US2588453A - Adjustable garment - Google Patents

Description

March 11, 1952 J. w. THIELMAN ADJUSTABLE GARMENT Filed April 25. 1951 INVENTOR. J5 (r/v w. 7/7154 MAM QM M Jae a TTO/EA/S x" Patented Mar. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to garments and is herein described as particularly suitable for use in the making of garments for children at ages when they are growing rapidly, and is a continuationin-part of my application Serial No. 172,031, filed July 5, 1950.

One object of my invention is to provide a garment of the character referred to which can readily be altered to fit a growing child, both as to increased body measurement and increased height, these changes being effected mainly simply through the removal of temporary stitching and without the alterations being distinctly apparent.

Another object of my invention is to provide a garment of the character referred to, wherein the tuck or fold is concealed from view by a ruffle or the like, on the garment at a line below the temporary stitching that initially holds the tuck or fold and which will remain in such position when the stitching has been removed and the tuck fold released to lengthen the garment, to

conceal the let-out material which usually will be of a different shade than those areas of the cloth that were constantly exposed before the lengthenmg.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a face view of a dress embodying my invention; Figs. 2 and 3 are views taken on the lines IIII and. III]1I respectively of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary rear view of the waist portion of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a view of the garment of Fig. 4, but with the folded-back buttonhole and button-carrying portions of Fig. 4 opened to expanded position when adjusted to a larger size.

The garment is here shown as having a waist portion 8 and a skirt portion 9 that has the usual hem l formed at its lower edge.

The waist or shirt portion is folded backwardly and upwardly and then downwardly as shown in Fig. 2, to form a tuck H, the tuck being held in place by temporary stitching at l2. The skirt 9 is sewed at l3 to the tuck l I. A rufile or trim member I 4 or the like is sewed at Ma to the waist 8, below the temporary stitching [2. A ribbon insert I is shown incorporated in the rufile.

When it is desired to lengthen the garment, the stitching at l2 will be removed, allowing the tuck to open and the skirt 9 to drop. The rufile l4- is of sufficient length to cover the extended material when the folds of the tuck are released, so that the usually darker portions of the tuck resulting from its previous concealment will not show in contrast to the exposed face of the garment.

The garment can also be enlarged in the chest,

or bust, and also in the skirt width. To this end, the garment is open in its rear side, from top to bottom, if desired, and portions l1 and [8 are folded back as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and stitched in place, buttonholes 20 being provided in the folded-back part I8 and buttons l9 being sewed to the opposite edge of the waist, adjacent to the fold H. The button holes will be usable both before and after the removal of the stitching. When enlarging the garment, the stitching that holds the folds fl and 18 in place as shown in Fig. 5, is removed to permit straightening thereof to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 6, as indicated by the arrows. The buttons 19 will then be reset on the previously folded portion 11. Fastening devices other than buttons and button holes can be used, such as snap fasteners or hooks and eyes on the lighter weight fabrics. These vertical folds need extend only slightly below the tuck at the waist line, and be initiallyincorporated in the tuck.

In order to provide for lengthening the skirt 9 and hence to further lower the hem line H), the skirt is folded backwardly, upwardly and thence downwardly to form a tuck at 2|, the tuck being held in place by temporary stitching 22 which is removed to permit straightening of the cloth at the tuck. A trim member such as a flounce or ruflie 23 is sewed at 24 to the lower portion of the tuck 2|. so as to prevent exposure of unfadedor darker material at the tuck when the stitching 22 is removed to permit straightening of the tuck.

By folding the fabric backwardly, upwardly and thence downwardly as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, I secure a number of advantages that would not be present if the fold were made outwardly toward the face of the garment, upwardly, and then downwardly. Among these advantages are:

(a) The flounce strip can be sewed on to the face of the garment at the line of the first fold instead of at a line above the temporary stitching at l2 or 22, thus having only three thicknesses of material at the tucked zone, when the dress is initially made, instead of having four thicknesses as would be the case if the flounce strip is sewed to the dress along a line above the temporary stitching, and the strips of Figs. 2 and 3 will hang more smoothly;

(b) The arrangement whereby there are only three thicknesses of material initially present at the tucked zone is further advantageous, in that there is less bulk at said zone when the dress is first worn, such bulk being particularly troublesome where heavier fabrics such as woolens and corduroys are used, since in the skirt, the tucked zone would bulge out like a hoop, and at the waist, it would be bulky appearing and uncomfortable to the child;

(c) The fiounce strip need not be so wide in order to cover the tuckedmaterial that is exposed to view when the tuck is let down, and this may be an advantage where relatively narrow flounces are desired instead of much wider ones, and

(d) The down-turned fold at the rear of the garment when tucked as shown in the present drawing is not so subject to abrasion on the under-garments as would be the case if the fold were made outwardly, upwardly and thence downwardly, because this second fold of the tuck is held more closely to the main body of the fabric, by the temporary stitching, than would be the case if the cloth were folded in the opposite direction. This wear on the fold would tend to weaken the material, and in the case of thin fabrics such as organdy, would show through somewhat, and the fabric sometimes be worn practically through.

I claim as my invention:

1. A dress having a portion folded backwardly and upwardly and thence downwardly, along horizontal lines, to form a tuck rearwardly of the exposed face of the dress, the last-named fold being stitched to the body of the dress, to retain the tuck in place, whereby the lower edge of the dress can be lowered simply through removal of this stitching, a fiounce strip or the like attached at its upper edge to the exposed face of the dress along a horizontal line at the firstnamed fold line, and whereby scuffing is avoided at this line, the fiounce strip and the tuck folds being of such relative vertical lengths that the fiounce strip will conceal the tucked material from view when the said stitching is removed to release the tuck.

2. A dress having a shirt portion and a skirt portion, the shirt portion being vertically divided and having its vertical edges folded back and temporarily stitched along vertical lines, to permit of expansion at the chest of the wearer, when the stitching is removed, a horizontal tuck formed in the shirt portion adjacent to its line of juncture with the skirt and in the said folded-back parts, the tuck being formed by folding the dress material adjacent to said line of juncture backwardly, upwardly, and thence downwardly, along horizontal lines, to form a tuck rearwardly of the exposed face of the dress, the last-named fold being stitched to the shirt portion to retain the tuck in place, whereby the dress can be lengthened simply through removal of thi stitching, a fiounce strip or the like attached at its upper edge to the exposed face of the dress along a horizontal line at the first-named fold line, and whereby scuffing is avoided at this line, the fiounce strip and the tuck folds being of such relative vertical lengths that the fiounce strip will conceal the tucked material from view when the said stitching is removed to release the tuck.

JEAN W. THIELMAN.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,021,711 Abrams Nov. 19, 1935 2,049,242 Bardley July 28, 1936 2,308,411 Wolfson Jan. 12, 1943 2,570,777 Dessauer Oct. 9, 1951

Images