GB2222395A

GB2222395A - Garments

Info

Publication number: GB2222395A
Application number: GB8820899A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Oliver John Makower
Original assignee: Makower & Co Ltd M
Current assignee: Makower & Co Ltd M
Priority date: 1988-09-06
Filing date: 1988-09-06
Publication date: 1990-03-07
Also published as: GB8820899D0

Abstract

Garments are made from a kit comprising a container (10), a plurality of pre-cut pieces of cloth in the container, and a set of instruments (14) showing how the pieces are to be sewn together. The pieces may be marked for fitting to one another, overlocked on cut edges, and provided with interlinings and buttonholes. Notions may be included in the container. Bulk factory cutting out of the pieces ensures accuracy, while the purchaser of a kit can adapt the garment's fit and achieve economy and creative satisfaction. <IMAGE>

Description

GARMENTS This invention relates to garments and in particular to making up garments from cloth.

For many years it has been the practice of home dressmakers intending to make a garment to select and purchase a number of separate items for this purpose. These would normally include a pattern for the garment; a sufficient quantity of cloth to cut out the necessary pieces as dictated by the pattern, allowing for right and wrong sides of the material, and any nap, grain or printed pattern thereon; and sundry articles of haberdashery ('notions') such as thread, buttons and other fasteners, stiffening material, pads, ribbons, trimmings and the like.

Considerable skill is then required to cut the cloth to the pattern and make up the garment from the pieces so as to achieve a satisfactory result in the finished garment. Inexperienced dressmakers may buy insufficient material from a single batch, or may make errors in cutting out; and inaccuracies or unwanted inconsistencies may appear in details which adversely affect the way the garment appears when finally made up from the cut pieces.

Factory methods of garment manufacture may avoid these problems but leave no or very little choice of material or scope for alteration to improve the fit. In addition, the purchaser of the separate materials may be looking for economy or for creative satisfaction in making a garment by hand.

According to the present invention, a kit for making up a garment comprises a container, a plurality of pre-cut pieces of cloth in the container for making up into a garment without further cutting, and a set of instructions indicating the manner in which the pieces are to be sewn together.

The invention also extends to a method of making a garment comprising cutting out a plurality of sets of pieces of cloth for making up the garment without further cutting, packaging each set into separate containers with instructions indicating the manner in which the pieces are to be sewn together, to form kits for making up the garments1 and thereafter making the garment from a set of cut pieces in a kit according to the said instructions.

A kit will normally be for a specific garment or set of garments, to a certain pattern and in a certain size or range of sizes. The home dressmaker can adapt the or each garment somewhat to the required fit when sewing the pieces together.

The kit may also include the notions needed for the pattern of garment to be made from the kit, such as one or more of buttons, zip fasteners, hooks and eyes, elastic, pads and the like.

The pre-cut pieces of cloth are advantageously overlocked on their cut edges (not normally on selvedges), and selected ones may also be interlined for stiffening (for example on lapels), and/or provided with machine-made buttonholes. Other details which can with advantage be incorporated prior to making up the garment may also be provided in the pre-cut pieces, particularly if they would otherwise require a high level of skill or equipment.

The pieces may also be marked for fitting to one another. The markings for this purpose may be on the edges of the pieces, indicating where marks should be matched for accurate assembly of the pieces1 and/or may be on removable labels or the like affixed to the pieces to identify the pieces themselves and correlate with the instructions. Edge markings may be by means of nips cut into the edges, which will be visible even when the edges are overlocked, while piece identity markings may be printed on paper or cloth labels held to the pieces by pressure-sensitive adhesive.

Preferably the kit contains all the items that are required to be present in the finished garment, in accordance with the specific pattern, except the thread for sewing the garment. The nature and pattern of the garment will normally be identified on the container and/or with the instructions.

The set of instructions may be included within the container or may advantageously be printed on the exterior of the container, so that a prospective purchaser of the kit can assess the degree of difficulty of making up the garment before purchase.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a container for a kit in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows one each of the cut pieces of cloth included in the kit; Figure 3 shows a detail of the cut cloth edge; and Figures 4 to 8 illustrate steps in the making up of a garment from the kit.

Figure 1 shows a container 10, in the form of an envelope1 provided with a hanger 12 to enable it to be hung for display purposes at the point of sale, and bearing a set of instructions 14 printed on one side of the envelope. The opposite side (not shown) may show, for example, an illustration of a garment made up according to the pattern included in the kit, or the garment may be illustrated in a separate brochure. The envelope contains all cloth parts ready cut, overlocked and niched for matching, and marked with identifying labels. Interlinings, buttonholes and the like as required are already completed. Notions as required are also included, excepting only the necessary sewing thread.

Figure 2 shows, with identifying markings indicated at a larger scale, one of each of the cut pieces required for a separate skirt and top. These are a top front Tl, a top back T2, a front armhole facing T3 and a back armhole facing T4 (two each of these being provided in the kit), a front neck facing T5, a back neck facing T6, a front skirt S7, a back skirt S8 and a waistband S9.

The pieces in Figure 2 are efficiently and accurately cut in bulk, so eliminating errors in cutting or cloth selection by inexperienced or unskilled persons.

Figure 3 shows a detail of an edge of a cut piece, illustrating a nip 16 visible beneath overlocking 18. The overlocking prevents the cut edges from fraying.

Figures 4 to 8 illustrate typical steps in the making up of the garment set by the end user. Figure 4 shows the first step, making the shoulder seams from the pieces T1 and T2. After stitching the neck facings T5 and T6, the front of the top is stitched to the back along the side seams (Figure 5). At all times the nips on pieces to be sewn together are matched. Figure 6 shows one pair of armhole facings T3 and T4 stitched together, before they are stitched to the armhole edges. The front and back skirt panels S7 and S8 are stitched together, as shown in Figure 7, the different seams being identifiable by their differently spaced nips. Figure 8 shows the waistband S9 in the course of being stitched to the skirt, before inserting the elastic provided (not shown) in the waistband. The top and skirt are finally hemmed to finish the garments.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific elements and combinations of elements, it is envisaged that each element may be combined with any other elements without limiting the invention to the particular combinations of elements suggested.

Furthermore, the foregoing description is not intended to suggest that any element mentioned is indispensable to the invention, or that alternatives may not be employed.

Claims

1. A kit for making up a garment comprising a container, a plurality of pre-cut pieces of cloth in the container for making up into a garment without further cutting out, and a set of instructions indicating the manner in which the pieces are to be sewn together.

2. A kit as claimed in claim 1 including notions for the garment to be made from the kit.

3. A kit as claimed in claim 1 including all items required to be present in the finished garment, in accordance with the instructions, except the thread for sewing the garment.

4. A kit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the pre-cut pieces of cloth are overlocked on their cut edges.

5. A kit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which selected pieces of cloth are interlined for stiffening, and/or provided with machine-made buttonholes.

6. A kit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which pieces of cloth are marked for fitting to one another.

7. A kit as claimed in claim 6, in which markings for fitting pieces to one another are on the edges of the pieces, indicating where marks should be matched for accurate assembly of the pieces.

8. A kit as claimed in claim 7, in which edge markings are by means of nips cut into the edges.

9. A kit as claimed in claim 6, in which edge markings are on removable labels or the like affixed to the pieces to identify the pieces themselves and correlate with the instructions.

10. A method of making a garment from a kit, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

10. A kit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims1 in which the container is in the form of an envelope bearing the set of instructions printed thereon.

11. A kit for making up a garment, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

12. A method of making a garment comprising cutting out a plurality of sets of pieces of cloth for making up the garment without further cutting out, packaging each set into separate containers with instructions indicating the manner in which the pieces are to be sewn together, to form kits for making up the garments, and thereafter making the garment from a set of cut pieces in a kit according to the said instructions.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, in which the kits are kits as claimed in any one of claims 1 to

11.

14. A method of making a garment from a kit, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A kit for making up a garment, comprising a container, a plurality of pre-cut pieces of cloth in the container for making up into a garment without further cutting out, and a set of instructions indicating the manner in which the pieces are to be sewn together; wherein the said pieces of cloth are marked on their edges to be fitted to one another by means of nips cut into the said edges, indicating where nips should be matched for accurate assembly of the pieces, and the pieces are overlocked on their cut edges while leaving nips therein visible.

4. A kit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which selected pieces of cloth are interlined for stiffening, and/or provided with machine-made buttonholes.

5. A kit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims1 in which pieces of cloth are marked by removable labels or the like affixed to the pieces to identify the pieces themselves and correlate with the instructions.

6. A kit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the container is in the form of an envelope bearing the set of instructions printed thereon.

7. A kit for making up a garment, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

8. A method of making a garment comprising cutting out a plurality of sets of pieces of cloth for making up the garment without further cutting out; marking the said pieces of cloth on their edges for fitting to one another by cutting nips into their edges, indicating where marks should be matched for accurate assembly of the pieces; overlocking pieces on their cut edges while leaving the nips visible; packaging each set into separate containers with instructions indicating the manner in which the pieces are to be sewn together, to form kits for making up the garments; and thereafter making the garment from a set of cut pieces in a kit according to the said instructions.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, in which the kits are kits as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.