Improvements relating to the Production of Designs upon Velvet and other Textile Fabrics.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 13th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 17th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Production of Designs upon Velvet
and other Textile Fabrics.
I, ARTHUR LAWRENCE GWATKIN, of 88 Newgate Street, in the City of
London, Designer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
:-
My invention relates to the production of designs upon textile fabrics such as
velvet, crêtonne, chintz, wool, cotton, linen, jute or silk.
The printing of designs upon such fabrics has hitherto been usually performed by
means of a series of small wooden blocks applied successively across the material,
the operation being advanced longitudinally as the width is completed. The
printing of very large patterns by this method is very costly if not impracticable.
Now
my
invention comprises an improved process whereby I not only obviate the
difficulty heretofore experienced in printing very large patterns, but I also reduce
the cost of producing the designs and obtain a very much more artistic result than
has hitherto been procured. For, whilst designs produced by the old method
of printing must consist of a number of flat colours, sometimes superimposed, but
always of necessity flat, my process provides for the application of shaded colour or
gradations of colour and for the blending of two colours. In producing the designs
according to my said invention, I proceed as follows, that is to say;-Having
prepared the velvet or other fabric upon which the design is to be made, I stretch
it tightly and secure it firmly upon a bench of suitable length; then, with a block
made the full width of the material and of the necessary length for the entire
pattern or print, or with a roller of equal width, which is pushed along the surface
of the material as required, I print upon the said material the outline or outlines of
the design. I then proceed to fill up the space or spaces within the said outline or
outlines with colour by the aid of a metal or other stencil-plate and suitable
brushes, and, if desired, I blend the colours or shade them by varying the pressure
on the brushes or by varying the amount of colour applied to the said brushes.
I find it advantageous to use brushes of circular form with moderately firm bristles
and so made that the amount of colour applied by means of the brush and the
gradations of colour thus produced can be readily increased or diminished by
varying the pressure exerted upon the brush.
By my process I can do the work at a lower cost than is practicable by the
longer and more laborious process of printing hitherto adopted, and I can produce
more beautiful effects than can be obtained at any cost by the former process of
printing.
Deted the 12th day of Mauch 1802
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements relating to the Production of Designs upon Velvet
and other Textile Fabrics.
I, ARTHUR LAWRENCE GWATKIN, of 88 Newgate Street, in the City of
London, Designer, 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 invention relates to the production of designs upon textile fabrics such as
velvet, cretonne, chintz, wool, cotton, linen, jute or silk.
The printing of designs upon such fabrics has hitherto been usually performed
by means of a series of small wooden blocks applied successively across the
material, the operation being advanced longitudinally of the piece of fabric, as each
portion of the design is completed across the width thereof. The printing of very
large patterns by this method is very costly if not impracticable.
Now my invention comprises an improved method or process whereby I not only
obviate the difficulty heretofore experienced in printing very large patterns, but I
also reduce the cost of producing the designs (whether with large or small patterns)
and I am enabled to obtain a very much more artistic result than is practicable by
the method hitherto generally adopted. For, whilst designs produced by the old
method of printing must consist of a number of flat colours, sometimes superimposed,
but always of necessity flat, my process provides for the application of shaded
colour or gradations of colour and also for the blending of two colours.
In producing the designs according to my said invention, I proceed as follows,
that is to say. Having prepared, in the usual manner, the velvet or other fabric
upon which the design is to be inade, I stretch it tightly and secure it firmly upon
a bench or the like of suitable dimensions; then, with a block made the full width
of the design and of the necessary length for the entire pattern or print, or with a
roller of equal width, which is pushed along the surface of the material as required,
I print upon the said material the outline or outlines of the design. I then
proceed to fill up the space or spaces within the said outline or outlines with colour
by the aid of one or more metal or other stencil-plates and suitable brushes, and, if
desired, I blend the colours or shade them by varying the pressure on the brushes
or by varying the amount of colour applied to the said brushes.
I find it advantageous to use brushes of circular form with moderately firm
bristles and so made that the amount of colour applied by means of the brush, and
the gradations of colour thus produced can be readily increased or diminished by
varying the pressure exerted upon the brush.
I sometimes produce the design on the back of the fabric and force steam through
the said fabric so as to drive the colours to the front surface thereof; I thus
preserve the smoothness of the face of the fabric.
By my method or process I can do the work at a lower cost than is practicable
by the longer and more laborious method or process of printing hitherto adopted,
and I can produce more beautiful effects than can be obtained at any cost by the
former method or process of printing.
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 :-
First. The production of designs upon velvet or other textile fabrics, by first
tightly stretching the fabric upon a suitable bench or the like, then printing the
outline or outlines of the design by means of a suitable block or roller of the same
width as the design, and then applying the colours by the aid of stencil-plates and
brushes, substantially as herein before described.

page_text: Second. The modification of my invention wherein I produce the design as above
described on the back of the fabric and then force the colours through the fabric
by means of steam, as set forth.
Third. A piece of velvet or other textile fabric upon which a design has been
produced by my improved method herein before described.
Dated the 13th day of December 1893.
ARTHUR L. GWATKIN.
D. Young & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.