IN figured fabrics it is most important that the distribution of the parts of the figure should be such that the eye is not attracted by lines formed by the unequal distribution of the figure. The objectionable feature is most likely to occur in designs of an all-over character, as it is almost impossible to tell if the distribution is perfect without extending the design to cover a considerable space.

In designs which consist of set or detached figures, it is a comparatively easy matter to cover the surface of the fabric equally by distributing the figures in some pre-arranged order. The simplest method of arranging detached figures is to arrange them “one and one,” as in Fig. 375. This is a small spot arranged from two points on twelve ends and twelve picks, and the same principle will apply whatever the size of the figure. The space to be covered, twelve ends and twelve picks, is divided into two, both in warp and weft, and it will be noticed that the central dot in each spot is in the same position in each square of 6 × 6.

In designs of a floral character the two figures are generally turned in different directions, and if the centres of the figures be properly placed they may be turned in any direction, and still preserve the equal distribution. Detached figures may be arranged in the order of any satin, but the regular satins show the figures too much in lines, and the system is not much practised on that account. Irregular satins give much better effects. Fig. 376 is a design consisting of six spots arranged in six-end satin order, on thirty ends and thirty picks; the ground being five-end satin. In making the design the space to be covered is divided into six parts, both in warp and weft, by the crosses at the corners of the squares.

The squares are numbered at the side in the order of the satin, viz. 1, 3, 5, 2, 6, 4, and the first spot is placed in the left-hand bottom corner, the central dot of the spot being placed in the centre of its square. The next figure is placed in the third square, on the second five picks, the central dot again being placed in the middle of the square. The third spot is placed in the fifth square, on the third division of the picks; and so on, until the six figures have been placed on the thirty ends and picks.

If the central dot is always placed in the correct position in each division, the figures may be turned round or placed in any direction.

The ground weave is a five-end satin, and care must always be taken, in designing, that the ends and picks in the pattern are a multiple of the ends and picks in the ground weave, or there will occur a broken pattern at the joining of each “repeat.”

Fig. 377 is a small spot arranged in the order of a regular eight-end satin on sixteen ends and sixteen picks. In making this design the sixteen ends and picks divided into eight will give only two ends and picks for each division, so that if the central dot of the first spot is placed on the third pick, the centre of the next spot will come on the fifth pick, and so on.

As previously stated, when set figures are distributed in regular satin order a stiff appearance is given to the design by the figures showing in lines. It is therefore necessary to get some irregular order as a basis to work upon, which will distribute the parts of the figure equally, and give a mixed up appearance. A design based upon an irregular eight-end plan is given at Fig. 378. The irregular satin upon which it is based is given at Fig. 379. The method of constructing the design is precisely the same as in the previous examples; the space to be covered is divided into eight parts in each direction, and the figures are arranged in the same order as the dots in Fig. 379. If ten spots or figures are to be arranged in a design, an irregular ten-end satin may be used. In arranging the order care must be taken to have the dots evenly distributed.

Transferring from Sketch to Point Paper.—In transferring a design from the sketch to point paper, it is usual to rule the sketch into small squares, each square to represent sixteen or twenty-four ends and picks, and to mark the point paper into squares of this number of ends and picks. The outline of the sketch is then drawn on the point paper; the squares into which the sketch and point paper have been divided render it a simple matter to enlarge the sketch and preserve the proportions of the various parts of the design. If the sketch measures four inches for one repeat of the pattern, and the design is to be made on 400 ends, and say 500 picks, on 8 × 8 point paper, the sketch may be ruled with lead pencil into twenty-five parts in the warp, and the same number of parts in the direction of the weft. The point paper would then require to be divided into spaces of sixteen ends and twenty picks.

40025=16ends 50025=20picks

Development of the Pattern.—When the outline of the figure has been drawn on the point paper, it may be coloured in. This is done by going over the line carefully and filling in all the squares that the outline passes through. If the ground of the fabric is to be plain, the outline of the figure must be kept plain—that is, it must move an odd number of threads each time, so that the plain ground may be carried up to the figure without spoiling it.

If a solid weft figure is required on a warp satin ground the figure may be coloured all over with, say, red paint, and the developing dots be put on in blue or other colour; but if much shading or fancy treatment is required, it is more convenient to develop the figure in one colour, as in Fig. 380. Some designers colour the ground with red, and put the satin or other dots over this in another colour, leaving the figure white, and then develop the figure by putting on the required red dots to lift the warp for shading or binding.

This method is advantageous where there is more figure than ground, which is often the case; but, as a general rule, the figure is coloured with red, and the binding dots of the ground in the same colour, another colour being used for the binding of the figure when required.

Fig. 380 illustrates the principle of developing a weft figure on a warp satin ground by shading from warp to weft.

The outline of the figure is first sketched on the point paper, and then the whole is covered with the satin dots. By adding single dots where required any degree of light and shade can be obtained. It is best to add the dots all to the same side of the float, and, as a rule, it is most convenient to add them singly. The effect is obtained by gradually increasing the float from one to seven, and thus there are seven degrees of light and shade between the two opposite eight-thread satins.

Fig. 381 will illustrate the principle of shading more perfectly. This is a small stripe of shaded eight-end satin. The space to be shaded is divided into seven equal parts of five threads each, as there are seven changes to be made. The first five ends are left as they are, and a dot is added to each one in the second division, two dots are added to each in the third division, and so on, until the float of seven is reached at the right-hand side of the stripe.

In a five-shaft satin there are only four possible changes, and therefore this is not of much use for figured design in cotton goods. The larger satins, such as eight, ten, and twelve-shaft satins, are most useful for this purpose.

Twills may be shaded in the same manner as satins by gradually adding to the float of a warp twill until a weft twill is reached.

Satin figures are somewhat flat and indistinct when woven with grey warp and weft, and therefore in cotton fabrics the figures are more often developed in twill or fancy weaves of a bold character, unless coloured yarns are used. The best effect is obtained when a number of different weaves are employed in developing a design; the variety in itself prevents any appearance of flatness, which a design developed entirely in satin or twill possesses, and the weaves may be selected so as to suggest the beauties of the flower, leaf, or other object which forms the basis of the design.

The object of the designer need not be to render a direct imitation of nature; but there is no reason why a textile designer should not use the power at his disposal of suggesting the surface appearance, or the beauties, or characteristics of the object which forms the subject of the design.

A portion of a design developed in a variety of weaves is given at Fig. 382. The combination of the solid weft mixed fancy weaves gives a good effect.

In designs of the more conventional kind the outline of the figure may be solid weft float, and the inside any other weave that fancy may suggest.

If the figures are formed from extra warp or weft, the same principles of development will apply. Any variety of light and shade can be obtained, and bold effects may be produced by twilling, or subdued effects by interweaving the threads more closely and in satin order.

Sizes of Patterns, and Casting Out.—The Jacquard machine most generally used in the cotton trade is a 400’s, which weaves a design made on 400 ends or warp threads in a “repeat.” If the harness is tied up to the 400 neck cords, and the warp drawn through every mail in the harness, the designs made for this loom must either be on 400 ends or on a number of ends which is a measure of 400. Thus a 400’s harness will weave the following sizes of patterns:—

If it is required to make a design with three patterns to the four hundred ends, the design must be made three times over, two patterns occupying 133 ends each, and the other pattern occupying 134 ends to make up the 400 ends.

A design six patterns to the four hundred may be made by designing four patterns on sixty-seven ends each and two patterns on sixty-six ends each, and other sizes not exactly divisible into the four hundred may be made to come in on the same principle.

In designing for Jacquard weaving care must be taken that the ground weave will divide exactly into the number of ends in the harness, otherwise the pattern will be broken. Sometimes the figure will allow of the ground being broken at some point or other without the break being visible. Such opportunity occurs where the ground narrows down to a fine point; but in ordinary cases, where it is necessary to make a design with a ground weave repeating on a number not a measure of 400, some of the mails must be “cast-out.”

For example, if the ground weave is required to be a 12 × 12 honeycomb, as it will not divide equally into 400, but will divide into 396, the design may be made on this number, and four mails in the harness left empty.

Casting out is also resorted to when it is required to reduce the fineness of the reed. For instance, if one-eighth of a 400’s harness be cast out, there will be 50 ends less per pattern, and if the pattern measures four inches, the reed would be reduced from a 100’s to an 87’s.

If several rows are cast out, it is best to leave them out in two places; usually one-half is left out in the first half of the machine, and the remainder in the second half.

In designing for a machine which is “cast out,” it is necessary to know in which part of the machine the ends are cast out, so that the design may be made to tie up properly, and that proper instructions may be given to the card-cutter.

Striped Designs.—Striped fabrics are always largely made for dress goods and other purposes. An endless variety of styles may be made by combining stripes of any two contrasting weaves. If the weaves are combined for dobby weaving, care must be taken that too many shafts are not required for the value of the effect obtained, but if intended for Jacquard weaving, the stripes may be figured as desired.

Some of the most effective combined styles are made of satin and leno in various forms and proportions. If for dobby weaving, the designs may be spotted to come in on a reasonable number of shafts, but if for the Jacquard, the satin is figured. The satin stripes are usually crammed—that is, there are more ends in each dent of the reed in the satin than in the other part of the fabric. Fig. 383 is a stripe design, composed of alternate stripes of figured satin and “5 and 1” lace or mock leno. The reeding plan for this fabric will be as follows:—

Reeding Plan for Fig. 383.

This system of reeding the open work is the best for obtaining an open effect, as pointed out in a previous chapter. Twenty-five dents are occupied in reeding each pattern of seventy-one ends, and assuming the harness to have one hundred threads per inch, the reed required to keep the cloth the same width in the reed as in the harness will be—

71:10025:35·2 dents per inch.

The reed required is one with 35·2 dents per inch, or a 70’s “Stockport” reed would be used. This calculation is for a complete number of patterns, and does not allow anything for balancing the piece by having a satin stripe at both sides, as is often the case.

In figured stripe designs the general effect is much improved by placing the figure in different positions on each stripe in the 400 ends. If there are four figured stripes in the 400 ends, and the figure repeats on 100 picks, the figure may be placed in four different positions, moving twenty-five picks each time, in which case it would have to be designed on 400 ends; or in two different positions, in which case it would be designed on 200 ends. The object of this distribution is to prevent the figure appearing in rows across the piece.

Figured Diagonals.—As previously explained, striped designs are complete on the lowest number of picks into which all different weaves in the design will divide without remainder. In figured diagonals the design is complete on the first number that the diagonal and figure or figures counted diagonally will divide into without remainder. Thus, in Fig. 384 the design is complete on 48 picks, because the diagonal repeats on 24 picks and the figure repeats on 16 picks, and the L.C.M. of 24 and 16 is 48; therefore this is the number of picks to which the design must be carried before it is complete.

Selection of Point Paper.—Point paper is divided into small squares to represent the ends and picks, and if the designs are for a 300’s or 400’s Jacquard a thick line is required every eight in the warp direction to mark off the number of rows of eight needles in the machine. In 100’s Jacquards the needles are placed in 25 rows of four needles in a row; in 200’s the needles are in 25 rows of eight needles, in 400’s there are 50 rows of eight needles, and in 600’s there are twelve needles in a row. The design on point paper must be divided by a thick line to mark off the number of needles in a row; in a 400’s machine this is always eight, in 600’s machines it is always twelve.

If the paper has a thick line every eight in the picks as well as in the warp it is called “8 × 8,” and a design made on this paper will be proportionately the same if woven into cloth with the same number of ends as picks per inch.

If it is desired to make a design for a fabric with 96 ends per inch and 60 picks per inch for a machine with eight needles in a row, the paper required to keep the figure of the same proportions as it will appear in the cloth will be 8 × 5.

96:608:5

If the design is intended for a 600’s machine, the paper must be 12 × (x). If the cloth is to have 96 ends per inch and 120 picks per inch in a 600’s machine, the paper required would be 12 × 15.

96:12012:15

In selecting paper for a figured crammed stripe design, a rather more complicated calculation is necessary. It is necessary to obtain the number of ends per inch in the figured stripe, thus:—If the satin is figured in a stripe

146:10049:3382146 dents per inch, or a 67 reed.

If the reed used is one with 33½ dents per inch and the satin is four ends in a dent, there will be 33½ × 4 = 134 ends per inch in the satin; and if there are to be 100 picks per inch in the cloth, the paper required to keep the figure proportionate would be for a 400’s machine, 134:1008:6 (nearly).

Therefore the paper required is 8 × 6.

It is not at all necessary to use point paper ruled exactly in proportion to the warp and weft, as the design can easily be elongated or otherwise. It is only necessary to rule the sketch into squares, representing a certain number of ends and picks, and to mark off the point paper accordingly.

Designs for Split Harness.—In designing for the split harness, Fig. 124, no ground dots are required on the design, as the shafts under the comber-board which are lifted by the spare hooks weave the ground pattern. The design is simply coloured in, and the binding dots put on the figure only.

In a double-scale split harness every hook lifted takes up two ends, and thus the bindings in the figure will appear in twos, and will therefore appear rather coarse. In the ground every end is woven separately by the shafts, and these will require to be lifted to give the required ground weave. All that is required, therefore, is to put the lifting dots on the point paper in the position required to operate the hooks which lift the shafts. Except for the limit with regard to the ground weave, designs for the split harness are prepared in the same manner as for an ordinary harness.

Pressure Harness Designs.—In designs for the pressure harness no binding dots are required on the point paper in either the figure or ground, as the shafts or “pressure healds” in front of the harness do all the binding.

This harness is chiefly used in fine goods. Several warp threads are drawn through each mail in the harness, and afterwards woven singly by the pressure healds in front.

The edges of the figure are stepped according to the number of ends in each mail.

The structure of a pressure harness damask fabric, woven six ends in a mail with eight shaft satin bindings, is shown at Fig. 385. Of course it is not necessary to make the design on point paper in this manner; all that is necessary is to sketch the figure and colour it in where the warp satin is required. All the binding is done by the pressure healds, as explained with Fig. 125.

Designs woven with this harness have always a flat appearance, but this is suitable for hangings, for which the harness is chiefly used.

A considerable number of weaves may be employed in binding the ground or figure. Any two weaves can be used in conjunction for the ground and figure which do not interfere with each other in the working.

In addition to simple satin and twill weaves, Figs. 386 and 387 can be used in conjunction, the figure being woven to either pattern. Fig. 388 will show that the two weaves do not interfere with each other—that is, an end is never required to be lifted and left down at the same time.

Figs. 389 and 390 can be used together, one forming the figure and the other the ground.

The best way of compiling weaves to give variety to pressure harness fabrics is to put the satin clots on paper first, and then to arrange a pattern to fit in the empty squares.

Designing for Edleston’s Harness.—When designing for the patent harness, illustrated at Fig. 129, the sketch is put on point paper in the ordinary manner, but it must be remembered in doing so that the figure when woven will be on double the number of ends which it apparently occupies on point paper.

If the spot shown at Fig. 391 is put on point paper and woven in this harness the effect shown at Fig. 392 will be obtained in the cloth. The number of ends between the spots would only be nine on paper to give the eighteen in the cloth.

It was pointed out in explaining the structure of this harness that a weft figure could not be put upon a warp ground, as it is obvious that not more than half the warp can be lifted at once, and the figure must therefore be obtained by leaving the warp down. The designs are confined to plain grounds, or weft figures may be thrown on weft satin grounds, and twill or cord grounds may with advantage be used. The method of putting eight-end satin on point paper is given at Fig. 130. The principle of putting on paper any weave possible on this harness will be understood by referring to the explanation given with the illustration of the harness.

Figured Lenos.—Some of the most beautiful of all fabrics are made with the leno harness, the combination of plain or floated figures with the open and firm leno ground giving a fabric which is both serviceable and effective. The structure of the harness has already been explained with Fig. 145, and it has been shown how “four and four” leno and a plain or floated weave can be combined.

The method of putting the design on point paper for a figured leno harness with 500 needles and 600 hooks (see Fig. 145) will be understood from Fig. 393. This is a small portion of a design which includes “four and four” leno, plain, and floated weft or warp. The solid squares show the crossing threads lifted by the ground harness, and the circles show the same ends lifted by the doup. There will thus be four ends in a dent and four picks in a shed in the leno, and when these are woven plain the contrast is very effective.

Two colours are necessary for putting the design on paper, and in cutting the cards from the design the solid squares in the leno portion will be cut opposite the third and fourth or seventh and eighth needles in the ground set, whilst the circles in the design which show where the doups are to be lifted will be cut opposite either the first or tenth row of needles. In a ground weave of this kind both doups are never lifted together, as the weave is easier when they are lifted separately.

Some beautiful striped designs are made by using thick whip threads to give a lace effect, and various fancy leno weaves can be made and employed for giving variety to the effect.

If there are more than four picks in a shed on the leno it is often necessary to lift one of the crossing ends when the standard ends are lifting in order to prevent the threads from “slipping” or “fraying.”

Fig. 394 will give a well-known two-doup effect, and other patterns may be devised quite easily, the power of the harness being practically unlimited.

Sometimes leno figures are woven on plain grounds, but the opposite is the general rule. Floated figures are not much used, as the contrast of the plain and leno is very effective, and is more serviceable than a loose figure.

A very fair imitation of a four in a dent figured leno can be made by using one doup stave in front of an ordinary Jacquard harness, and crossing one end under three. By lifting the doup every other pick a plain figure can be woven on the leno ground, one crossing three, on the principle explained with Fig. 144.

Toiletings.—In toilet quilts a raised plain figure is formed by an extra warp from a separate beam interweaving with the plain cloth where the ground of the design is required. Fig. 395 is a portion of a design for a cloth of this kind. Every third end is an “extra” end, and where the raised figure is required these ends are left down, but where the ground of the design is required the extra ends interweave with the plain cloth and bind it down. The tension of the extra warp causes the figure to stick up more than would otherwise be the case. The principle can be made to give innumerable effects by different methods of introducing the extra warp, but the ends must not be left out of the cloth for too long together, or they would be too loose at the back and would be likely to catch. Fig. 396 is a section showing the binding of the extra warp into the plain figuring cloth.

The principle is well adapted for the production of large figures such as are required on quilts and similar fabrics, owing to the fact that only one-third of the warp threads are required to pass through the Jacquard harness; the plain ends can be lifted by shafts.

In the better classes of toiletings two shuttles are used, and the extra ends are woven plain at the back instead of hanging loose. The principle is otherwise the same as in a one-shuttle toileting.

In some quilts a padding weft is inserted between the face and back cloth on the principle explained in Figs. 326–328. “Marseilles” quilts are made in this manner. Fig. 397 will show how a padded figure is formed, the dots represent the weft, and the principle of forming the figure is the same as in Figs. 326 and 328.

When the padding picks are being put in, the face cloth is all lifted, and the back cloth left down.

There are various other makes of quilts, of which the “Mitcheline” type is extensively manufactured. These fabrics are characterized by a raised figure of coarse texture upon a ground of comparatively fine texture. Fig. 398 shows how this is effected.

Two systems each of warp and weft are used, the warp being drawn in the harness and reed as follows:—

The order of picking is—

Two plain cloths are woven, one being white and the other brown, and these are made to change places so as to form the desired figure in the manner shown in Fig. 398.

The two cloths are bound together in both the figure and the ground. When the white cloth is at the top, as in the first part of Fig. 398, a ground pick is passed over a white face end under the float which follows, and the binding is perfectly hidden. When the brown cloth is at the top a white end is lifted, and as this is of a fine count and the brown warp threads are rather closely set to the reed, the binding is obscured.

A portion of a design of this weave is given at Fig. 399, the structure of which will repay careful study along with the section at Fig. 398.

Twilled cloths are sometimes used for figuring on this double cloth principle, and the binding can be much more easily effected, although the weave is more expensive than double plain, if the same firmness is desired. Fig. 400 is a section showing how the figure can be formed from two twill cloths, and how the binding can be best effected. The cloths in this example are of equal fineness.

Fig. 401 is a design for this fabric, showing a small portion of both ground and figure. The cloths are bound together once in every eight threads.

Figured Weft Pile Velvets.—When figuring with weft and pile, the chief difficulty is the cutting of the fabric after weaving, owing to the difficulty of keeping the knife-guide in the race when passing from one portion of the figure to another across the ground.

A considerable quantity of fabrics had been made with velvet cord figures—which are easy enough to cut—before it was found possible to cut the real velvet figure. This was rendered possible by throwing the short floats of pile weft to the back of the cloth at the edges of the figure, and always moving in steps or races at the edges of the figure, and in addition to this always keeping the end upon which the knife runs, to the inside of each step. By throwing out the short floats the chief difficulty was overcome, as the obstruction caused by these was the chief cause of the knife and guide being thrown out when cutting. These improvements were simultaneously devised by the writer and Mr. T. Anderson, of Wyke, and a large quantity of cloth was turned out a few years ago, but owing to the cottony appearance of the ground the demand quickly fell away.

Two large manufacturers took out a patent to include all figured weft pile fabrics, but a thorough search could not have been made, as the writer recently came across a heap of patterns woven on the same principle, including the stepping in races, and also with a coloured extra warp ground, which had been made at least before the year 1870.

The method of putting the designs on point paper is shown at Fig. 402. The weave generally used is an ordinary E1 velvet with about 400 picks per inch, woven in an 80 reed 2-60’s twist, 70’s weft. It will be seen that the figure steps in twos at the edges, and that all floats less than five are thrown to the back of the cloth by the small dots in the design. The blanks represent the weft on the face, and the inside of the step or race is arranged to come on the third, fifth, seventh ends, and so on, these being the ends along which the knife runs. Where a turn is made in the figure it must be on an odd number of ends in order to keep the race in this position.

Other systems of making figured weft pile fabrics have been tried. One of these was to use an extra warp at the back for binding the pile picks where the ground is required, and binding the picks where the figure is required, to the ordinary warp. When the pile is cut the extra warp is torn away, pulling the pile with it where the ground of the pattern occurs.

Another method is to weave the figure fast pile, and the ground loose pile, and to brush the loose pile away at the back.

Velvet and leno stripes have been woven. As velvet requires a large number of picks and leno a small number, there is a difficulty in cutting the picks at the back of the leno stripe away. This can be overcome by interweaving the picks to be taken away at the back of the leno with some extra ends, and when the velvet stripe is cut, the back cloth can be torn away quite easily.

Solid Coloured Borders.—In some fabrics, such as dhooties, the borders are sometimes made with coloured warp and weft, and the middle of the piece with white or grey yarns. The method of obtaining the solid border is rather ingenious, and is as follows.

A coloured end is placed at each side of the warp, and this thread hangs loose from the bobbin, so that not much force is required to pull the thread into the border. The warp ends forming the border are on separate staves from the ground ends, and lift so as to allow two picks to go through each shed while the middle weaves ordinary plain cloth.

The coloured end A (Fig. 403) is lifted every other pick, and the shuttle containing the white weft will pass round it, and as the shed is not changed in the border ends, the coloured thread is taken into the border, thus forming a solid coloured border on an ordinary grey or white cloth. In the border, there will be two picks in a shed.

FIG. 403.