US3401459A - Pattern lay-out guide or instrument - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 17, 1968 M. a. GOMORY PATTERN LAY-OUT GUIDE OR INSTRUMENT Filed July 27; 1965 HGURE 1' FIGURE 2 HGURE 4 MAR GARET a. coma:

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HGURE 3 \NVENTOR I 5 ms neeirr United States Patent 3,401,459 PATTERN LAY-OUT GUIDE 0R INSTRUMENT Margaret Burke Gomory, Bethesda, Md. Filed July 27, 1965, Ser. No. 475,146 5 Claims. (Cl. 33-2) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A guide having longitudinal markings corresponding to available or standard widths of material is provided. The method for using same to lay thereon a pattern and then measuring the length of the guide covered thereby. In one form the guide is provided with lateral markings in predetermined units of measurement from a fixed point at one end of the guide. In another form the guide can be of a flexible fabric or material marked so that the guide can be folded to provide a width corresponding to the width of an available or standard material. In a further form the guide can be composed of two sheets which slide over one another to give a desired width and the pattern pieces arranged thereon after it has been adjusted to a desired width.

This invention relates to a guide or instrument for determining the amount of required material for a given pattern. In one of its aspects, it relates to a measuring guide, adjustable in a first direction, and having a measuring means in a direction perpendicular to the first direction. In another of its aspects, it relates to a cloth or guide having longitudinal markings corresponding to standard widths of material and lateral markings in predetermined units from a fixed point at one end thereof. In a still further aspect, the invention relates to a flexible fabric having marks to indicate widths to which the fabric can be folded for placing thereon a pattern, and having on each mark cross marks to indicate the distance from a predetermined point. In a still further aspect, the invention relates to a method for determining with facility the amount of material required to make a piece of fabric into an item of wearing apparel, the method comprising folding a guide to a desired width, laying out a pattern on the guide in an economical manner from one end of the guide, and measuring the distance from the one end to the end of the pattern.

Home sewing of wearing apparel provides the housewifewith harmless, creatively recreational activity and provides a means of procuring vai'ious forms of wearing apparel at a substantial savings in cost. Waste of expensive material is a factor which militates against the economy of sewing. For the most part, the home sewer must estimate the amount of material for a given pattern. Generally, guidelines for estimating will be given with a certain pattern for standard widths of material. However, one who is larger than or smaller than a standard pattern must interpolate the pattern guide lines. Occasionally, the guide lines provide for too much or too little leeway in estimating the required material. An excess of an expensive fabric, costing say from $5 to a yard, could result in a substantial percentage increase in the cost of making the item. Too little material would require the sewer to return to the fabric store for purchase of more material, if still available, with still more waste and expense.

Some imported fabrics, which are generally higher in cost, vary in width from that of domestic fabrics. As above mentioned, guidelines for patterns are given in standard widths of materials. When it is desired to make an item of an imported fabric, it is therefore necessary for the home sewer to determine the amount of material required when there are no guidelines for the width of the imported fabric. The problem cannot be solved by a simple translation from the standard width given in the guideline to the non-standard width on the basis of square footage because the pattern must be re-aligned, and, often, the design in the material must be matched.

I have now found that a correct determination of the amount of required material for a given pattern can be made by placing the pattern pieces on a measuring instrument having the width of the desired fabric, and measuring the length of the guide covered by the pattern pieces lying thereon.

Further, I have found that such determination can be made using an instrument marked with longitudinal lines corresponding to the width of fabrics and with cross markings indicating the distance from a given point along said longitudinal lines.

By various aspects of this invention, one or more of the following or other objects can be obtained.

It is an object of this invention to provide a pattern layout guide from which can be determined the correct amount of material for a given pattern or combination of two or more patterns, and a given fabric.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method for determining the amount of material needed for a given pattern or combination of two or more patterns, and a given fabric.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a simple method for translating the requirements of ma-. terial for a given length of a certain width fabric to corresponding lengths for other widths of desired fabric.

According to the invention there is provided a guide having longitudinal markings corresponding to standard widths of material and lateral markings in predetermined units from a fixed point at one end thereof.

According to the invention, there is provided a guide of flexible or foldable material which has on it longitudinal markings. The guide can be folded to a desired width so that it will have the width of standard width or irregular width material. A pattern can then be arranged on the doubled folded portion of the guide in the most economical manner. Having so laid out the pattern, a measure or reading of the length of the guide covered by the pattern pieces now laid out thereon will indicate precisely the amount of fabric required for the garment or other item in question. In one embodiment, the guide will contain markings in a longitudinal direction and one can readily read off the length of guide covered by the pattern pieces.

The invention can be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which: FIGURE 1 shows a view of the upper side of a guide according to the invention; FIGURE 2 shows a view of the under side of the guide shown in FIGURE 1; and FIGURE 3 shows the guide of FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 2 folded as intended to be used in normal operation of the invention. FIGURE 4 is a view showing how the invention can be used when a single thickness of material is required.

Referring now to the drawings, a guide of flexible material 1 has arranged thereon longitudinal lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The guide can be made of any material, woven or non-woven, preferably flexible, on which a pattern can be placed. Suitable materials include pressed fibers, glued bits of material, plastic or even metal or combinations thereof; hinged inflexible pieces or necked down plastic. The longitudinal lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 can indicate standard widths of material such as 35", 36", 40", 42", 45", 54", and 60". Each longitudinal marking con- 3 tains cross markings 8 which can indicate in standard lengths the distance from edge 9.

FIGURE 2 shows the underside of the guide which has on it longitudinal markings 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, which can have on them markings such as 35", 36", 40", 54 and 60 respectively. The longitudinal lines on the underside and upper side of the guide can be of different colors. Fold line in use and the line to which the edge of the guide is folded preferably are matched or the same color. Each longitudinal marking on the underside of the guide 1 will have a corresponding longitudinal mark on the upper side of the guide. In other words, line 11 will have the same color marking as line 2. Similarly, line 13 would have the same color marking as line 4.

In FIGURE 3, there is shown the pattern layout guide folded along line 13, which is the line along which the guide is folded, so that the edge 15 will come up to meet line 4. In such a folded position the doubled portion of the guide 1 would have a total width of, for example 40" and an apparent width of Pattern pieces 20 are laid out on guide 1. The distance from the edge 9 to the imaginary lne 21, d, indicates the amount of material which the pattern pieces cover up. The distance between line 13 and line 15 would be 20".

In operation, the sewer will select a material of a desired width, say, for example 40 wide. Guide 1 will then be folded along line 13 so that edge 15 meets line 4 as shown in FIGURE 3. Both lines 13 and 4 preferably have the same color. The guide 1 would now have a doubled width of about 40". The pattern which is to be used with the desired fabric is then laid out on the doubled thickness of the folded guide 1 in the most economical manner starting from edge 9. A traverse line 21 would indicate the ending of the pattern pieces on the folded guide 1. The distance from the edge 9 to line 21 can be measured or read as later described. This distance, d, would be the precise amount of material required for the given pattern. The length of the guide can be any length, but a length of 3 /2 to 4 yards would be suitable for most purposes.

Longitudinal lines 4, 15 and 13 can have cross marks on them indicating standard lengths. For example, the cross marking indicates yards in eighths. Thus, the sewer would merely have to read from the cross markings on line 4, for example, the amount of required material.

Referring now to FIGURE 4, the guide is folded along a line 13, for example, which would give the guide an overall width of 40". If, in the case of a full skirt, for example, only one thickness of fabric is required, the guide can be reverse as shown in FIGURE 4. The pattern piece or pieces can then be placed on the single thickness of material to determine the amount of 40" wide material needed by the aforedescribed method.

It is obvious that the instrument can be used to make outfits in which different patterns and different fabrics are required. If, for example, the top of one pattern and the bottom of another pattern were desired to be used, and each part required a different or the same fabric, then the amount of material could be accurately determined. An independent determination of the required fabric for each part would indicate the amount of required fabric for the entire article without appreciable waste.

It is obvious from this disclosure that the guide as described could be incorporated into a sewing table. In this embodiment, the guide could consist of two inflexible metal sheets which slide over one another to give a desired width. The pattern pieces could be be arrayed on the table and held in place by magnets.

Further, the guide need not be flexible, but could be rigid and need not even be folded. In such an instance, the instrument would merely contain longitudinal lines corresponding to the width of fabrics and cross markings indicating the length from a given point. The pattern could be placed on fabric in any manner such as by pinning or in the case of inflexible patterns by taping it thereon.

However, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the instrument is flexible. This flexible instrument would allow the sewer to place the pattern thereon in the most economical manner and after so doing, determine the amount of material required, fold up the guide with the pattern attached, and put it way. The economical layout of the pattern on the guide or instrument has been preserved and can be directly translated onto the fabric when the fabric is ready to be cut out.

Further, it is obvious that the longitudinal lines could be marked or could have markings thereon indicating the size of repeating design in the event that a fabric which has a repeating design is desired. In such a case, the layout of the pattern on the guide or instrument would allow the sewer to measure the required amount off-material while keeping in mind the matching of design.

Reasonable variation and modification are possible within the scope of the foregoing disclosure, the drawing, and the appended claims to the invention, the essence of which is that there is provided a pattern layout instrument with measured longitudinal markings corresponding to given widths of fabrics, said instrument also being provided with markings stating measured lengths there along from one end thereof and being thus adapted to be used for placing a pattern thereon such that the amount of a given width of fabric desired can precisely determined by laying out the pattern on the instrument, and reading the amount of material required.

I claim:

1. A guide for determining the amount or length required of an available width material for a given pattern, said guide having longitudinal markings thereon spaced from a longitudinal edge thereof corresponding to the width of available materials and also having markings stating measured lengths therealong from one end thereof toward the other end thereof such that the required length of cloth can be read from the said guide, said longitudinal markings on said guide being on two sides, such that when said guide is folded back onto itself longitudinally on a longitudinal marking on the one side, its edge will be aligned with a corresponding marking on the other side.

2. A guide according to claim 1 wherein the various markings on each side are of dilferenent colors, such that when the guide is folded on a line of a color, the edge of the folded guide will be aligned with a marking on the opposite side of the said guide, said marking having the same color as the color on the fold line.

3. A measuring guide for determining the length re quired for any pattern of any of a plurality of materials of different widths, said guide comprising an elongated foldable substantially flat member, longitudinal first markings on a first side thereof, each first longitudinal marking respectively being spaced from a first longitudinal edge of said member a distance corresponding to different widths respectively of said plurality of materials, a plurality of second markings on the other side of said guide, each second marking respectively corresponding to a different one of said first markings, the second markings being spaced so that a longitudinal edge of said member is in registry with any one of said second markings when said guide is folded back onto itself along a first marking which corresponds to said any one of said second marking.

4. A guide according to claim 3 whterein said guide is provided with cross markings thereon indicating standard linear measurements from an end thereof such that the length thereof covered by a set of patterns can be directly read from said guide.

5. A guide according to claim 4 in which at least the longitudinal markings on one side are of different colors and the longitudinal markings on the other side which correspond to the markings on the first side are of color corresponding to the color of the longitudinal lines on the first side with which they coact in use of the guide.

(References on following page) 5 6 References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS 653,415 1928 France- 1,004,668 1952 France. 1,443,151 1/1923 Sieger 33-12 1 941 33 1 1934 steinberg 33 11 5 ROBERT B. HULL, Primary Examiner. 2,814,116 11/1957 Goodman 332 L. V. ANDERSON, Assistant Examiner.

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