GB2218120A - Embroidery needle and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The embroidery needle consists of a tubular body 12 with a handle 14 at one extremity and a closed and upwardly curved point 16 at its opposite extremity. There is an aperture 18 adjacent the point at the underside of the body for the threading of a work material inwardly through the handle and outwardly through the aperture. The aperture is elongated and may adjoin a recess. The handle may have means actuatable to grip the work material. As shown in Fig. 3 the needle may thread a first loop from front to rear and back to the front of a piece of fabric and then repeats this for a second loop which penetrates the first. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO EMBROIDERY This invention relates to embroidery and to embroidery needles.

It is a particular object of this invention to enable the production in a simple manner of pleasing decorative effects on knitted or other garments.

Accordingly, the present invention consists in an embroidery needle having a hollow body portion terminating in a point, there being provided an aperture adjacent the point and a handle formed on the body portion remote from the point, such that with the needle held by the handle, yarn or the like may be passed through the body portion and out of the aperture.

Advantageously, the handle is hollow to enable yarn or the like to pass therethrough.

Preferably, the aperture is elongated in the longitudinal direction of the needle.

Suitably, the body portion is recessed in a region extending from the aperture away from the point, the recess serving to accommodate yarn or the like passing out of the aperture.

In a different aspect, the present invention consists in a method of creating a decorative effect upon knitted, woven or similar fabric, comprising the repeated steps of passing a first loop of continuous yarn or the like through the fabric from the front to the rear surface thereof; passing said first loop through the fabric at a spaced location from the rear to the front surface thereof; passing a second loop of the same yarn through said first loop; passing said second loop through the fabric from the front to the rear surface thereof and passing said second loop through the fabric at an adjacent location from the rear to the front surface thereof, The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an embroidery needle according to this invention; Figure 2 is a view to an enlarged scale in the direction of arrow A in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a series of sketches illustrating a method of using the needle shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the needle shown generally at 10 comprises a body portion 12 formed of metal tube and a hollow plastics handle 14. The forward end of the body portion 12 is shaped to form a closed and upwardly curved point 16. This point is, for strengthening purposes, preferably filled. Adjacent the point, and at the underside of the body portion, there is provided an elongate aperture 18. From the rearmost end of this aperture and extending in a direction towards the handle, the body portion is recessed with, as shown in Figure 2 at 20, the recess tapering in width and depth away from the aperture 18.

In use, a length of yarn is threaded through the handle 14 and body portion 12, exiting from the aperture 18. If desired, a thin wire loop may be provided to facilitate the threading operation.

Referring now to the sketches which form Figure 3, one method of using the described needle will be explained.

With the needle held in the fingers by means of the handle 18, the point 16 is pushed through the material which is to receive the embroidered decorative effect. In this particular example, that material is knitted and it will be understood that the curved nature of the point 16 enables the needle to pass through the material and back to the front surface "catching" one stitch of the original knitted garment. The needle is pushed through to a sufficient extent to expose the bight of yarn formed at aperture 18. This bight is then held by the fingers of the other hand and the needle withdrawn to leave a loop as shown in the sketches. The needle is then moved forwardly through the loop thus created, effectively to form a stitch. The operation is then repeated.

The visual effect created by this series of operations can be varied by the choice of yarn or the like. Subject only to the size of the aperture and passage through the hollow needle portion and handle, it will be possible to use a very wide variety of wools, yarns, threads, filaments or tapes. It is of course not necessary for the effect to be restricted to straight lines and any desired pattern can be produced.

In this way, a relatively plain garment can be given a pleasing decorative effect. The effect may be confined to a motif or can cover large areas of the garment. It is often the case that plain garments can be purchased more cheaply than decorative garments, alternatively, a plain garment can be knitted by hand or machine with a view to decoration being added after completion. It will usually be the case that a plain garment can be knitted much more quickly than one with elaborate decoration.

Although the embroidered yarn or the like is firmly held in the base material, it will often be possible to remove the yarn without damage to the base material by cutting the yarn at one end. This provides the opportunity of changing the decoration.

Whilst a simple stitch sequence has been described above, it will be understood that considerably more complicated stitches can be devised to produce particular desired effects. Thus the loop of yarn produced after insertion and retraction of the needle could be twisted before the needle is passed through the loop.

In another variation, a number of loops are formed in a series with the needle then being pushed through all loops before a further series of loops is formed. It is believed to be one of the advantages of this invention that still further variations will occur to the user, once a short familiarisation process has been completed.

The shape of the aperture 18 and recess 20 are carefully chosen to ensure that there is minimal interference with passage of yarn through the needle and also to ensure that the yarn offers minimal resistance to insertion of the needle. Thus, the elongated aperture enables the yarn to pass out of the needle in a generally forward direction; it is not required to undergo sharp changes of direction. This is particularly important when the needle is retracted to leave behind a loop. When the needle is inserted through the material, the region of yarn extending from the aperture is swept backwards and is partially accommodated within the recess. In this way, it is ensured that the overall cross-sectional dimension of the threaded needle is not greatly in excess of that of the needle alone.

It is likely to be the case that slightly different configurations of needle point and aperture are appropriate for different yarns or base materials. For this reason, it is proposed, in accordance with the invention, to supply a set of needles of the same basic structure but having different arrangements of point, aperture and recess.

When the needle is retracted to leave behind a loop steadied by the fingers of the other hand, it will sometimes be the case that tension is required in the yarn to shorten the loop.

The operator can apply this tension by holding in the fingers the yarn leaving the handle. Alternatively, the handle may be modified to include a yarn gripping device which is activated by finger pressure upon a trigger recessed into the handle.

Such a device can take a mechanically simple form and may comprise no more than a portion of the handle wall which is able to flex inwardly to trap the yarn. In the relaxed condition, the handle would offer no resistance to passage of yarn but with finger pressure applied, the yarn would be gripped enabling the loop to be shortened by partial retraction of the needle. Still further modifications will occur to the skilled man, thus, for example, the handle itself need not be hollow and a further aperture could be provided in the body portion adjacent the handle to enable entry of the yarn. The exterior shape of the handle could clearly also be modified as well as the relative dimensions of the handle and body portion. It would similarly be possible to employ a variety of materials beyond those specifically mentioned.

Claims (6)

1. An embroidery needle comprising a tubular body forming a handle at one extremity and terminating in a closed and upwardly curved point at its opposite extremity and having an aperture adjacent to the point at the underside of the body for the threading of a work material inwardly through the handle and outwardly through the aperture, the body having a surface region opposite said aperture which extends smoothly and continuously from said point in a direction towards the tubular handle to a location significantly beyond said aperture, the aperture being elongated in the longitudinal direction of the body, the body being recessed in a region extending from the rearmost portion of the aperture away from the point, the recess tapering in width and depth away from the aperture.

2. A needle according to Claim i wherein a portion of a handle is inwardly yieldable as a work material trapping trigger when manipulated by the user.

3. A method of creating a decorative effect upon a fabric comprising the repeated steps of: passing a first loop of continuous work material such as a yarn through the fabric at a first location from the front surface to the rear surface thereof, passing the first loop through the fabric at a second location spaced from the first location from the rear surface to the front surface thereof, passing a second loop of the same work material through the fabric at a third location from the front surface to the rear surface thereof, passing the second loop through the fabric at a fourth location from the rear surface to the front surface adjacent to the third location.

4. A method of creating a decorative effect upon a fabric using the embroidery needle of Claim 1, with the needle held in the fingers by means of the handle comprising: pushing the needle point through the material which is to receive the embroidered decorative effect, with the curved nature of the point enabling the needle to pass through the material and back to the front surface "catching" one stitch of the material, pushing the needle through to a sufficient extent to expose the bight of yarn formed at the needle aperture, holding the bight by the fingers of the other hand and withdrawing the needle to leave a loop, moving the needle forwardly through the loop thus created, effectively to form a stitch, and repeating the operation,

5. An embroidery needle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

6. A method of creating a decorative effect upon a fabric substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.