AN IMPROVED CANVAS FOR EMBROIDERING PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Georges Louis Félix Tiret, of Paris, in the Empire
of France, and of 16, Castle Street, Holborn (City), London, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED CANVAS FOR EMBROIDERING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Louis Félix Tiret
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the
15th April 1854.
I, GEORGE LOUIS FÉLIX TIRET, of Paris, in the Empire of France, and of
516, Castle Street, Holborn (City), London, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CANVAS FOR EMBROIDERING" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the production of a figured canvas for the purpose
of embroidery, the object of the Invention being to do away with the figured.
pattern paper now in use for reading off the design, and to devise an easier, and
quicker method of producing the pattern desired to be embroidered. The
improved canvas is formed by the crossing of warp and weft threads in the
same manner as the canvas now used for embroidery; to the common warp,
however, is added another additional one, which is formed of much finer threads
and worked by a jacquard machine.
This additional warp is shot across with the figuring weft, which is thus
bound with the canvas warp on the back and face of the fabric. This second
warp and the figuring weft, being united with the canvas warp and weft, give
:

page_text: to the embroidery, when finished, a much greater firmness, strength, thickness,
and solidity than those possessed by common tapestry.
The figured weft may be of any material and colour, since it is covered up
on the right and left side by the embroidery. As the figuring weft has to
represent all the colours of the design, each figuring pick is placed between the
two picks of the canvas ground, which form the chequered openings for the
embroidery stitches. It is evident that without the additional warp it would
be impossible to bind the figuring weft on the right or left side, and it would
lie loose. There is a great variety of ways of arranging the binding warp,
according as it is desired to bind the figuring weft more or less. I will, there-
fore, provisionally only, give one way which seemed to me the most convenient.
The coloured design is produced by means of a common hand loom jacquard,
but may easily be adapted to any other system of jacquard machine.. In order
to obtain a more regular and easier working, I weave the face on the top of
the canvas and not on the under side, as is done in shawl weaving. As. this
would require a complete change, i. e., inversion of the reading process, I
obviate to this by effecting an easier alteration in the mechanism; this is
done by simply turning the hooks about themselves in the opposite direction,
so that the hook ends instead of being turned towards the card barrel are
turned towards the spring box. All the. hooks being thus placed, and the card
barrel pressing against the needle board, all the hooks read for or punctured
on the card will remain down, and the others will lift. A corresponding
change is made in the position of the grif or leash box, it being turned round
horizontally as the edges of the leashes have to act on the opposite side to what
they generally do; also the slides for the grif have to be put laterally in the
proper working position. Owing to this arrangement, it will be seen that for
the bell indicating a change of color, each card has to be punctured with the
corresponding hole, except when there is a change of color. As to the cords
indicating which color has to be shot, the only alteration resulting from the
above-arrangement-is,-that-the-cord of the color to be shot will remain_down
whilst all the others will rise.
The canvas ground may be obtained by the jacquard, but it will be more
convenient to work the canvas warp by two separate heddler. The heddles
for the canvas are to have large eyes, so that they need not be lifted or lowered
for picking the figured weft. A double eye will be preferable, because then no
knot will catch the binding warp threads. We also want two heddles for the
binding warp.
As to the cording, each cord hanging on a hook is made to raise two warp
threads, either by passing two threads through the same eye, or by using a

page_text: will be punctured for on all cards for odd picks, and the even hooks will be
punctured for on all even cards. By dispensing with the binding heddler the
draught pattern is reduced to the one shewn by Fig. 3; and the weaving
process then consists .in, firstly, picking a shoot for canvas ground by acting
on the treadle A; secondly, picking the figuring weft; thirdly, picking the
2d canvas shoot by means of treadle B.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Georges Louis Felix Tiret in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGES
LOUIS FELIX TIRET, of Paris, in the Empire of France, and of 16, Castle
Street, Holborn (City), London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Georges Louis Felix Tiret, Her special licence that I, the said
-Georges Louis Felix Tiret, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Georges Louis Felix Tiret, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention of "AN IMPROVED CANVAS FOR EMBROIDERING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Georges Louis Felix Tiret, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain-the-nature-of-the-said-Invention, and-in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Georges Louis Felix Tiret, do hereby
declare the nature of the said 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 consists in the production of a figured canvas for the purpose

page_text: of embroidery, the object of the Invention being to do away with the figured
pattern paper now in use for reading off the design, and to devise an easier and
quicker method of producing the pattern desired to be embroidered. The
improved canvas is formed by the crossing of warp and weft threads placed in
the same manner as the canvas now used for embroidery; besides the common
warp, however, there is placed another additional one, which is formed of much
finer threads, and worked by a jacquard machine. This additional warp is shot
across with the figuring weft, which is thus bound with the canvas warp on the
back and face of the fabric. This second warp and the figuring weft being
united with the canvas warp and weft, give to the embroidery when finished a
much greater firmness, strength, thickness, and solidity than is possessed by
common tapestry or embroidery. The figuring weft may be of any material
and colour, since it is covered up on the right and left side by the embroidery.
As the figuring weft has to represent all the colours of the design, each figuring
.pick is placed between the two picks of the canvas ground, which form the
chequered openings for the embroidery stitches. It is evident that without the
additional warp it would be impossible to bind the figuring weft on the right-
or left side, and it would lie loose. There is a great variety of ways of arranging.
the, binding warp, according as it is desired to bind the figuring weft more or
:less, or to give more or less thickness to the embroidery stuff, & I will herein-
after describe the means of varying the binding. The coloured design is
produced by means of a common hand loom (jacquard), but may easily be
adapted to any other system of jacquard machine. The work may be applied
on the front or back of the canvas; but in order to obtain a more regular and
easier mode of working, I prefer weaving the face on the top of the canvas,
and not on the under side, as is done in shawl weaving. As this would require.
a complete change, i. e., inversion of the reading and puncturing of the cards,
I attain the same object by an alteration in the mechanism, and which is more
easily effected. This is done by simply turning the hooks about on themselves
in the opposite direction, so that the hook ends, instead of being turned towards
the card barrel, are turned towards the spring-box; all the hooks being thus
placed, and the card barrel pressing against the needle board, all the hooks read
for or punctured on the card will remain down, and the others will lift. A
corresponding change is made in the position of the grif or leash box, it having
: to be turned round horizontally as the edges of the leashes have to act on the
opposite side to what they generally do; also the slides for the grif have to be
put laterally in the proper position for working. Owing to this arrangement, it
will be seen that for the bell indicating a change of.color each card has to be
punctured with the corresponding hole, except when there is a change of color.

page_text: As to the cords indicating which color has to be shot (called "pantius"), the
only alteration resulting from the above arrangement is, that the cord of the
color to be shot will remain down whilst all the others will rise. The canvas.
ground may be obtained by the jacquard, but it will be more convenient to work
the canvas shed by two separate heddles. The heddle threads-for-the-canvas
are to have large loops, so that they need not be lifted or lowered for picking
the figured weft. It would be preferable to confine each, warp thread between
the loops of a double heddle thread, because knots are very liable to catch the
binding warp threads. For the binding warp two, three, four, or more heddles
may be used, but I prefer only to employ two heddles.
canvas.
I shall now proceed to describe my improvements as applied to the double
threaded canvas, represented on a magnified scale at Fig. 1 of the annexed
Sheet of Drawings, where a represents the warp threads, and b, the weft-
threads; but I wish it to be distinctly understood that my improvement is
equally applicable, with slight modifications, to any other kind of embroidery
As to the cording, each cord allotted to the canvas ground is made to
raise two canvas warp threads, either by passing two threads through the same:
eye, or by using a two-branch cord, with an eye on each branch. The first
double cord is passed through the holy board, the next hole is left for the
binding warp to be corded subsequently, and so on, to the end, the ground and
binding cords alternating. In order to effect the binding on the right and left
side two hooks would be sufficient, but in that case there would be too many
cords on each hook. In order to distribute the cords over a larger number of
hooks, I take from two up to 40 hooks, according to the kind of work; in the
present case, however, I only use four hooks for the binding. I cord the first
hook after the two cords for the canvas ground, the second binding hook after
the second ground hook, and the two others in the same way; I then begin
again, by taking cords from the four hooks for binding warp, and these cords'
correspond by fours to the ground cords, as will be seen from Fig. 2 of the
annexed Drawing. The drawing into the heddles is done in the same way as
the.cording, beginning-on-the-right-hand, viz: 1st thread in the first canvas
ground heddle; 2d thread in the second canvas ground heddle; 3d thread
in the first binding heddle; 4th thread in the 1st canvas ground heddle; 5th
thread in the 2d canvas ground heddle; 6th thread in the 2d binding heddle,
and so on.
The reed is to have strong dents, so as to separate the warp threads suffi-
ciently for producing the square openings of-the canvas.. There are 2 ends in
a split of dents; the next split has one end binding warp, and so on.
Fig.3 represents a draught and shed pattern which may be used. A,B,

page_text: C, D, indicate the four treadles, and the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, the order
in which they act. The 1st shed C is for the first pick of the canvas ground;
2d shed A, for the first figuring pick or shoot, or course or set of coloured
picks or shoots; 3d shed D, for. the second pick of canvas ground; 4th shed C,
for the first pick of canvas ground; 5th shed B, for the second course of
figuring picks; and 6th shed D, for the second canvas pick.
Instead of the draught and shed pattern, shewn at Fig. 3, I also use sonie-
times the one represented at Fig. 4, which will be readily understood by any
practical weaver.
The figuring picks in all these patterns, being between the two picks of the
canvas ground, must be well beaten up, so that the two canvas picks touch
each other, or nearly so, and leave the spaces c, c, Fig. 1, for the embroidery
stitches.
If the two binding heddles are dispensed with, holes in the cards have to be
added to those of the design, for the purpose of causing the four hooks of the
binding warp to act thus:-For first pick or course of figuring picks, 1st &
3d binding hook; for second pick or set of figuring picks, 2d & 4th binding
hooks, and so on; all the odd picks like 1 and 3, and all the even picks like 2
and 4, so as to interweave the binding warp with each of the sets of figuring
shoots in the manner of a canvas ground. If a greater number of hooks
be taken for the binding warp, for instance, 20, the reading will be the same
as shewn for four, i. e., the odd hooks will be punctured for on all cards for odd
picks, and the even hooks will be punctured for on all eards for even picks or
courses. By dispensing with the binding heddles the draught pattern is
reduced to the one shewn at Fig. 5, and the weaving process then consists,
firstly, in picking a shoot for canvas ground by acting on the treadle A;
secondly, picking the figuring shoots; thirdly, picking the second canvas shoot
by means of treadle B.
Since the figuring weft may be bound on the face and back in a variety of
ways, I shall indicate some of these modes for which heddles are used. The
cords may be mounted as above described, the hooks for the binding warp being
dispensed with, as the same is passed into heddles in the following manner :-
Instead of hanging on each hook a two-branch cord with one warp thread
through the eye of each branch, I pass through the eye of one of the branches
the two canvas warp threads, and through the eye of the other two or three
binding threads; taking two binding threads through each eye will require six
heddles, two of which are for the ground and four for the binding. The warp
is then drawn through the heddles, in the following manner :-The thread is
passed from the eye of the first branch of the cord hung on the 1st hook

page_text: through the 1st and 2d ground heddle; the thread passing through the 2d eye
of the double cord hung on the 1st hook is passed through the 1st and 2d
binding heddle; the thread passing through the 1st eye of the 2d hook is
passed through the 1st & 2d ground heddle; the thread passing through the
2d eye of the 2d cord or hook is passed through the 3d and 4th binding
heddle, and so on for all the others. The warp is passed through the reed as
follows: One dent with 2 canvas warp ends; and the next, 2 binding warp
ends, and so on, to the end. Fig. 6 represents two draught and shed patterns,
No. 1 & No. 2, which may either of them be used for this purpose. With
three threads in each eye the drawing in will be the same, except for the
binding threads, being three in a heddle thread. For this combination
there are five heddles required, viz., two for the ground and three for the
binding. In order to afford the means of applying this pattern, I have shewn
on the annexed Sheet of Drawings two draughts and cording, No. 1 & No. 2;
Fig. 7.
The same tic-up, viz., three binding threads for each eye, may also be applied
to the two draught and cording patterns, No. 1 & No. 2, Fig. 8. There are
eight heddles to be used in this case, viz., two for the canvas ground and six for
the binding. The warp is to be drawn into the heddles as shewn at Fig. 8.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the various modes
in which my the same is or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood
that I do not confine myself to the patterns shewn above, as the same may be
varied indefinitely without departing from the principle of this Invention; but
what I claim as novel, and to be secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent, is, the application of figuring or coloured weft to any
kind of embroidery canvas.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Louis Felix Tiret, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of October, in the year of our
Land 105A
G. L. FX TIRET. (L.S.)