IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINE EMBROIDERY, AND IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Alfred Barlow, of the Firm of Henry Bernoulli
Barlow, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Patent Agent, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINE EMBROIDERY, AND IN THE
PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME." A commu-
nication from abroad by Josef Halter, of Rebstein, Switzerland.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Alfred Barlow at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th August 1881.
CHARLES ALFRED BARLOW, of the Firm of Henry Bernoulli Barlow, of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENT IN
MACHINE EMBROIDERY, AND IN THE PROCESS. AND APPARATUS FOR MANU-
FACTURING THE SAME" A communication from abroad by Josef Halter, of
Rebstein, Switzerland.
The object of this Invention is, first, to make different kinds of lace, guipures,
and other varieties of machine embroidery, that can be made on ordinary
embroidering machines with cotton, flax, wool, silk, or other thread upon a ground
of paper or other material that can be easily washed away or removed when the
lace or other open work is completed; second, to provide apparatus to support the
paper when it would by itself be torn by the embroidery needles and threads;
third, to connect the embroidery figures by strong thread passed through each
figure, so that they are suspended to each other; and, fourth, to wash away or
reinove the paper or other easily destructible ground on which the embroidery has
been made. In performing this Invention ordinary paper, or paper specially
prepared of sufficient strength to sustain the action of the needles and the thread
in making the lace or other embroidery, is placed in the embroidery machine;
understitches are first made on the paper where the figures are to be embroidered,
the thread being continuous from one figure to another; when understitches have
[Price 6d 1

page_text: been made for the desired number of figures they are connected by strong thread
that is made to pass below the understitches of one figure, then drawn out at the
front and passed below the understitches of the next figure, and drawn out at the
front, and so on, till all the figures are connected. When this has been done the
figures are embroidered in the usual manner. After the embroidery is finished the
fabric is immersed in cold or hot water and the paper ground falls away from the
lace or other embroidery, which is then ready to be bleached or otherwise finished.
When the paper is not sufficiently strong, I place on each side of it a bar provided
with a plate, the edge of which is scalloped, so that portions of the plate extends
between the needles; the bars between which the paper is held are connected to 1
the machine frame.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Alfred Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st February 1882.
CHARLES ALFRED BARLOW, of the Firm of Henry Bernoulli Barlow,, of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENT IN
MACHINE EMBROIDERY, AND IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MANU-
FACTURING THE SAME," A communication from abroad by Josef Halter, of
Rebstein, Switzerland.
The object of this Invention is, first, to make different kinds of lace, guipures,
and other varieties of machine embroidery that can be made on ordinary
embroidering machines with cotton, flax, wool, silk, or other thread, upon a ground
of paper or other material that can be easily washed away or removed when the
lace or other open work which is called "Rebstein lace" is completed; second, to
provide apparatus to support the paper when it would by itself be torn by the
embroidery needles and thread; third, to connect the embroidery figures by strong
thread passed through each figure, so that, the figures are suspended to each other;
and, fourth, to wash away or remove the paper or other easily destructible ground
on which the embroidery has been made.
In performing this Invention ordinary paper or paper specially prepared of
sufficient strength to sustain the action of the needles and the thread in making
the lace or other embroidery or other material that may be easily washed away or
removed is placed in the embroidery machine; understitches are then made on the
paper where the figures are to be embroidered, the thread being continuous from
one figure to another; when understitches have been made for the desired number
of figures they are connected by strong thread that is made to pass below the
understitches of one figure, then drawn out at the front and passed below the
understitches of the next figure. and drawn out at the front, and so on till all the
figures are connected. When this has been done the figures are embroidered in the
usual manner.
After the embroidering is completed the fabric is immersed in cold
or hot water and the paper or other ground falls away from the lace or other
embroidery, or the material which forms the ground may be otherwise removed
from the lace, which is then ready to be bleached or otherwise finished.
When the paper is not sufficiently strong I place on each side of it a supporting
plate, between which the paper is held; one of these plates is movable, and it is
furnished with springs to hold the paper.
And in order that this Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference being
had to the Figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of part of an embroidering machine, and Fig. 2 is an
end elevation of the same.
Figs. 3 and 4 indicate understitches and joining stitches for the figures.
a is a shaft fitted in suitable bearings connected to the frame of the machine;
on this shaft are fixed the arms b, to which the plate c is secured; to this plate
are fastened as many springs d as there are needles, and through a hole in each
spring a needle passes when the machine is at work; these springs press on the
front of the paper e and hold it against a plate which is behind and in which are
corresponding holes for the needles to pass through.
•
When the paper is to be moved by the pentagraph p the plate c carrying the
springs is withdrawn a short distance away from the paper by the cam f on the
driving shaft g driven by a belt from the pulley #; the cam bears against one end

page_text: of the lever h, the other end of which is keyed to the shaft a; while the springs
are withdrawn from the paper the pentagraph is moved to the part of the design
where the next stitch is to be made; by the use of this apparatus the paper is kept
from tearing while the embroidery is being made.
The paper is mounted in the machine in the same manner as the cloth which is
usually used. The apparatus for supporting the paper is only needed when the
paper or other material on which the embroidery is to be made is not strong
enough to sustain the action of the needles and thread during the process of
embroidering.
By the use of this Invention a fabric different from and superior to the ordinary
lace or embroidery is obtained, which is called "Rebstein lace," and it is made
without the use of a ground of woven fabric or of a perforating apparatus, which
make the ordinary embroidery so costly. Although a machine is shown driven
by power, the machine may be worked by the operative in the ordinary way.
Having stated the nature of this Invention, and described the manner of
performing the same,
T
ALT
-
performing the same,
I declare that I claims,
1. The use of paper or other fabric that may be easily washed away or removed
as a ground or foundation for lace, guipures, and other styles of embroidery, as
heroin set forth.
2. The manner of connecting the figures, as shown on Fig. 3.
3. The apparatus for supporting the paper, substantially as shown and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Alfred Barlow, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirty first day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.