Sewing – Method of sewing – On specified product
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-05
2001-10-30
Izaguirre, Ismael (Department: 3765)
Sewing
Method of sewing
On specified product
C112S141000, C112S440000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308648
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally directed to a method of making lined fabric products in which, at one end, a liner fabric is hemmed separately from a cover fabric. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a semi-automated process for producing lined fabric products, such as curtains and drapes, having an open hem or floating liner construction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many fabric products, such as curtains, valances, and drapes, include a decorative cover fabric stitched to a liner fabric. The liner fabric, which is typically a lighter fabric than the cover fabric, is attached to the cover fabric for various reasons. For instance, when incorporated into curtains, the liner fabric adds weight to the curtain improving the drape characteristics. The liner fabric also improves the ability of the curtain to block out sunlight and other light rays. Further, the liner fabric generally serves to improve the overall aesthetic appearance of the cloth article.
One common manner in which lined curtains are made is to attach the liner fabric to the cover fabric along the top edges and the side edges, but not along the bottom edges. For instance,
FIG. 1
illustrates a lined curtain product made in this manner. As shown, the liner fabric is hemmed to the cover fabric along each side edge and is sewn to the cover fabric along a top edge. The bottom edge of the liner fabric, however, is hemmed separately from the cover fabric. This arrangement is commonly referred to as an open hem construction.
Curtains having an open hem construction offer various advantages. For instance, an open hem construction, in many applications, improves the drape characteristics of the curtain. For instance, through the use of an open hem construction, the liner fabric is prevented from crimping or otherwise distorting the cover fabric when hung. The open hem construction allows the liner fabric to float independently of the cover fabric. For example, if the liner fabric were attached at every edge to the cover fabric, any irregularity may cause the liner fabric to react against the cover fabric adversely effecting the appearance of the curtain.
Currently, in making curtains with an open hem construction, the liner fabric and cover fabric, after being measured in size, are first hemmed separately along a bottom edge. Next, the side edges of the liner fabric and cover fabric are folded over and hemmed together. Finally, an appropriate header is sewn into the top of the curtain. The header, for instance, can be designed to accept a curtain rod or to mate with clips used to hang the curtain.
Unfortunately, the above described method for making curtains with open hem constructions is time consuming and is very labor intensive, escalating the costs of producing the fabric products. For example, most curtains and draperies of this type must be made almost entirely by hand. More particularly, the prior art is deficient in providing an automated or semi-automated process for manufacturing curtains and other lined fabric products that include an open hem construction. The above described method of making open hemmed curtains is simply not well adapted for use with automated fabric processing systems that are currently available in the marketplace.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention recognizes and addresses the foregoing disadvantages, and others of prior art constructions and methods.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of making lined fabric products having an open hem construction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a lined fabric product with an open hem construction that can be done semi-automatically.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an efficient method for producing lined fabric products with an open hem construction that does not have to be done entirely by hand.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a method of making a lined fabric product in which, at one end of the product, a liner fabric is hemmed separately from a cover fabric. The method includes the steps of providing a cover fabric and a superimposed liner fabric. The cover fabric and the liner fabric each include corresponding top edges, bottom edges, and a pair of opposing side edges. The cover fabric is attached to the liner fabric along each of the opposing side edges to form a first vertical hem and a second vertical hem.
Once the vertical hems have been formed, the method includes the steps of unraveling a portion of the first vertical hem and unraveling a portion of the second vertical hem. The vertical hems are unraveled adjacent the bottom edges of the liner fabric and the cover fabric. Once the vertical hems have been unraveled, a hem is formed along the bottom edge of the liner fabric and a separate hem is formed along the bottom edge of the cover fabric. The unraveled portions of the vertical hems can then be reattached in completing the open hem construction.
In one preferred embodiment, at least a portion of the above described method is automated using a fabric processing system. For instance, the cover fabric and the liner fabric can be fed together through a machine that automatically folds the side edges of the fabrics and forms the vertical hems. The method can further include the step of automatically sewing a particular header into the top of the fabric product.
In one embodiment, the first vertical hem and the second vertical hem of the fabric product are created by stitching together the side edges of the cover fabric and the liner fabric, forming a column of stitches extending along the side edges. The portions of the vertical hems that are unraveled are done by removing a portion of the stitches. Preferably, the column of stitches extending along the side edges are blind stitches. By using blind stitches, it becomes unnoticeable that a portion of the vertical hems have been sewn twice.
The lined fabric product made according to the above method can be, for instance, a curtain or a drapery. The hems formed along the bottom edges of the cover fabric and the liner fabric can be double backed hems. In one embodiment, the hem formed in the cover fabric can be wider than the hem formed in the liner fabric. If necessary, a bottom strip of the liner fabric can be cut off prior to forming the hem so that the liner fabric is shorter than the cover fabric.
These and other objects of the present invention are also achieved by providing a method of making a lined fabric product having an open hem construction. The method includes the steps of feeding a cover fabric and a liner fabric simultaneously into a folding and sewing device. The device folds over and sews together corresponding side edges of the cover fabric and the liner fabric. Specifically, the device forms the first vertical hem and a second vertical hem along the side edges. Each of the hems include a stitched line where the cover fabric and the liner fabric have been sewn together.
After the vertical hems have been formed, a portion of each vertical hem is unraveled adjacent the bottom edges of the liner fabric and the cover fabric. By unraveling a portion of the vertical hems, a hem can be formed along the bottom edge of the liner fabric and a separate hem can be formed along the bottom edge of the cover fabric. The unraveled portions of the vertical hems are then restitched together to form the open hem construction.
In one embodiment, the cover fabric fed to the folding and sewing device can be wider than the liner fabric. In this embodiment, the vertical hems can be formed by folding the side edges of the cover fabric over onto the liner fabric. In this manner, not as much fabric is used to form the lined fabric product.
Other objects, features and aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail below.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2515038 (1950-07-01), Harper
patent: 2520613 (1950-08-01), Robertson
patent: 3870000 (1975-03-01), Castany Ferre et al.
patent: 4292908
Burton Perry E.
LaBoone Lois
Noonan John V.
Dority & Manning P.A.
Izaguirre Ismael
LaBoone Lois
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