Composite elastic band for use with a garment

Abstract

Abstract A composite elastic band capable of being stretched elastically from a relaxed condition, comprises a core consisting of two elastic ribbons enclosed in a textile cover, preferably a nonwoven fabric, with a tie cord extending freely lengthwise of the band between the two ribbons. Such a band is secured in a hem in a wearer encircling portion of a fabric garment by folding a marginal part of the fabric completely around the band, and stitching the band into the hem. A loop of the tie cord is subsequently extracted through a hole in the fabric by piercing the cover, then cutting the loop to leave two loose ends; one loose end may be extracted through another hole in the fabric by piercing the cover. The loose ends are intended to be tied together by the wearer to tighten the wearer encircling portion around the trunk or a limb of the wearer. The wearer encircling portion may be a waist band, cuff band, or ankle band. The band is enclosed in a hem tunnel formed in a length of garment fabric by apparatus comprising a pair of metering rollers, at least one of which is driven, for forwarding the band at a predetermined linear speed to region at which a first face of the band is brought into contact with a first face of the fabric along a zone of the latter spaced inwards from an edge of the fabric so that a marginal strip of the fabric protrudes beyond an edge of the band, a pair of rollers, at least one of which is driven, for forwarding the band and fabric in face contact to a fabric-folding region through which they are traversed, a fabric-folding device at said folding region for forming the fabric into a hem tunnel by folding said marginal strip around said edge of the band to overlay the second face of the band and folding the fabric about the other edge of the band to present said second face of the band, and the marginal strip, to the first face of the fabric along a zone of the fabric spaced inwards of the first said zone, and a sewing mechanism for withdrawing the band and fabric from said folding device and for securing the band in the hem tunnel by stitching penetrating through the band and the fabric of the tunnel, including the marginal strip, with said zones.

Inventors

• 👤 John Edward Lynam

Bibliographic Details