IMPROVEMENTS IN CURTAINS AND VALANCES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Geerge Hurst, of the Firm of Pratt, Hurst, and Company,
of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturers,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CURTAINS AND VALANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hurst at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th April 1881.
GEORGE HURST, of the Firm of Pratt, Hurst, and Company, of the Town and
County of the Town of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CURTAINS AND VALANCES,"
Heretofore lace curtains and valances have been made with seperate designs,
that is to say, the curtains have been made in continuous lengths with the design
repeated end to end or side to side, according to their size or the width of the
machine making them, and the valances have also been made of a seperate design
in continuous lengths, with the design repeated end to end or side to side or
otherwise according to the size of the design. My improvements consis in
combining one pair of curtains and the valance in one design. The valance proper
may either terminate at the bottom in one straight line or band of satin or cloth
work or in a vandyke, scolloped or other shaped edge, not seperate from but
forming part of and being continued in design with the pair of curtains below it;
such pair of curtains I cause to be designed exactly alike, or one curtain of the pair
differant to the design of the other curtain; the inner adjacent edges of such pair
of curtains may be formed having the edges joined to each other in one piece until
they are seperated from each other by cutting one curtain from the other after
the continuous piece of curtains and valances have been dressed, such cutting being
commenced at the bottom of each pair of curtains up to the plain line or band
of satin or cloth work, or to the vandyked, scolloped, or other shaped lower edge

page_text: of the valance proper, or the pair of curtains formed in one piece with the valance
may be designed so that the inner edges of the pair when seperated by cutting
up will form a narrow curtain less than half the width of the pair, and the other
curtain a wide one more than half the width of the pair. The adjacent edges so
seperated from each other by cutting may each be either a plain band or vandyked,
scolloped, or other shaped edge. The valance proper instead of terminating, as
above described, may be so designed that portions of it, say, a wreath of flowers
or part of the ornamental lower, edge, may appear to depend from the valance
and lie upon either or both of the curtains forming the pair when seperated, as
above described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Hurst in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th October
1881,
GEORGE HURST, of the Firm of Pratt, Hurst, and Company, of the Town and
County of the Town of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS 'IN
CURTAINS AND VALANCES."
Heretofore lace curtains and valances have been made with separate designs,
that is to say, the curtains have been made in continuous lengths with the design
repeated end to end or side to side, according to their size or the width of the
machine making them, and the valances have also been made of a separate design
in continuous lengths, with the design repeated end to end or side to side, or
otherwise, according to the size of the design. My improvements consist in
combining one pair of curtains and a valance in one design.. The valance proper
may either terminate at the bottom in one straight line or band of satin or cloth
work, or in a vandyke, scolloped, or other shaped edge not separate from but
forming part of and being continued in design with the pair of curtains below
it; such pair of curtains I cause to be designed exactly alike, or one curtain of the
pair different to the design of the other curtain; the inner adjacent edges of such
pair of curtains may be formed, having the edges joined to each other in one piece
until they are separate from each other by cutting one curtain from the other after
the continuous piece of curtains and valances have been dressed, such cutting
being commenced at the bottom of each pair of curtains up to the plain line or
band of satin or cloth work, or to the vandyked, scolloped, or other shaped lower
edge of the valance proper. Or the pair of curtains formed in one piece with the
valance may be designed so that the inner edge of the pair when separated by
cutting up will form a narrow curtain less than half the width of the pair, and the
other curtain a wide one more than half the width of the pair. The adjacent
edges so separated from each other by cutting may each be either a plain band,
or a vandyked, scolloped, or other shaped edge. The valance proper instead of
terminating, as above described, may be so designed that portions of it, say, a
wreath of flowers or part of the ornamental lower edge, may appear to depend
from the valance and lie upon either or both of the curtains forming the pair when
separated, as above described.
Figure 1 represents a pair of curtains for a single window.
Figure 2 represents a pair or set of curtains for a three or four light window
or a bay window.
Heretofore lace curtains and valances have been made with separate designs,
that is to say, the curtains have been made in continuous lengths, and the design
repeated end to end or side to side, according to their size or the width of the
machine making them; and the valances have also been made of a separate
design in continuous lengths, with the design repeated end to end or side to side,
or otherwise, according to the size of the design. When narrow curtains have been
made in one piece with the valance they have been designed with their inner edges
some distances apart, as shown by the dotted lines C, C, at Figure 1, the space between
the inner edges being only partially utilized by being formed into small antimacassars
or toilet napkins, thereby causing considerable waste, as the portions of fabric formed
between the inner edges of the curtains, and surrounding the antimacassars and
napkins are useless.
My improvements consist in combining one pair of curtains and a valance in one

page_text: design. The valance proper may either terminate at the bottom in one straight
line or band of satin or cloth work, or in a vandyke, scolloped, or other shaped
edge not separate from but forming part of and being combined with the pair of
curtains below it, as shewn at Figure 1, where A is the valance, and B, B, the pair
of curtains; such pair of curtains I cause to be designed either exactly alike or
one curtain of the pair different to the design of the other curtain, the inner
adjacent edges of such pair of curtains may be formed having the edges joined to
each other in one piece until they are separated by either cutting one curtain from
the other after the continuous piece of curtains and valances have been dressed,
or they may be separated from each other by pulling out one or more draw threads
interlocked with the inner edges of the curtains and with each other, such draw
threads not being allowed in any way to interfere with the design of the valance,
such cutting or separating being commenced at the bottom of each pair of curtains
up to the lower edge of the valance proper, as shown by the black line in the
centre of Figure 1. Or the pair or set of curtains formed in one piece with the
valance may be designed, so that the inner edges of the set when separated by
cutting or pulling out the draw-threads will form a narrow curtain less than half
the width of the set, as shewn at Figure 2, where A is the valance, B and E the
outer narrow curtains, and C, D, a broad central curtain; the narrow curtains
may be of the same or different design to the central curtain, or the central
curtain may be formed with a separating line or draw-thread or threads, as shewn
by the dotted central line at Figure 2. Or each curtain of the set may be formed
of various widths and designs. In each case the adjacent edges so separated from
each other may be either a plain band, or a vandyked, scolloped, or other shaped
edge.
The valance proper instead of terminating, as above described, may be so
designed that portions of it, say a wreath of flowers, or part of the ornamental
lower edge may appear to depend from the valance and lie upon either or all of
the curtains forming the pair or set when separated, as above described. By such
means I am enabled to produce curtains combined with valances and effect a
considerable saving of material, as there is not any waste produced.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same may be performed, I declare that I claim the arrangement of two or more
curtains of any required width and length in combination with a valance, the
adjacent edges of the curtains being capable of being separated by cutting or
pulling out a draw thread or threads without producing any waste of fabric,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hurst, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
H. W. GOUGH, C.E.,
Nottingham.
GEORGE HURST. (L.S.)