US2343614A - Method of making fabric and dress ornamentation, and the product thereof - Google Patents

Description

March 7, 1944. W` .1 HARPHAM 2,343,614;

METHOD OF MAKING FABRIC AND kDRESS ORNAMENTATION,` I

AND THE PRODUCT THEREOF Filed Dec. 2, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I djd/wu) 4MM) uw C- of /(/ATTORNEY.

March 7, 1944. W J, HARPHAM 2,343,614

METHOD 0E MAKING FABRIC AND DREss ORNAMENTATION,

AND THE PRODUCT THEREOF Filed Deo. 2, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet- 2 Patented Mar. 7, 1944 METHOD OF MAKING FABRIC AND" DRESSU ANDI THE PRODUCT ORNAMENTATION,

THEREOF Walter J.v.Harpham;f Hartford,. N. J., assigner to L.. Nachman &'Son's, Philadelphia., Pa., a. partnership Applicationllecember 2, 1940, S'eriatNc. 368,196-

The present invention relates toa certain-new and useful method of makingtabric and-dress ornamentation, and to the product" therefof,

whereby'an ornamental effect may beproduced upon dresses, blouses and fabrics' therefor, simil'- lar to what is now known'as a smocking stitch 'or au smacking-stitched fabric, but which will". be more durable and not subject to be pulled out or unravelled upon the accidental breakage of a thread, andk which will indeed be of a more attractive appearance than the heretofore'conventional smocking stitch. ,y

Thus; in making'the smocking stitch, the cord is held in place only by a chain stitchwhich can be pulled out through its entire' lengthL if. a thread of the chain is pulled, thus releasing 'both the cord as well as the pleat ofthe fabric; beneath the cord. As any sudden tension on the pleat, that is, any pull onthe fabrictransversely 'of the pleat, tends to breakthe'chain stitch'lwhich holds both pleat and cordv in the conventional smocking stitch, the danger* of breakingxthe thread of the chain stitch is. ever'present; and any such breakage at once'` releasesthe' who-le length of cord aswell as the pleatl in theA zone 'l of the released cord.

The weakness ofv they conventional smocking stitch is further accentuated by the fact that the cord' in the conventional smocking stitch does not extend'in a straight line but zig-za'gs back and forth or is arrangedl in a series, of 'closely alternating more or less sinuous curves with'the chain stitch extending across a straight median line intersecting the successive transverse portions of these curves, soY that thecordv itself." in

the conventional smocking stitch, is incapable of oering any resistance to thestretcliingof'fthe fabric transversely ofthe shirring; for the;l reason that the cord does not extend in a'l straight line transversely across the shirring, but instead extends across the shirring in a zig-zag'course.

One ofithe objects of the present invention is to form an ornamentalanrlvv structural" effe'ct on (Cl. 11B-266) which will appear more fullyrfrcm theifcllowing detailed description and' accompanying drawings, the present invention consists of a certain novel method ofmak-ing an ornamental effect on dresses, blouses' and on` the fabrics therefor, and also consists of' theproduct of such method and certain novel features of methodsand structure', all of which will appear'more fullyifromv the following detailed description andV accompanying drawings.|

For the'purpose of illustratingthe invention, there is shown inthe accompanying drawingsone form thereof which iscatpresent preferred, since thesame has been foundin practice togive satisfactoryfand'reliable results, althoughitis to be understoodl that the variousinstrumentaliti'es' of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and' organized' and that"l the invention is notlimited to the precise arrangements and organizations of the instrumentalitiesI as herein shown and described.

Referring to the' drawings in which like reference characters indicate. like partsv throughout:

Figure 1 representsai plan view of thel front face offa fabric according to one phase of the presentA invention.

Figure Zrepresents ya fragmentary perspective view ofthe front face'ofthe embodiment shown in Figure l but on a much enlarged scale.

Figure 3 represents a plan View ofthe front face of a fabric similar to that shown in Figulre 1 wherein the fabric is shirred andjheldin shirred position by chain stitches but before" the super.- imposition of the straight-line.cords.v

Figure. 4 represents a plan view of the back face of the fabric as shown in Figure 3"; kthat isl prior. to thev application` theretov of the cord-retaining, zig-zaglock stitches.

Figure 5 represents a fragmentary perspective view of the back face ofthe embodiment shown in Figure 2, onk the same scale.

Figure Grepresents a fragmentary perspective View ofV a standard Singer sewing machine, showing the application thereto cf" an attachment whichm ay be usedin carrying out the methodl of the present invention.

Figure? representsa top pla-nview. of the attachment of'Figure 6,' shown detached from the sewing machine tabla andv shown in approximately fullsize.

Figure 8` represents a section on the line 8;-8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 represents a side elevational view of the attachment of Figures 6, 7 and 8, shown on the same scale as Figure 7.

suitable depth, and with parallel lines of chainl stitches sewn across the shirring to hold them in place. Thus for instance, as shown-in Figures 3 and 4, I apply the successive parallel lines of chain stitches I across the shirring II. The lines of chain stitches III are preferably located in the' same lines as the lines over which the cords "I2 are to be laid, so that in the finished product the cords I2 will entirely conceal from view, on the outer face of the fabric, the underlying chain stitch formation.

Thereafter, the fabric is fed through a standard zig-,zag sewing machine with the outer face of the fabric facing downwardly, and with the throat plate I3 of the sewing machine provided with a pair of holes I4 corresponding in spacing to the spacing between the adjacent lines of chain stitches I0 of each pair. Beneath the throat plate a feed tube I5 is disposed, as shown in Figures 6, 8 and 9,'terminating directly beneath the holes I4 and there fastened to the under side of the throat plate I3 by soldering I6 or by any other suitable means. LA pair of cords I2 are fed from any suitable source (spools, bobbins, reels, etc.) into the entrance opening I'I of the guide tube I5, and extend through said 4guide tube and 'finally each, one of the cords I2 is threaded through one of the holes I4 so as to emerge directly beneath the face side of the pre-shirred fabric at a point in advance of the sewing needles I8 carrying the upper threads I9 of the zig-zag stitches.

The fabric, together with the cords, is so fed to the machine indicated in Figures 6 and 7, that the lines of pre-sewn chain stitches ID as well as the cords I2 will be in line with the center of the lateral oscillation irrespective of the, corresponding needles I8, so that each needle will just straddle one of the cords I2 on its lateral zig-zag oscillations, so that each needle will pierce through the fabric, first on one side of the corresponding cord and then on the other side of the corresponding cord;-each needle piercing the fabric once on the outside of the double-cord row and then just in between the two cords, as indicated particularly in Figures 2'and 5.

The lower single bobbin thread or shuttle thread is shuttled through the loops and thus interlaced with the loops of the double zig-zag stitch produced by the two needles IB carried by the needle bar 2| (or by a double needle bar, as in some machines), so that eachvpair of adjacent cords I2 will vbe ,tied down and firmly anchored lto the fabric by double threaded loops I9 staggered in relation to each other on the two cords :|2, as indicated in Figure 2. The loops I9 which -are projected thru the fabric on the outer sides a and b of the cords I2 are Adrawn toward the center c of the pair of cords by the shuttle thread 20 which draws them tightly together towards'the center along with the center loops of the upper threads in the manner indicated in Figure 2.

In this manner, the staggered loops bridging the face of the cord threads I2, along with the shuttle thread extending along the center line c between the two cords I2, form a surface configuration over the cords and at the same time rmly anchor the cords I2 in a straight line across Vthe shirring II, in such a way as to xate the shirring virtually independently of the lines of chain stitches I0 by which the shirring was initially held in place, so that even if any of vthe chain stitches I0 should break or pull out, -the shirring would be held intact by the cords I2, while the cords l2 at the same time greatly reduce, if not indeed eliminate, the practical likelihood of' breaking the chain stitches I0 by reason ofthe fact that the cords I2 are comparatively thick and strong and extend in a straight line,

`The cords I2 may be of silk, cotton, mercerized cotton, rayon, nylon or the like, and preferably formed of 3-ply yarn intertwisted to form a pronounced cord-like effect having, however, comparatively .few twists per inch, so as not to have any successive free stretch.

Thel present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit'. or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I now claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A method of making ornamented fabrics which comprises shirring the fabric and superimposing upon the face of the shirred fabric spaced pairs of more or less inelastic cords transversely across the shirred face of the fabric in generally straight lines, and more or less immovably anchoring the said pairs of cords to the said shirred fabric with relatively inelastic thread by double zig-zag lock stitches with the needleapplied zig-zag threads disposed on the back surface of the fabric and with needle-produced loops projected through the fabric adjacent to the cords of each pair in staggered spaced relation, said loops being disposed alternately intermediate of and outside of said pairs of cords, and with the Outer loops extending across said cords towards the center and with the ends of all the loops held in said center by the shuttle-applied bottom thread.

2. An ornamented reinforced shirred fabric including spaced pairs of closely adjacent straightline more or less inelastic cords extending across theface of the fabric generally transversely ofthe shirring and more or less immovably anchored to the shirring at close intervals with relatively inelastic thread by double Zig-zag lock stitches disposed on the back surface of the fabric and with needle-produced loops projecting through the face of the fabric adjacent to said pairs of cords, said loops being disposed alternately intermediate of and outside of said pairs of cords with the outer loops extending inwardly across said cords toward the center, all of said loops being held intermediate said pairs of cords by shuttle-applied thread passing through said loops.

WALTER J. HARPHAM.

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