Abstract:
A reversible garment with at least three different exterior configurations, where the garment does not use zippers or other fasteners. A special stitch is used to obscure the binding of the layers comprising the garment in any configuration the garment is used.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    This application claims priority as a non-provisional continuation of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/618,576 filed on Mar. 30, 2012 which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
         [0002]    Reversible garments provide the possibility of an inner layer becoming an outer layer and the outer layer becoming an inner layer. Such a garment has many uses. First, it provides for two possible appearances. Second, if the two layers serve different protective purposes, then a single garment can serve both purposes. Traditional reversible garments have only been able to present two possible appearances or features. 
         [0003]    In this invention, a garment is constructed such that the garment can have more than two possible configurations. That is, the garment is constructed so that there are three or more possible outer appearances rather than only two. The garment and its method of manufacture does not need special zippers or other fasteners to provide this functionality. 
         [0004]    The result is a garment with multiple configurations that is a great improvement over the prior art. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1 : Front View of Garment. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2 : Close up of Arm Hole of Garment 
           [0007]      FIG. 3 : Blow up of stitching, first step. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4 : Blow up of stitching, completed. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0009]    In one embodiment, the garment is constructed from three layers of fabric. ( 102 ,  103 ,  104 ). Each of the three layers can comprise the exterior of the garment, depending on the configuration. In this embodiment, the exterior of the garment might be the first and third layers of the stack of fabrics. When reversed, the exterior of the garment might be the first and second layers of the stack. When reversed again, the exterior of the garment might be the second and third layers of the stack. Reversing is simply a matter of pulling the hidden layer out through the bottom opening of the garment. ( 105 ). 
         [0010]    A reversible garment typically has to have a finished look no matter which layer is selected as the exterior layer. To accomplish a finished look in each configuration of the garment, special stitching must be applied at specific seams that comprise the garment. Special techniques have been developed for manufacturing a garment that in any configuration, presents finished seams. This technique is further developed so that the garment can be constructed to present three or more exterior appearances—not just two. 
         [0011]    In one embodiment, the garment has two types of seams. Finished hems adorn the bottom opening of the garment, the arm holes and the neck hole. ( 105 ,  106 ,  107 ). The hems are applied to the arm holes, neck hole and bottom opening on each individual layer. The shoulder seam ( 100 ) and the side seams ( 101 ) are especially made so that in any configuration, the garment appears finished. Any type of hemming stitch may be used, except in no case should these openings stitch through all the layers at once. 
         [0012]    In yet another embodiment, the shoulder and side seams ( 100 , 101 ) are constructed in several steps. First, binding with chain stitch is applied to all layers separately on the neckline, bottoms and armholes. Second, the hems are stitched separately, that is, the hemming does not attach the layers. Third, the binding hem may be subject to steam heat to remove wrinkles. A label may be attached to the front panel. All layers are stitched separately. The clothing label may be attached at this point. Next, all layers are arranged in a stack with the back on the bottom ( 302 ), the front in the middle ( 303 ) and the middle layer on top ( 304 ). The layers are tacked together so as to secure them for sewing. Next, using overlock machine, all fabric layers are bound together using stitching at the side seams and shoulders, leaving the neck, armhole and bottoms of the layers open. ( 301 ). In one embodiment, the binding stitch is a blanket stitch. This can be accomplished using a Merrow stitching device or overlock device. 
         [0013]    The next step is to apply a finishing stitch to the blanket stitched seams. The stack of fabric layers is now rearranged so that the middle layer moves to the bottom ( 302 ). Assuming the fabric comes in from the left into the completed blanket seam, the middle layer is pulled around the blanket seam so it lays on the bottom of the stack. ( 303 ). The front layer is pulled to the right of the blanket seam, resulting in a stack that is the back on top, the middle under it, going to the left of the blanket seam, and the front layer going to the right. See  FIG. 4 . A finishing stitch is then made through the back and the middle layers to hide the blanket stitch ( 401 ). In this way, the top and bottom layers of the stack when the blanket stitch is made, are then folded over and the finished stitch applied to the two layers to encase the blanket stitch seam. In one embodiment, the finished stitch is the chain stitch. 
         [0014]    The blanket stitch connects the layers at the side seams and shoulder seams. The rearrangement before the final chain stitch hides the blanket stitch. This results in a reversible garment where any configuration shows finished chain stitching and hems. The garment side seams and shoulder seams will now have a “clean” appearance on all three layers so the garment can be configured with any of the layers on the outside. To reconfigure the garment, one of the middle layers is pulled through either the neck hole, arm holes or bottom hole. This causes an exterior panel to be reconfigured as a middle layer. 
         [0015]    In another embodiment of the invention, the number of layers in the stack is four. In this embodiment, the possible combinations of exterior are layers  1  and  2 , layers  2  and  3 , layers  3  and  4 . That is, each possible exterior configuration is two layers in the fabric stack the neighbor each other, with the front layer and back layer being considered neighboring layers by virtue of the finishing stitch. The method of manufacture is essentially the same. When the rearrangement step to chain stitch a finishing stitch over the blanket stitching is made, rather than having one middle layer, there are two middle layers. In other embodiments, the number of layers may be more than four so that there are additional combinations of layers that constitute the exterior of the garment, depending on how it is configured. 
         [0016]    The foregoing description discloses only exemplary embodiments of the invention. Modifications of the above disclosed garment and methods of its manufacture which fall within the scope of the invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, while the present invention has been disclosed in connection with exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood that other embodiments may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.