IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR EMBROIDERING FABRICS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Heaven, of Longsight, near the City of Man-
chester, Embroiderer by Machinery, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR EMBROIDERING FABRICS."
Sealed the 5th February 1856, and dated the 10th August 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Heaven at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th August
1855.
I, ALFRED HEAVEN, of Longsight, near the City of Manchester, Embroiderer
by Machinery, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR EMBROIDERING FABRICS" to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in certain improved arrangements of
stillettoes or punches, and needles, with the machinery for working them, by
means of which eyelet holes are pierced or cut in the fabric, and embroidered
round their edges. In making the eyelet hole, it is necessary to have a stilletto
opposite each needle to pierce the hole in the fabric before working round it.
Eyelet holes may be round, oval, or any other shape, and they are worked
round with the plain over and over stitch, or the button hole or other stitch, as
required. I also propose to have sets of punches of the same shapes as the
stillettoes for cutting holes in the fabrics instead of piercing such holes with
stillettoes. The stillettoes and punches are fixed at suitable distances apart

page_text: on bars attached to the carriage of the machine, by which they are forced
through the fabric; these bars can be removed from the machine and replaced
by others when required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Heaven in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th February 1856..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
HEAVEN, of Longsight, near the City of Manchester, Embroiderer by
Machinery, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Heaven, Her special license that I, the said Alfred Heaven, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred
Heaven, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
EMBROIDERING FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alfred Heaven, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Heaven, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
Specification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings (that is to say) :-
The nature of my said Invention consists in piercing, punching, or cutting
holes in fabrics by means of stilettoes and punches applied to the ordinary
embroidering machines, or by other means, previous to their being embroidered
or sewed round their edges.

page_text: I have in the said Drawings given Figures for shewing how my Invention
may be performed, similar parts in the different views being marked with
similar letters of reference.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an embroidering machine of the usual
construction.
a, a, are two pieces of fabric through which holes have to be
pierced, punched, or cut by stilettoes or punches, as will be explained hereafter;
b, b, are rollers on which the fabric is wound; these rollers are supported in the
frame c, which is moved up and down and sideways in the ordinary manner.
e and fare the carriages which support the needle holders h, and travel to and
fro on the rails g; n, n, are the faller wires, which are supported by bent levers
fixed on the shafts m, m; these shafts and faller wires are acted upon by the
levers o' and inclines o.
The foregoing and all the other parts requisite to complete the embroidering
machine are made in the usual manner.
'Figure 2 is a sectional elevation, drawn full size, of part of the carriages e
and f, to which one mode of constructing my improvements is applied; Figure 8
is a plan view of the same..
The stilettoes p, for piercing the holes in the fabric, are fixed in a rail q,
which is attached by the angle brackets r to the joint pieces s, which are fixed
to the carriage e. To the carriage fare fixed similar joint pieces s, for the
angle brackets t and rail u, which is furnished with holes corresponding in size
and. position to the stilettoes p: The angle brackets supporting the rail u
should be sufficiently long to allow the stilettoes to pass through the rail u
without coming in contact with the needles which are shewn in the holders of
the carriage f. The mode of operation is as follows:-When the fabric is in
the machine the carriage f is brought into the position shewn by dotted lines
in Figure 2, that is to say, so near to the centre of the machine that the rail u
touches or nearly touches the fabric; the carriage e is then brought towards
the fabric until the stilettoes | pierce through the fabric, and enter into the holes
in the rail u, the object of which is to prevent the fabric yielding when pressed
against by the stilettoes. As soon as the holes have been pierced through the
fabric, the rail g with the stilettoes p, and the rail u with the holes in it, are
thrown back, as shewn by the dotted lines in Figure 2, so as to be out of the
way of the needles; the operation of embroidering or sewing around the holes
thus formed is then commenced and executed in the ordinary manner with the
plain over and over stitch, or the button hole or other stitch, as required.
When punches are employed to cut holes in the fabric they may be affixed
to the rail q, and the rail u, instead of being made with holes as when stilettoes

page_text: are employed, would be faced with lead or other material, against which the
punches may act without being injured. Holes may also be pierced and cut
in the fabric by an instrument similar to a stilettoe, but with one or more
cutting edges. The object of thus piercing, punching, or cutting holes in the
fabric previous to performing the operation of embroidering or sewing is to
produce a clear outline in the design, and to make the embroidering or sewing
as strong as that performed by hand.
I wish to remark, that although I have shewn the stilettoes round, they as
well as the punches may be of any other shape, according to the shape of the
holes required. I would also observe that I am aware that holes of various
shapes have been made in fabrics to be embroidered or sewed by hand.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I make no claim to any
of the parts which are shewn, as they may be varied without departing from
the peculiar character of my Invention; but that what I do claim is, the
piercing, punching, or cutting holes in fabrics previous to being embroidered
or sewed in the machine for embroidering, shewn in the Drawing, or any
machine of the like nature..
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Heaven, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
ALFRED HEAVEN. (L.s.)