An Improved Mode of Producing Open-work Embroidery.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left. 16th Dec.. 1890-Accepted. 17th Jan.. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Mode of Producing Open-work Embroidery.
I, JACOB STEIGER MEYER of Herisau, Switzerland, but at present of 8 Falcon
Street in the City of London, Embroiderer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to bo as follows:-
The object of this invention is to simplify the operation of mechanical embroidery,
by greatly reducing the number of stitches at present required in obtaining patterns
in open-work.
In making open-work suitable for use as insertion or edging, it is usual first to
form the holes in the foundation fabric, by piercing it with a cutting instrumont,
according to the size of hole required, and then to embroider around the holes by
stitches, by means of the well known power shuttle embroidery machine, or the Swiss
embroidery machine.
This severance of the threads composing the fabric necessitates the use of a great
number of stitches for securing the same, or for covering the turned up or folded
edges of the holes, and renders the manufacture costly.
Now, by my invention, I am enabled to secure a great economy, and to obtain a
novel offect in open-work embroidery.
In place of piercing the holes (when the fabric is in tension on the frame of the
machine) with instruments having cutting edges, 1 avoid the cutting of the weft and
warp threads by employing pointed conical instruments which may either be plain, or
longitudinally or spirally Huted, and which, as they enter the fabric, will push the
threads aside. These instruments I mount on a longitudinal bar, one or more for
every repeat of the pattern desired to be simultaneously produced, and I advance and
retract the bar by means of a hand lever, or automatically, for the purpose of piercing
the fabric.
The piercing of a series of holes in close proximity will crowd the threads into the
intervening portions of the fabric. I then, by stitches made across these portions of
the fabric from hole to hole, tie these crowded threads together, and thus secure the
open-work; an average of some 4 stitches to each hole will be found sufficient to
secure this result, whereas, under the old mode of working, from 3 to 5 times the
number of stitches will be required.
This open-work may be combined with the ordinary work of the Swiss machine to
form the pattern. In open woven fabrics, as canvas muslin, oblong holes may be
inade either horizontally or vertically, by crowding the weft or the warp threads
together, by giving motion up and down, or laterally, to the work frame, while the
piercing instrument is through the work. Lines of vertical open-work can be
produced by making a series of piercings in vertical lines, and moving the work
1:ame to and fro horizontally after each piercing, and while the instruments are in
e work, thus crowding, say, the warp threads on either side of the opening, and
teen tying the weft threads together by stitches made at regulated distances. In like
1. anner. lines of horizontal open-work will be obtained by a series of piercings in
Jorizontal lines, pushing the weft threads upwards and downwards, and then tying
the warp thread at regular distances by stitches. In place of using a separate
piercing instrument to form the holes, I may replace the ordinary sewing neville by
a longer needle having a stem of sufficient diameter to form a hole of the required
size.
The noedle bar carrying this form of needle will be so imounted on its carriage as
to be capable of being projected forward to force the enlarged steins of the needles
through the fabric, to form the holes in the fabric, preparatory to the sewing action

page_text: commencing. The needle stem may also be used to shape the holes after the
embroidery has been finished, an operation which at present has to be performed by
band.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Mode of Producing Open-work Embroidery.
I JACOB STEIGER-METER of Herisau, Switzerland, but at present of 8 Falcon
Street in the City of London, Embroiderer, lo 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 object of this invention is to simplify the operation of mechanical ombroidery,
by greatly reducing the number of stitches at present required in producing patterns
in open work.
In making open-work embroidery suitable for insertion or edging, it is usual first
to forin t'e holes in the foun·lation fabric, by piercing it with a cutting instrument
according to the size of hole required, and then to embroider around the holes by
stitches, using for that purpose the well known power shuttle embroidery machine,
or the Swiss embroidery machine.
The severance thus effortel of the threads composing the fabric, necessitates the
use of a number of stiches for securing the same, or for covering the turne·l
up or folded edges of the holes, and renders the manufacture costly.
Now by my invention I an enabled to secure a great economy, and to obtain a
novel effect in open-work embroidery. To this end I proceed as follows:
In place of piercing the holes (when the fabric is in tension on the frame of the
machine) with instruments having cutting edges, I avoid the cutting of the weft and
warp threads, by employing pointed corical instruments, which may either be plain,
or longitudinally or spirally fluted, ant which, as they enter the stret hed fabric, will
push the threads aside.
The piercing of a series of holes in close proximity will crowd the threats into the
intervening portions of the fabric, and by stitches made across these portions of
the fabric, from hole to hole, I tie to the crowded thrs, and thus secure
the open-work, with a very limited number of stitches as compared with the old mode
of working.
This open work may be combined with the ordinary work of the Swiss machine, to
form the pattern desired. In open woven fabrics, as canvas muslin, oblong holos may
he made, either horizontally or vertically, by crowding the welt or the warp threads
together, giving for that purpose motion up and down, or laterally, to the work frame
while the piercing instrument is through the work. Lines of vertical open work can
he produced by making a series of piercings in vertical lines, and moving the work
frame to and fro horizontally after each pierein, and while the instruments are in the
work, thus crowding the warp threads on either side of the opening, and ther
tying the weft threads together by stitches. In like manner, lines of horizontal open
work will be obtained by a series of piercings in horizontal lines, pushing the wef
threads upwards and downwards, an *hen tying together the warp threads by
stitches.
In the accompanying drawings, I ha. shewn three plans of tying the warp and
weft threads of the pierced fabric, in order to illustrate the variety of courses which
the embroidery needle may take for the purpose of securing the pierced holes.
Fig. 1 shews a piece of canvas muslin with the holes pierced by conical points, and
Fig. 2 shews the mode of securing the crowded threads by means of stitches
Each hole, it will be seen, is held open by 8 stitches, the embroidery needle passing

page_text: for this purpose, 8 times from one hole to adjacent holes in four different directions.
By this diagram it will be seen, how, according to my invention, good firm open work
is produced by a number of stitches equalling only some one third or fourth of the
uumber at present required for making round open work.
Fig. 3 shews another mode of working.
In this illustration, the warp threads are crowded together, not merely by the action
of the piercing point, as in the first example, but by the lateral traverse to and fro of
the extended fabric while the points remain in the fabric. To secure these holes,
serpentine lacing threads are laid in the fabric, extending from hole to hole, and
traversing up and down the rows of holes, as is clearly shewn. The effect of these
lacing threads is to keep the holes open sufficiently to produce a pleasing pattern of
open work, but no roundness of hole is preserved, as in the first illustration, the lacing
threads serving only to tie together the crowded warps.
The diagram Fig. 4 shows a further change in the mode of securing the pierce'l
openings.
In this example, the openings are due solely to the action of the piercing points;
the embroidery threads are caused to traverse the fabric so as to tie back both the
warp and the weft thronds, traversing the fabric in the serpentino fashion of Fig. 3,
but up and down the work 3 times. From these illustrations it will be evident that
variations in the course of working may be effected at the pleasure of the operator,
cach variation tending to produce a different ornamental effect. In some cases [
ropose, instead of traversing the lacing thread both up and down the fabric, as in the
diagram Fig. 3, to traverse it in one direction only, fastening of the lacing thread
from time to time by passing it through the fabric, and producing therowith a line of
close work stitching, a spot, or other device.
Fig. 5 shows in cross section, and
Fig. 6 in partial plan view, the manner of fitting the bar which carries the piercing
instruments to a shuttle embroidery machine.
In these figures. A is the needle bar, which is actuated as usual by automatic
machinery, for advancing the needles into the fabric and withdrawing them therefrom.
On this bar is fitted a saille B, which carries the embroidery needles b, for the repeats
of the pattern, and is adjustable on the traversing bar A, to suit the work in hand.
Situate above the needles is a point har C, fitted with conical points c for piercing the
work. This bar is fitted at rear with guide rods C, which pass through sockets
formed in the ends of the needle bar A, and are free to move therein and steady the
piercing points as they are advanced into the fabric. D is a rock shaft connected by
arms d to the guide rods C by pivot pins, and carrying a hand lever for imparting
motion (through the rock shaft) to the point bar. The bar (, carrying the conical
points c extends across the front of the machine, and is advanced when the needles are
withdrawn from the fabric, and drawn back and locked out of position when the
needle bar is at work.
It may be also remarked that in place of using separate piercing instruments to
form the holes, I may replace the ordinary sewing needles by longer needles, having a
tapering stem of sufficient diameter to form a hole of the required size. This modi-
fication is illustrated at Fig. 7. The bar fitted with this form of needle must be
capable of advancing not merely to the extent required for the sewing action, but so as
to bring the enlarged diameter of the needle into action, when the sewing is for the
timme suspended. The needle stem may also be used to shape the holes after the
embroidery has been finished, an operation which at present has to be performed
by hand.
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 :-
The mode above described of forming holes for open work in embroidery
machines and cocusing the holes by stitches or lacing threads as above set forth.

page_text: whereby a great economy results in the production of the work, while the security of
the open work is ensured.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.