Improvements in Making Tassels, Balls, and similar Decorations for Borders of Covers, Curtains, Shawls, and the like.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Nov., 1891-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Making Tassels, Balls, and similar Decorations for
Borders of Covers, Curtains, Shawls, and the like.
I, WILHELM HALSTENBACH of Barmen Weiherstrasse No. 11, Germany,
Rhenish Prussia, Manufacturer 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:-
The tassels, tufts, balls and such like hangings used in lace and fringe work
which are not made upon a core, a mould of wood or papier mâché, are generally
made up of bunches of loose threads tied properly together and cut to shape.
These tassels are not of very great durability and they are easily torn to pieces,
especially so, when a few of the loose threads have once been pulled out.
I have succeeded in making a very durable article according to the manner here-
after described and illustrated by some examples of the fabric.
In Figures 1 to 6 and 1-6 I show the various sorts of half finished material
which I prepare and use for my new tassels; the Figures 1 to 6 show the
finished fabric made of those half goods.
I begin by weaving a band or stripe of any length, having, as in Fig. 1A, a
narrow stripe in the middle only bound by warp threads, whereas right and left
the weft threads project like fringes. This band [then cut in suitable
lengths and roll them up, each roll forming then a tassel like Fig. 1°, with the
little crown A at top, the neck B formed of the woven stripe in a figurative design
in the middle and the loose bunch Cat the bottom. The end of the band forming
the neck being glued or otherwise secured to the body of the neck.
For making a tassel of the shape as the one shown by Fig. 20, I weave a band 24
differing from 1 only in that, that there are here two stripes d d and d' d' in
which the weft threads are bound by warp threads, whereas right and left of these
stripes and between them the weft threads are left open or floating in a similar
manner as before and as will be readily understood from the figure. This band I
again cut in suitable lengths and these I roll up as before. In order to produce
the half round puff D, the tight parts formed by the stripes d and are pressed
towards each other and held together by special threads inserted or sewn in
lengthways.
Å band like the one shown by Fig. 34 having loose wefts of equal length on
both sides of the warp threads produces a symetrical tuft as shown by Fig. 3°.
When making the part of the band where the weft and warp threads are bound
into each other somewhat larger in width, leaving only a little open stripe, f, as
in Fig. 4 and folding the band along this line f double, as shown by Fig. 4",
and rolling suitable lengths of this folded band, one receives a tassel in the shape
of two bells hanging one over the other, as indicated by Fig. 4°.
By folding double the band, Fig. 24, in a similar way and as shown by Fig. 5"
and rolling up suitable lengths the tassel Fig. 5° is produced, like two bells one
above the other and the upper one being crowned by a tuft E.
For making balls I proceed in a similar way: I weave a band having a central
stripe, where the weft threads are bound by warp threads, but the fringe like pro-
jections right and left of this stripe are of different lengths, that is to say, as will
he best understood from Fig. 64, they are short at a certain point, getting longer
gradually on both sides until a length required for a ball is obtained, when they fall
off suddenly to be repeated in the same way to appear like long stretched teeth of
a saw. Each one of such lengths is then rolled up as stated before and forms then
a ball like Fig. 6º.
These examples will explain my new process of making tassels, tufts, balls and

page_text: the like. By varying the design of the band other shapes of tassels may be pro-
duced by rolling short pieces of such varied bands up into a bunch. It may be
added that in order to save material and labour in weaving the stripes, these may be
made quite plain without figuring and the "neck" may then be adorned by winding
round the same a special piece of ribbon, which is fastened thereto in a similar
manner as the ends of the stripes themselves and as described above.
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:
The method of making tassels, tufts, balls and similar hangings consisting in
the use of a woven band forming the half finished product and having one or more
stripes where the weft threads are bound by warp threads and having also right
and left of these stripes and between them the weft threads loose and floating, and
rolling up suitable lengths of these bands either single or folded double into
bunches forming the tassels or tufts of various shapes according to the design of
the band.
Dated this 10th Naamhan 1001
KARL S. MEYER,
Agent for W. Halstenbach.