US2426057A - Sewing seam and method of making same - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 19, 1947.

J. H. SCHWEICH SEWING SEAM AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed July 17, 1944 lM/ew-rwe:

Joseph H. ScHwszcH,

Patented Aug. 119, 1947 SEWING SEAM AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME .l'oseph H. Schweich, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Wcil-Kalter Manufacturing Company, St.

Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application July 17, 1944, Serial No. 545,211

Claims.

This invention relates to a new sewing seam and the method of making the same, and has particular applicability for use in seaming sheer material, such as used in womens lingerie, and the like. It will be recognized, however, that the improve ments have a wide range of application.

In the manufacture of garments, and particularly those of sheer material, it has been the usual practice to form the seam adjacent to two edges of the material, both of which are pinked on the free edges, and then to turn the material and top stitch with a zigzag needle to form the completed seam. This method produces'a strong seam but the inside of the seam, since it is unfinished at the edges, has a tendency to fray and ravel, ultimately causing the seam to stretch and pull out. Moreover, a seam of this character does not have as desirable an appearance as one that is hemmed or inturned.

Another method is to join the adjacent edges of the cloth by a single needle seam, leaving a margin at each side of approximately This margin is then opened out and the trimmed edges hemmed and held by a single needle stitch. A seam of this character requires the finishing stitch to sew through five thicknesses of the material. While a finished seam of this character has a neat appearance, it has disadvantages in that it produces a seam that is unduly thick; one that is not strong enough to avoid popping and, as a result, the garments, such as womens light slips, do not wear or drape well.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the present methods of seaming, and to provide a seam that will be strong in order to avoid pulling out; that will not be unduly thick at the seam line, and which will have a neat and finished appearance. Such a seam also does not interfere with proper draping of the garment.

These advantages are obtained by the seam and method of making the same as is hereinafter more fully disclosed, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 illustrate the first step in the operation, the needle and trimmer being indicated diagrammatically;

Fig, 2 shows the relation of the parts as a result of the first operation shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a fragment of the material in which the first step has been performed;

Fig. 4 illustrates the second step of opening out the material;

Fig. 5 illustrates the material reversed and in position to be inturned and hemmed;

Fig. 6 illustrates the final step of completing the stitching, the needle being illustrated diagrammatically as performing a zigzag stitch;

Fig. 7 is a plan View of a fragment of the material after the second operation has been performed; and,

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section through the material, illustrating the completed seam taken substantially on the line 88 of Fig. '7.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, the first step is to assemble two plies l and 2 of the material to be seamed flatwise in the relation shown in Fig. 1. The two plies of material are then stitched through by a single needle 3 forming a stitch 4. While a single needle stitch is shown, the line of stitching may be of any desired type of stitch. During the stitching operation, the marginal edges of both plies extending beyond the stitch line 4 are preferably trimmed by a trimmer 5, and by insetting a rod or cord 6 that bows the marginal edge of the upper ply upwardly, leaving the edges of both plies free and trimmed. The rod or cord 6 affords greater width of the margin '1 from the stitch line to the edge of the upper ply than the margin 8 of the lower ply, so that when the stitch and trimming is completed, the relationship of the marginal edges are as indicated in Fig. 2.

It will'be obvious that the insertion of the cord or rod provides a convenient means for obtaining the differential in length of the margin of the two plies beyond the stitch line, but that the same result can be accomplished by hand trimming, or other suitable means, the only objective being to obtain the overlapping and extension of the edge of the upper ply beyond that of the lower ply.

After the first step of the stitching has been accomplished, as illustrated in Figs. 1-3, the plies are straightened out, as illustrated in Fig. 4, and turned over as illustrated in Fig. 5.

The second sewing stitch of the operation is illustrated in Fig. 6. This consists in performing a folding, which inturns the marginal edge 1 of the now upper margin of the greater width, under the margin 8 of less width, the relation of parts being as illustrated in Fig. 8. At the bend of the margin of the upper ply a line of stitch [0 preferably made by a zigzag needle I l, and preferably engaging the edge of enfolded ply, is co-instantly performed with the hemming operation.

While the zigzag stitch is preferred, as it provides a strong seam, a single needle or other type of stitch may be substituted.

By reference to Fig. 8, it will be noted that this manner of stitching results in a fiat seam, because the threads of the stitch pass only through three full layers of material and engage only the edge of the shorter marginal edge of the lower P y- The stitching thus produced results in a strong bond between the sections of the material, that is relatively flat and one that has a finished appearance. A stitch of this character will not pull open with ordinary strain, even with very sheer material. The stitch is fiat enough to prevent any puckering at the seam line, and thus avoids unsatisfactory draping of a garment manufactured with the stitch disclosed.

It will thus be seen that the improvement herein disclosed solves a difiicult problem in sewing, particularly of garments of light sheer material. While its particular virtue is for use in connection with such material, it will be understood that the stitch has additional uses as a satisfactory means of joining cloth of varying thickness.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited beyond the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

A method of stitching two portions of material together, comprising laying one portion on top of the other with their edges overlapping in superposed relation, stitching the portions together to provide marginal edges and simultaneously causing one edge to be wider outside the stitching than the other, by inserting a bulging device between the portions outside the stitch line to lift one marginal edge out of the plane of the other, separating the portions from overlying position to a position wherein they extend oppositely from the line of stitching, with the marginal edges extending outwardly therefrom, turning the wider marginal edge around the narrower, and stitching the margin down to one of the portions.

2. A method of stitching two portions of material together, including the steps of laying one portion on top of the other adjacent their edges, stitching the portions together along a stitch line inside their edges to provide a marginal edge on each, bulging the top margin relative to the other, simultaneously trimming through both margins beyond the bulge, whereby to provide the two margins with definite widths, one wider than the other, separating the portions from overlying position to a position wherein they extend oppositely from the line of stitching, with the marginal edges extending outwardly therefrom, turning the wider marginal edge around the narrower, folding the turned portions down over the portion having the narrower margin and stitching the margin down to said portion having the narrower margin.

3. A method of forming a seam joining two pieces of fabric, comprising the steps of supplying two pieces of fabric to a stitching device for 4 stitching along a predetermined line. and stitching them together along the line, and simultaneously with the stitching operation trimming the pieces at different distances from the line, thereby providing marginal edges on the two pieces beyond the stitching with one marginal edge wider than the other, thereafter folding the wider marginal edge over the narrower marginal edge to provide a fold arrangement, folding the arrangement thus formed down against the piece of fabric having the narrower edge to dispose the inturned wider edge against the said piece, and stitching the arrangement down to the said piece.

4. A method of forming a seam joining two pieces of fabric, comprising the steps of supplying two pieces of fabric to a stitching device for stitching along a predetermined line, and stitching them together along said line, trimming the two pieces while they are engaged and held by the stitching device at different distances from the line, thereby providing marginal edges on the two pieces beyond the stitching with one marginal edge wider than the other, thereafter folding the wider marginal edge over the narrower marginal edge to provide a fold arrangement, folding the arrangement thus formed down against the piece of fabric having the narrower edge to dispose the inturned wider edge against the said piece, and stitching the arrangement down to the said piece.

5. A method of forming a seam joining two pieces of fabric, comprising the steps of supplying two pieces of fabric to a stitching device with the one piece disposed above the other for stitching together along a predetermined line, and stitching the pieces together along said line while they are one abOVe the other, and simultaneously with the stitching operation trimming their edges at different distances from the line, thereby providing marginal edges on the two pieces beyond the stitching with one marginal edge wider than the other, thereafter folding the wider marginal edge over the narrower marginal edge to provide a fold arrangement, folding the arrangement thus formed down against the piece of fabric having the narower edge to dispose the inturned wider edge against the said piece, and stitching the arrangement down to the said piece.

JOSEPH H. SCHWEICH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,504,550 Gruman Aug. 12, 1924 2,169,590 Myers Aug. 15, 1939 520,292 Betz May 22, 1894

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