Hand Embroidery Machine

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Hand Embroidery Machine built by Karl Bleidorn, Industriekultur Museum Neuthal, Switzerland

The hand embroidery machine is a manually operated embroidery machine. The name, hand machine, or handstickmaschine translated from German, is somewhat confusing.  It's literally a hand operated stitching machine. It was widely used in the Swiss embroidery industry during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was also used in the lace industry near Plauen, Germany, and it played a role in the development of the embroidery industry centered in Hudson County, New Jersey during the early 20th century. This article describes the use and functions of the hand embroidery machine.

Terms

This machine should not to be confused with the later schiffli embroidery machine, or the more modern single needle embroidery machine.  The latter two use a chain stitch similar to a sewing machine. The hand embroidery machine is also known as a satin stitch, multi-needle embroidery machine.  The satin stitch is one of several stitches used in embroidery.  Multi-needle refers to fact that the machine has a row of needles. Each needle creates a copy of the design - one per needle. In the Swiss German dialect this type of embroidery machine was sometimes referred to as a chlüpperli (clothespin) type because the clamps that hold the needles resemble spring loaded, wooden clothespins. Examples of machine embroidery as well as embroidery terminology can be found in Lace, Its Origin and History by Samuel L. Goldenberg.

History

Josua Heilmann is credited with inventing the first hand embroidery machine in the early nineteenth century near Mulhausen, France. This article incorporates a description of Heilmann's machine that was published in a bulletin by the Société industrielle de Mulhausen and in the German Polytechnisches Journal in 1836. The machine was shown at the French Industrial Exposition of 1834. However, the invention didn't fully mature until around 1850. Then, they were produced in large numbers. In eastern Switzerland alone, about 16,000 hand embroidery machines were in use by 1908.  Many of the machines were used in private homes. Swiss embroidery was a cottage industry. About one-third were used in embroidery factories. A hand machine was typically operated by two people. The operator was known as a stitcher.  The assistant, often a woman, was known as a fädlerin (German). The width of the machines varied. The wider the machine, the more difficult it was to operate and the more frequent the work could be interrupted by a dropped needle, or a broken thread. During the 20th century, hand machines were gradually replaced by schiffli machines. Unlike hand machines which used a single continuous thread, schiffli machines use two threads - one on the front, and one on the back side of the fabric. Schiffli embroidery looks similar to satin stitching, but strictly speaking, it isn't because it is a two-thread system. Schiffli machines were powered by an electric motor and were about 20 times faster than a hand machine. Both hand machines and early schiffli machines used a pantograph, described below, to trace the design. However, the schiffli pantograph was later replaced by programmable punch cards. Hand machines were manually operated, while schiffli machines became fully automated. Examples of functioning hand embroidery machines can be seen at the Schaustickerei in Plauen, Germany. Also, the Industriekultur museum in Neuthal, the Textile Museum in St. Gallen, and the Saurer Museum in Arbon, Switzerland.

Construction 

Fig. 1. Hand machine and needle threading machine about 1890, see text for details

Fig 1. shows a typical hand embroidery machine. The main components are:

(1) Easel with the embroidery artwork, or embroidery pattern mounted on a board. The operator sat on a stool situated on the left side of the machine.  The semi-squatting and semi-stationary posture of the operator was ergonomically very poor (see working conditions in St. Gallen embroidery)

(2) Pantograph for moving the embroidery frame (4). The pulleys, and weights hung from the ceiling balanced the frame and made moving it effortless.

(3) Gate, or rack

(4) Fabric, or material to be embroidered

(5) Front side carriages or trolleys

(6) Carriage rail

(7) Hand crank for moving the carriages

(8) Pedals used to transfer the needles from the back side to the front side of the fabric

(9) Needle threading machine. This machine was invented about 1890 and greatly simplified threading of the needles.

Operating principle

Fig. 2. Detail of a satin stitch pattern with the thread's path

Satin stitch embroidery is created on the surface of a fabric using parallel stitches. Fig. 2 shows the stitch pattern. The thread takes the course shown by the numbers 1-10: 1-2 on the front side of the fabric, 2-3 on the back, 3-4 again on the front, and so on.  Notice that a single continuous thread traverses both sides of the fabric.

The hand embroidery machine consists of a large frame, suspended vertically, on which the fabric is stretched. Two sets of clamps - one on either side of the fabric, alternately pass the needles from the front side to the back side.

Fig. 3. Hand embroidery machine, side view.  See text for description

Original drawing of the machine invented by Josua Heilmann, front view

Side view showing details of the needle clamps, hand crank, trolleys and foot peddles

When facing the machine, the frame is seen suspended vertically but is movable so that the material remains vertical. The needles are stationary, while the frame moves on a two-dimensional plane. A stitch can be made between points x1,y1 and x2,y2.  The needles move forward or aft, perpendicular to the fabric, in the z dimension. The embroidery machine can have between 200-450 needles, arranged in one or two horizontal rows - upper and lower. Thus, two pieces of material can be embroidered at once. This also doubles the machine's capacity. Alternatively, a single piece of fabric can be stretched from e to e3.  It is then double embroidered.

Figure 3 shows a hand machine in side view with its components labeled. The vertical frame A has rails a on rollers b, again sitting in frame c. The frame is supported by a bifurcated lever d, which is drawn broken in Fig. 3, but in reality continues beyond the pivot point d' and has a counterweight at its end. The counter weighted levers keep the frame in balance.  The frame is guided near the bottom by the vertical slot f, and at the top by slide rails h and pin g.  The frame can move horizontally and vertically, but it cannot rotate. Rollers e, e1, e2, e3 hold the upper and lower material in front of the upper and lower rows of needles. The upper and lower rows move in parallel and are congruent. Two sets of rollers (e and e1, e2 and e3) hold a piece of material parallel to the frame.  Each of the four material rollers e, e1, e2, e3 has a ratchet (e', e'1, e'2, e'3). The ratchets allow the material to move vertically in only one direction. Once a horizontal row is completely embroidered, the material is rolled from e to e1 and from e2 to e3.

The needle's movement between the end points of each stitch is accurately translated from the pattern that's mounted on the easel, to the frame that holds the fabric, with the help of a pantograph.

Fig. 4 shows a simplified view of the pantograph connected to the movable frame A. The parallelogram I, II, III, IV has hinged corners. The side II-III is extended to point V, and the side II-I to point VI.  The dimensions I-VI and II-V are chosen so that the points V, IV and VI lie on a straight line. Therefore, if you fix point V and let the point VI move around the contour of a shape, point IV will describe an identical shape, but at a smaller size. The point V is mounted on the frame of the embroidery machine, while point IV is connected to the movable frame A. A reduction factor of 6:1 was typical. On the pattern, individual threads are drawn as lines, and the stitches as end points.  The machine's operator moves a pointer attached at VI between each end point - from one point to the next, so that the design is reproduced on the fabric.

Hand machine needles are symmetrical, have points on both ends, and an eye at the center of the shank. The needles are passed through the material by one set of clamps when the first trolley moved towards the frame, and then pulled away from the material by the second set of clamps as the second trolley moves away from the frame. Again refer to the side view in Fig 3. The clamps or pliers sit on opposite sides of the frame in two horizontal rows. The carriage B, B' moves on rollers l and l' which roll on rails m. It carries a wheel frame n n', which have horizontal spacing greater than the width of the material. At the attachment points o, o' are the top and bottom prism shaped rails p, p'. Each clamp has a fixed leg q, q' and a movable jaw r, r'.  Each clamp holds a single needle. The action of the clamps is as follows: The "tail" i.e. the clamp's movable leg is constantly under pressure by a closing spring s, s'. On the opposite side of the "tail", however, is a cam t, t' which extends across all of the tails in a row.  If the cam's lobe presses on the movable arm of the pliers, then they are opened; if, on the other hand, the cam is turned so that its flat side faces the tongs, the "tails" yield to the pressure of the springs and close. The cams are rotated by pinion gears u, u'.  The pinion gear's teeth are enmeshed in a rack gear v, v' which can move up and down.

Fig 3 shows the left support o' positioned against the frame and the right support partially moved away from the frame. One the left support, the thread tensioning mechanism x’ y’ w’ β' and ζ, is in the retracted position. On the right support it is actuating. Thread tensioning is explained in detail below.The trolleys are moved using a hand crank. Notice that the hand crank has four gears. One gear is attached to a handle. That gear is constantly meshed with a second gear. The second gear is attached to an articulating arm so that it can engage one of two other gears. Each of those gears drives a continuous chain which moves a set of trolleys. Movement of trolleys is as follows: beginning on the far left or rear track – the operator begins turning the crank clockwise. When the rear trolleys reach the frame and stop, the articulating arms swings the middle gear so that it engages the front side drive gear. Now, as the handle continues to turn clockwise, the right or front side trolleys move from left to right. Once the thread has been pulled through the material - the sequence is reversed.

Stitching occurs as follows: assume the left carriage has just been driven up against the material, the needles will have pierced the material from the back side, and they will be protruding from the left clamps. The clamps on the right car will be open in preparation to grasp the needles. By alternating the position of the foot pedals - rack gears v and v' move upwards/downwards, rotating both pinion gears u, u' and cams t, t'. The right clamps close and the left clamps open. The needles are now held by the right clamps. The operator continues to turn the hand crank in the same direction as before. Now the left carriage remains stationary, and the right moves away from the material, taking with it the needles and drawing the thread through the fabric. Once the carriage has traveled a short distance, the small rods y will rotate downwards on pivots w due to weights β. Once y has traveled a sufficient distance on pins ζ they will lower the levers x and the cross bars z. The latter lies horizontally, across all of the threads. Rod z gently lies down across the threads, and applies a uniform pressure. The carriage continues to travel until the threads are completely pulled through the material. Without the tensioning mechanism, the threads would be pulled out of the needles instead of being pulled through the fabric.

To make the next stitch, the operator moves the pointer to the next end point on the pattern.  He then turns the hand crank in the opposite direction, moving the right carriage towards the frame.  As carriage B returns the thread tensioner z is lifted, the needles push through the material from right to left, and the process described above repeats.

Hand machine problems and developments 

Threading machine, Museum Industriekultur Neuthal, Switzerland

One of the major drawbacks of this machine is the fact that the threads must be pulled completely through the fabric in order to create each stitch. The threads could be at most as long as the rails - typically about one meter long. Depending on the pattern, this is enough thread for about 250-400 stitches. When the thread is used up, all of needles must be re-threaded. Before the invention of the threading machine (around 1890) the threading had to be done by hand. From the East Swiss textile industry there are reports that children had to thread needles from 6 to 8 hours per day, in addition to attending school. Speed and capacity are two of the reasons that hand machines were inferior to schiffli machines.

The embroidery machine as a tool 

A stitcher considered the embroidery machine to be a tool, not a machine, because it could do absolutely nothing without his labor and skill. The operator had to follow the pattern accurately. He must use the right amount of momentum and timing to operate the wheels and levers with the right amount of force to achieve correct results. Especially when pulling the threads through the fabric. If he pulls too little, loops can form in the thread. If he pulls too hard the threads will break. A stitcher was paid a piecework wage. Interruptions resulted in the loss of wages. Missed stitches and mistakes had to be corrected by a seamstress. Seamstresses were employed on a time salary basis. The stitcher had to make deductions to pay his assistant. Often his wife or one of his children had to help him. Large machines sometimes required two assistants. In addition to threading needles, the assistant had to keep an eye on the machine's progress. The stitcher could not always see all of the threads and needles. Especially those of the lower row since they were largely hidden from his view.

External links

• Anne Wanner - Beginnings of the embroidery industry: hand embroidery
• Anne Wanner - Hand Embroidery Machine
• Anne Wanner - Embroidery machine developments
• Anne Wanner - Iklé machine embroidery patterns
• Anne Wanner - Artwork design and enlarging for hand embroidery machine
• Saurer Textile Machine Museum Arbon, Switzerland
• Embroidery Machine Museum Plauen, Germany
• Textile Museum St. Gallen, Switzerland

General resources (some used in the original German Wikipedia article)

• Stickmaschine. In: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon. 6th edition. Vol. 19, Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig/Vienna 1909, p. 22–25.
• Albert Tanner: Das Schiffchen fliegt, die Maschine rauscht. Weber, Sticker und Fabrikanten in der Ostschweiz. Unionsverlag; Zürich 1985; ISBN 3-293-00084-3, 978-3-293-00084-1 Search this book on .
• Peter Röllin (Konzept): Stickerei-Zeit, Kultur und Kunst in St. Gallen 1870–1930. VGS Verlagsgemeinschaft, St. Gallen 1989, ISBN 3-7291-1052-7, 3729110527 Search this book on .

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