User:Riedener/Hand Embroidery Machine

A hand embroidery machine is a manually operated embroidery machine. The name, handstickmaschine, translated from German, is somewhat confusing. It's literally a hand operated stitching machine. This article describes the construction and functions of hand embroidery machines, that were used until about 1920.

Terms
This machine should not to be confused with the the later Shiffli machines, or the more modern single needle embroidery machine. The latter two are more simillar to the chain stitch sewing machine.

By far the most common type of hand embroidery machine until about 1900 was the multi-needle satin stitch hand embroidery machine. The satin stitch is commonly used in embroidery. Multi-needle refers to fact that the machine is simultaniously creating multiple copies of the art work - one per needle. Because it was so common, the satin stitch hand embroidery machine is simply referred to as a hand embroidery machine. Publications from the period before 1905 simply call it an embroidery machine. There were no alternatives. Unless explicitly stated, this article refers to a multi-needle satin stitch hand embroidery machine.The person that operated the machine, typically a male, was known as a stitcher. The assitant, typically a woman, was known as a fädlerin.

History
Josua Heilmann is credited with inventing the first manual embroidery machine in 1829. The technology remained virtually unchanged until the end of the hand embroidery. Although it had not really matured until around 1850 they were produced in large numbers. In eastern Switzerland alone, almost 20,000 manual embroidery machines were in use by 1910. Most of them were in homes as embroidery was a cottage industry. About one-third were in large embroidery factories.

Hand machines were gradually replaced by Schiffli machines. Schiffli embroidery machines use two threads - one on the front, and one on the back side of the fabric. Unlike the hand embroidery machines, Schiffli machines could be powered by an electric motor and were about 20 times faster. Shiffli embroidery looks similar to satin stitch, but strictly speaking, it isn't because it is a two-thread system.

Initially Schiffli machines also a pantograph. However, its pantograph was later replaced by programmable punch cards and the machines became fully automated.

Construction
Fig 1. shows a typical hand embroidery machine.


 * (1) Easel with the embroidery artwork, or pattern. The operator sat on a stool situated on the left of the machine.  The semi-squatting and semi-stationary posture of the operator was ergonomically very poor.  (see working conditions in St. Gallen embroidery article)
 * (2) Pantograph for moving the embroidery frame (4). The pulleys, and weights hung from the ceiling made moving the extended arm effortless.
 * (3) Gate, or rack
 * (4) Fabric, or material to be embroidered
 * (5) Front side carriage or trolley
 * (6) Carriage rail
 * (7) Hand crank for moving the carriages
 * (8) Peddles used to transfer the needles
 * (9) Needle threading machine. This machine was invented about 1890 and greatly simplified threading of the needles.

Depending on the type of machine, it might have between 200 and 450 needles. The width of the machine varied accordingly. The wider the machine, the more difficult it was to operate and the more frequent the work could be interrupted by needles falling out, or by broken threads.

Operating principle
Embroidery is created on the surface of the fabric (older German: Zeug) using stitches. Fig. 2 shows the stitch pattern. The thread takes the course shown by the numbers 1-10: 1-2 on the front, 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 embroidery machine consists of a large frame, on which the fabric is stretched, two sets of clamps - one on either side of the fabric, alternately pass the needles from side to side. The needle's eye is located in the center of its shank. When facing the machine, the frame is seen suspended vertically but is movably so that the materal stays vertical. Moving the frame relative to the needles enables a stitch to be made on a two-dimensional plane: from point x1,y1 to point x2,y2. The needles move forward or aft, throught the material, in the z dimension.The embroidery machine can have 200-450 needles, arranged in two horizontal rows - upper and lower. Thus, two pieces of material can be embroidered at once. This also doubles the machine's capacity.The vertical frame A (Fig. 3) 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 counterweighted 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. It 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. Alternatively, a single piece of fabric can be stretched from e to e3. It is then double embroidered.

Once a horizontal row of figures is completely embroidered, the material is rolled from e to e1 and from e2 to e3.

The movement between two end points of a stitch is translated from a pattern to the frame with the help of a pantograph. Fig. 4 shows a simplified view of the pantograph's connection to the movable frame A. The parallogram 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. Frame A is shifted so that each line remains parallel to its original position. When point VI is guided along an enlarged figure of the embroidery pattern, the movement is translated to the frame, including the spanned fabric.For most embroidery machines, a reduction factor of 6:1 was common. On the embroidery pattern, the individual threads are drawn as lines, and the stitches as end points. The machine's operator moves a pointed pencil 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 symetrical, have points on either end, 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 through 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 pliers or clamps sit on each side 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'. The clamps have fixed legs 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 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 gear's teeth are enmeshed in a rack 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. This mechanism is explained in detail below.The trollies 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 trollies. Movement of trollies is as follows: beginning on the far left or rear track – the operator begins turning the crank clockwise. When the rear trollies reach the frame and stop, the articulating arms swings the middle gear so that it engages the front side drive gear. As the handle continues to turn clockwise, the right or front side trollies move from left to right. The process is then reversed.

The machine works as follows: one end of each thread is fastened to the material while the other end is threaded through a needle. If the left carriage has just 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 - racks v and v' move upwards/downwards, rotating both pinion gears u, u' and cams t, t'. The left clamps will open and the right clamps will close, so that the needles are now held in the right clamps. The operator continues to turn the hand crank in the same direction. Now the left carriage remains stationary, and the right moves away from the material, taking with it the needles. After the carriage has traveled a short distance, the small rods y will rotate downwards on pivots w due to weights β. Once y has travelled a sufficient distance on pins ζ they 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 point on the pattern. Frame A is moved with the help of the cranesbill. He now turns the hand crank in the opposite direction and moves the right carriage towards the frame. As carriage B returns, z is lifted, the needles push through the material from right to left, and the process described above repeats.

Problems of the hand embroidery machine and developments
One of the major drawbacks of this machine is the fact that the threads had to be pulled completely through the fabric for each stitch. The threads could be at most as long as the rails. Usually just over one meter. 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. Threading needles was mostly done by children and women. Satin stitch machines used between 300 and over 1000 needles, depending on the machine’s width. From the East Swiss textile industry there are reports that the children had to thread needles 6 to 8 hours per day, in addition to attending school. [3] This is part of the reason that hand machines were inferior to Shiffli machines. By 1905 Shiffli machines became fully automated. The pantograph was replaced by a programmable punch cards, a concept borrowed from the Jacquard loom.

The embroidery machine as a tool
A stitcher considered the embroidery machine to be a tool, not a machine, because it can do absolutely nothing without his labor and skill. The operator has 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 good results. Especially when pulling the threads through the material. If he pulls too little loops can form in the thread. If he pulls too hard threads will break. Both cause interruptions and lead to subsequent loss of wages. The stitcher is paid a piecework wage. Missed stitches and embroidery mistakes had to be corrected by a seamstress. These were employed on a time salary basis. The stitcher had to make deductions for their work. He also paid his assistant. Otherwise his wife or one of his children had to take over. Large machines sometimes required two assistants. In addition to threading the needles, they had to keep an eye on the machine. 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. [5]