IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING THE END BORDERS OF RUGS AND MATS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robertson Clews, of Dundee, in the County of
Forfar, North Britain, Manager to the Firm of Messrs. Fairweather
& Chalmers, of the same Place, Manufacturers, for the Invention
Ten BeanDe o RuaG AND MATO”
Sealed the 10th October 1872, and dated the 27th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robertson Clews at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th April 1872.
I, ROBERTSON CLEWS, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North
Britain, Manager to the Firm of Messrs. Fairweather & Chalmers, of
the same Place, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING THE END BORDERS OF RUGS AND
MATS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention, which relates to weaving rugs or mats such as are
used for covering portions of a floor, has for its object to weave the
end portions of the border surrounding the mats in a new or improved
manner.

page_text: The Invention is carried into practice by arranging those cards of the
jacquard machine which come into operation during the time the end
borders are woven to shed the central part of the warp, or that across
which the end borders have to be woven, so that a shuttle carrying weft
of the colour of the warp shewn in the borders at the sides of the mat or
rug runs through that portion of the warp only, and in returning back-
wards and forwards forms two selvedges at each side of this portion of
the warp, that is to say, within the body of the cloth. The portions
of the side borders which join with the end borders are woven by the
same weft which runs throughout the body of the fabric, and the same
weft is also crossed through the end border itself in alternate or other
order of succession with the weft which crosses through the end border
only, and this weft which passes through both the sides and middle
portions of the end border joins the two portions together at the selvedges
of the central portion. It is further to be understood that those portions
of the warp shown on the surface at the central portion of the mat or
rug are kept below at the end borders where the pattern is shown by
the warp.
Another arrangement under which the same object may be effected
consists in shedding the portions of the warp across which the border
has to be produced, so that the body warps are kept below at theso
portions, and the end border is produced continuously with the side
border by weft only,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robertson Clews in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERTSON
CLEws, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain, Manager to
the Firm of Messrs. Fairweather and Chalmers, of the same Place,
Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patont, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
35th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, ller heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto me, the said Robertson Clews, Her special license
that I, the said Robertson Clews, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Robertson Clews, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
3 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 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEAVING THE END BORDERS OF RUGS AND MATS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robertson Clews, by an instrument
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 Robertson Clews, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say :-
My said Invention, which relates to weaving rugs or mats such as
are used for covering portions of a floor, has for its object to weave the
end portions of the border surrounding the mat in a new or improved
manner.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood,
I now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, that is to say :—
On the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, Figure 1, shews a corner
portion of a mat or rug woven in accordance with this Invention.
In weaving mats or rugs under this system the cards of the jacquard
machine which come into operation during the time the end borders
are being woven, are so arranged as to shed the central portion A of the
warp, that is the portion across which the end borders B are woven, so
that a shuttle carrying weft of the colour of the warp shewn in the
|borders C at the sides of the mat or rug runs through and shows at the

page_text: upper surface of this portion only of the warp so shedded by the cards,
which operate during the time the end borders B are being woven, and
such shuttle in returning backwards and forwards forms selvedges at
each side of the shedded portion of the warp, that is to say, within the
body of the cloth itself, as is shewn at D, Figure 1. Thus, for example,
supposing the colour shewn on the surface at the central portion ▲ of
the fabric to be crimson, and that at the side borders C green, as marked
on the Figure referred to, when it is desired to weave the end borders B,
the warp is so shedded that the crimson portion is kept under, and a
shuttle carrying green weft is shot backwards and forwards through the
warp until the required breadth of border has been woven, so that by
this means the end borders B are woven with weft of a colour similar
to that of the warp of the side borders C. The portions E of the side
borders which join with the selvedges of the end borders B are woven
by the same weft which runs throughout the body of the fabric, and
which weft is also carried through the end borders themselves in alter-
nate or other order of succession with the weft which crosses the end
borders only, thereby effecting the joint between the side and end
borders and forming them into one continuous border surrounding the
mat or rug; and the said border may either be woven plain, that is with
one colour, or any desired pattern may be produced on the end borders
of the mat or rug corresponding to a pattern produced in the usual
manner on the side borders, by causing to appear on the surface of the
end borders weft of a similar colour to that of the warp, or warp and
weft constituting the pattern on the side borders. In addition to the
border B, C, herein-before described, the mat or rug may or may not be
woven with strips or bands of different colours or patterns arranged
round the said border.
On Figure 1 strips or bands F and G respectively of different colours
are inserted between the central portion A and the border C; at the
sides of the fabric and previous to weaving the end portions of these
strips or bands by shuttles containing weft of corresponding colours to
the warp of which the side strips are woven, the central portion A of
the warp is so shedded that the crimson warp is kept under as herein-
before set forth. The warp threads of the side strips F and G are not,
however, kept under until the end portions of the said strips have been
woven, that is to say, the side strips extend to the outer edges of the
end strips, and are then shedded so as to be kept under the border B.

page_text: It is to be here understood that the portion A of the central warp is so
shedded as to be kept under the border B, and also the strips F and G
both at the ends and sides are continued outwards at the under side of
the said border B, where the pattern is shewn by the weft, and appear
on the under side to the outer edges of the fabric. Strips H and 1 are,
on the portion of a mat or rug, illustrated at Figure 1, shewn similarly
woven at the outer edges of the border B, C. The whole border of the
mat or rug may be woven in the manner employed to weave the strips
F, G, H, and I, that is to say, the portions of the warp across which the
end borders are woven may be so shedded that the coloured body warps
are kept below at these portions and the end border produced con-
tinuously by weft only, and which is passed across the whole fabric in
lieu of being woven across the end borders merely as herein. before
described in reference to the end border B, Figure 1; so that in lieu of
weaving the end borders with a separate weft of the colour of the warp
of the side borders, and interweaving the ordinary weft of the body of
the fabric therewith in alternate or other order of succession as herein-
before set forth, the end borders are woven through the shedded portion
of the central warp by weft extending from one side of the fabric to the
other side, and which weft is coloured to correspond to the colours of
the warp in the side borders.
Figure 2 of the Drawings shews one corner of a mat or rug woven in
this manner, and on which the border is illustrated as composed of a
number of differently coloured strips as marked on the Drawings. Sup-
posing the colour shewn on the surface at the central portion A of the
mat or rug to be yellow when it is desired to weave the end strips of
the border the central warp A is so shedded that the yellow warp is
placed under and a shuttle containing weft of the colour of the warp in
the strip B nearest to the central portion A is shot across the fabric
backwards and forwards until the desired breadth of strip has been
produced. The warps of the side strips B corresponding to the end
strips just woven are then so shedded that they appear on the under
side of the fabric, and a shuttle containing weft of the colour of the
next side strip C is then shot across the fabric backwards and forwards
> until the necessary breadth of strip has been produced, after which the
warp constituting the side strips C is so shedded that the coloured
portion is kept at the under side of the fabric, and a shuttle containing
weft of the colour of the warp in the next side strip D is shot across the

page_text: fabric, and so on until the desired breadth of border has been woven.
It is to be here understood that the wefts of the different coloured strips
constituting the end border do not appear on the surface until they
come within the inner edges of the side strips corresponding in colour,
and the side strips are carried out to the outer edges of the end strips
before being shedded so as to be kept at the under side of the fabric,
thus the weft for the end strip B' passes under the side strips B, C, D, E,
F, G, II, I, and J, befor appearing on the upper surface of the fabric,
and so on, each succeeding end strip passing under a side strip less in
number by one than the preceding end strip until the necessary number
of strips have been woven to produce the breadth of border desired. It
is further to be understood that this system of weaving the end borders
of mats or rugs, and also the system herein-before described, are appli-
cable to weaving end borders with figures or patterns different from
those herein-before referred to and shewn on the Drawings hereunto
appended, and that in place of shedding the warp by the jacquard only
that may be effected by the jacquard and heddles jointly or by heddles
alone.
This Invention is applicable for weaving in jute, flax, hemp, wool,
and other materials.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, I would observe
in conclusion that what I consider novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is, the weaving of the end borders of rugs and mats so
as to produce them continuous with the side borders in the manner
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robertson Clews, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-two.