal materials are used which
do not allow of a destructive chemical process being employed, paper is used as a
base and removed from the embroidery by a rubbing process, the perforated lines
formed by the needles facilitating the removal.
In some cases the cloth for receiving the embroidery may be formed of vegetable
fibres and may be destroyed by burning. To allow of this the embroidery thread
must be previously prepared in any approved manner to resist the action of fire.
Thus, for example, the thread may be prepared by steeping the same in a
solution of tungstate of soda or of sulphate of ammonia as used for protecting gauze
and other light fabrics against the action of fire.

page_text: In order to obtain a full stitch in embroidering lace, net, or such like fabric
according to this Invention, the ground fabric is covered with paper to give it a
body before introducing it to the embroidery machine, and when the embroidery is
completed this paper is removed by submitting the fabric to the ordinary bleaching
process, or the paper may be removed by the rubbing process above mentioned.
Figures 2 and 3 illustrate two samples of embroidered net produced according to
this invention, the patterns being somewhat intricate. Hitherto in the production
of this class of work the net has been covered by a fabric of a closer texture, which
on the completion of the embroidery had to be removed by scissors; this was a
costly operation, requiring great care and dexterity, and necessitating the adoption
of far more simple patterns than those illustrated in the Drawing. By the adoption
however of a paper covering for the ground fabric the process of removing the
applied fabric is both cheap and expeditious.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in the
Production of Embroidery," as communicated to me from abroad, and explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim,―
First. The production of embroidery known as guipure by the means above
described, whereby the removal of the base fabric is rendered simple and easy.
Secondly. The means above described for facilitating the production of embroidery
upon net or other open textile fabrics.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Renals, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.