Improved Woven Fabric.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Woven Fabric.
A communication from ARTHUR GEBLER, of Bretnig, Saxony, Germany,
Manufacturer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do 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 fabric according to this invention, which may be appropriately called stiff
crape, is intended to be a cheap (and in some respects superior) substitute for horse
hair fabric, and for fabrics hitherto used for similar purposes such as stiffening or
living linen. The fabric according to this invention can be more easily and agreeably
worked with needle and thread, than horse hair fabric. A less skilled or experienced
tailor can produce an irreproachable coat much more easily by its use than with
horse hair fabric. Amongst the advantages of the new fabric over ordinary
stiffening fabrics are that the latter fabrics are stiff, but not elastically flexible,
the good shape of the article of dress is not produced by their elasticity but by
rigidity, and this rigidity is lost when the garment becomes wet-even through
perspiration, or after prolonged use, owing to strain or the pressure or weight of
superposed articles of dress, an overcoat for instance. The case of the new fabric is
just the reverse. The ordinary stiffening fabrics are, moreover unattractively rigid
and do not follow the movements of the covering fabric, whereas the new fabric may
be twisted and turned in its own plane and consequently yields to the covering
fabric, but at the same time possesses the valuable property of elastically returning
into its original position as soon as the strain ceases. It must be also pointed out
that it is extremely porous and light.
These properties are produced (apart from suitable finishing) by the special
method of weaving illustrated in the accompanying drawing. The fabric
is made of two layers, woven in the ordinary manner, woven together in such
manner that both the layers (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) alternate with each other in the
manner of a chess-board on each 4 and 4 threads, or in other words, they exchange
their position so that each layer (see I and II) alternately comes to the top or
bottom. Both the warp and weft threads are linen threads or similar hard and stiff
material.
Fig. 1 is a diagram of a simple fabric.
Fig. 2 is a complete diagram of the manner of weaving of the new fabric. In
Figs. 2, 3, 4 the warp threads are indicated by the letters A to H and the weft
threads by a to h. It will be seen that Fig. 1 is only a foundation for Fig. 2. The
alternation or the displacement of separate fields (see I and I also II and II Fig. 2)
is arranged in such manner that a quarter of a complete design (I and II in
Figs. 2, 3 and 4) always has the reverse position of threads-see for instance,
E, F, G and H in II compared to the quarter diagonally opposite it-see A, B, C
and D in II. This arrangement renders the fabric elastically movable in its own
plane and imparts to it a crape like appearance.

page_text: Fig. 3 shows the arrangement of thread in the fabric on an enlarged scale, and
Fig. 4 is a cross section showing the weft threads of a portion representing a
complete design. The warp threads marked X in Figs. 1 and 2 are shown cross
hatched in Figs. 3 and 4 and those cross hatched in those figs. are in the latter
figures shown full or plane. Although in the drawings and in the description the
position of threads is said to alternate on 4 and 4 threads, it could be done on 6
and 6 threads without departing from the spirit of this invention.
The new fabric may be produced on hand weaving looms operated by means
of levers or on power looms or on any other suitable machines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A woven fabric of linen or similar material particularly applicable for stiffening
for articles of dress, characterised by two layers, woven like ordinary fabric,
alternating on 4 and 4 or on 6 and 6 threads in the manner of a chess-board, so that
the parts diagonally opposite-as I and I and II and 11' Figs. 2, 3 and 4-always
have reverse positions of threads.
2. A woven fabric in which the warp and weft threads are interwoven as
described and illustrated in Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 7th day of November 1898.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.