_Making Frills in the Middle of Goods—Woven Shirred Effects—Novel
Decoration at Edge of Fancy Frills—Lappet Weaving on Elastic Fabrics
Affords Opportunity for Elaboration at Small Cost—Production of Pearl
Edge—Special Fancy Drafts_
Woven elastic fabrics are open to many forms of elaboration that are not
possible in non-elastic weaving. We have already made mention of the
frills woven at the outer edges of the goods, formed by the fluting of
non-elastic sections produced by the contraction of the center part. This
same effect may also be used in the center of the goods. To accomplish
this it becomes necessary to employ a distinct set of harnesses to
operate each half of the web, together with additional harnesses on which
the frill sections are drawn in.
The chain draft is arranged so that the shuttle is made to pass through
one-half of the web and a half section of the frill, and then return. The
shuttle then passes through the other half section of body and frill. The
operation is repeated continuously. Fig. 1 shows a sample of web in which
the frill is brought up for a distance and then buried inside the goods
for a short section. Fig. 1A gives the harness and chain draft.
[Illustration: Fig. 1.—Web With Center Frill]
[Illustration: Fig. 2.—Fancy Figure With Seersucker Center]
The weave used for producing a frill may also be used in the center of
the main body; it then produces a seersucker effect. At Fig. 2 there will
be seen an example of this, in combination with a figure on either side
of the seersucker, the figure part being bordered with a regular frill.
The insertion of this seersucker section lessens the number of rubber
strands used in the whole, and it therefore will be found advisable
to use a somewhat heavier size of rubber in the remaining cords to
compensate for this. The harness and chain draft for Fig. 2 are given at
Fig. 2A.
WOVEN SHIRRED EFFECT
Another example of an effective form of fancy elastic weaving may be
seen at Fig. 3, where the center or rubber part of the web is made to
imitate a shirred effect. In the regular method of shirring a piece of
plain elastic web is used, under tension, and is passed through a sewing
machine where a wider piece of ribbon or some other light non-elastic
material is stitched to it by a series of needles running side by side.
When the web contracts, upon being released from tension, the non-elastic
part forms in a regular fluting on the face of the web. At the same time
the remainder of the wider non-elastic section frills up on either side
of the elastic part.
[Illustration: Fig. 1A.—Harness and Chain Draft for Fig. 1]
[Illustration: Fig. 2A.—Harness and Chain Draft for Fig. 2]
The method of producing this effect direct upon the loom is done by an
interchange of weaves, first making a short section of single cloth
and then changing to a short section of double cloth weave. There being
no binder warp employed to knit the upper and lower cloths together,
the strands of rubber will lie between the two cloths so formed. Upon
the contraction of these strands of rubber the outer cloths are thrown
out, and appear as flutings on the web, while the side sections in which
there is no rubber will complete the frill effect. This woven method has
in it the advantage of making both sides of the web alike, whereas in
the stitched shirring the back of the goods is not so presentable and
unfits it for many uses. It also eliminates the added expense of labor in
assembling the different parts.
NOVEL DECORATION AT EDGES
A novel form of decoration is seen at the extreme edge of the fancy frill
at Fig. 4. This may be produced by what is known as the draw-in method.
This effect was formerly produced by the use of additional banks of
shuttles in a rise and fall lay, but is now made by using two threads of
cabled silk coming from spools, these threads being worked by the harness
the same as a warp. They are very lightly delivered by a delicately
adjusted return spring arrangement. The threads are operated on a special
harness, being passed through the harness eyes outside of all the other
warp stock, and then through a dent in the front reed as far away from
the other stock as is desirable to form the size of the loop required.
[Illustration: Fig. 3.—Woven Shirred Effect]
[Illustration: Fig. 4.—Novel Edge Decoration]
The harness used for these threads stands still a given number of picks,
and at regular intervals is brought down so that the draw-in thread comes
in contact with the shuttle filling, which then passes around it. As the
shuttle returns through the open shed, the filling or weft pulls the
easily running draw-in thread with it, until it comes in contact with
other warp threads, which the filling passes around, and so stops the
further progress of the draw-in thread into the shed. The thread at the
same time is carried around a wire which works in a dent next inside the
one in which the draw-in thread passes. Quite a variety of fancy effects
may be produced in this manner. Threads of different materials and colors
may be used and drawn across the face of the web at different points, and
selvages of a distinctly different color and character to the body of the
goods may be made.
LAPPET WEAVING
Lappet weaving on elastic fabrics is a method which has not been
extensively used, probably on account of the limitations of design
obtainable by this style of weaving. Nevertheless, it affords opportunity
for considerable elaboration at a very small cost. The loom attachment
which permits the making of these patterns, which are somewhat similar
to embroidery, is known as the lappet motion. Wherever it has been used
it has been found to be serviceable. It can be attached either to a
plain loom or a fancy loom. It is a system of levers operated by a chain
composed of different sized balls, arranged according to the pattern
desired.
On the loom lay are one or two slides running the full length of the lay,
which are moved laterally by the different sized chain balls. They can
also be raised and lowered as required by the design. Both these slides
have generally three needles for each suspender web, which are spaced at
equal distances apart, one or all of which may be threaded and used. When
slides are lowered into the web, the shuttle filling or weft passes over
the yarn which is carried in the needle eyes and binds it into the cloth.
Then by moving the slides backward and forward for succeeding picks, and
each time binding the thread into the cloth, the various lappet patterns
are produced.
[Illustration: Fig. 5.—Lappet Weaving]
[Illustration: Fig. 6.—Broken Effect on Silk Frill]
The figures are mostly irregular trailing patterns, as shown at Fig.
5, and well adapted to narrow goods. Dots of different sizes and in
different positions may also be made, but it is not practical to get the
finely finished lines which can be obtained from other methods where
there is positive control of any particular warp threads or group of
threads, as for instance in jacquards and overshots.
The sliding bar of the lappet motion may vary slightly in its movements
so that the needles will not always pierce through at exactly the same
points at each repeat of the pattern, although the general design will be
maintained. The threads which feed the needles should be of good clear
ply material, free from slubs and irregularities, so that they will pass
freely through the needle eyes, and they should have enough turns to
enable them to withstand the friction resulting from the backward and
forward sliding movements of the lay passages. The yarn must be delivered
from independent spools, which work with perfect freedom, and measures
should be taken to control the stock by the use of delicate springs.
The material used for the lappet figure is perhaps best run from grooved
spools which are so weighted that they feed easily through the needles at
every forward movement of the lay.
PEARL EDGE
An effective and inexpensive method of elaborating a silk frill is found
in what is known as the pearl edge. This adds much to the richness of the
goods, besides giving the appearance of greater width at slight increase
of cost. The pearl edge is produced by a series of fine steel edge wires,
which are carried in separate dents of the front reed outside of the
frill itself. Each wire is operated by a special harness which brings it
into the weaving lines as desired, so that the filling may pass around
it and make pearl loops at these particular places. It will be found
necessary to use hard steel dents in the front reed to work the wires in,
otherwise the dents will soon be cut from the constant wear of the wires.
A silk frill may also be much enriched by special fancy drafts. These
allow for the operation of groups of threads so that the filling passes
over and under them and show up the luster of the silk filling in blocks
contrasting with the more plainly woven parts. An example of this is
shown at Fig. 6.