Patent Publication Number: US-11641908-B2

Title: Article of footwear with stretchable upper

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Conventional articles of athletic footwear such as shoes may include an upper and a sole assembly. The upper may provide a covering to receive and securely position a foot with respect to the sole assembly. In addition, the upper may have a configuration that protects the foot and provides ventilation, thereby cooling the foot and removing perspiration. Footwear uppers may be formed of various materials, including canvas, for example. The sole assembly may be secured to a lower portion of the upper and may, when the footwear is worn, be generally positioned between the ground and the wearer&#39;s foot. In addition to attenuating ground reaction forces, the sole assembly may provide traction, control foot motions (e.g., by resisting over pronation), and impart stability, for example. An insole may be located within the upper and adjacent to a plantar (i.e., lower) surface of the foot to enhance footwear comfort, and is typically a thin, compressible member. Various materials may be used in footwear uppers and in sole structures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a side view of an article of footwear. 
         FIG.  2    shows components of an upper, for the article of footwear of  FIG.  1   , at various stages during a process for forming the upper. 
         FIG.  3 A  is an enlarged, partially-schematic perspective view of a portion of components of an upper of the article of footwear of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  3 B  is an enlarged, partially-schematic perspective view of the portion of components from  FIG.  3 A , but with additional portions of material panels omitted to show stitch structure. 
         FIG.  4 A  is another enlarged, partially-schematic perspective view of a portion of components of an upper of the article of footwear of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  4 B  is an enlarged, partially-schematic perspective view of the portion of components from  FIG.  4 A , but with additional portions of material panels omitted to show stitch structure. 
         FIG.  5    shows a portion of an interior surface of the upper of the article of footwear of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  6    is a flowchart showing steps of an example method for fabricating an upper and an article of footwear comprising that upper. 
     
    
    
     The figures referred to above, which are not drawn necessarily to scale, are merely conceptual in nature and intended to show one or more features of one or more examples of the disclosure. Some features shown in the drawings may be enlarged and/or distorted, relative to other features, to facilitate explanation and understanding. The same reference numbers are used in the drawings for similar or identical components and features. Additional examples of articles (e.g., articles of footwear) according to the disclosure may have some or all of the features shown in the drawings, and/or may include additional features. The configurations and components of such examples may be determined, in part, by the intended application and environment in which they are to be used. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Products that are successful in the marketplace, particularly consumer products, may have both functional and aesthetic characteristics. Over time, however, the aesthetic characteristics of a product may take on an importance that may interfere with a manufacturer&#39;s ability to improve the functional characteristics of that product. In particular, consumers of a product may become accustomed to one or more aspects of that product&#39;s appearance as that product remains on the market for longer and longer periods of time. Consumers may associate that appearance with a product or source, and/or may wish to purchase that product based on such association. Consumers may also or alternatively simply find those aesthetic features of the product to be visually appealing. If well-known aesthetic features of a product are changed, consumers may refuse to continue purchasing that product. As a result, a manufacturer of that product may have difficulty incorporating a functional improvement if a product change associated with that functional improvement will interfere with an established appearance that buyers have come to associate with the product. 
     These problems may occur in connection with footwear. For example, Converse Chuck Taylor All Star® footwear is a line of products that have been continuously on sale for many years, and that have numerous appearance features that have become iconic. Consumers expect—and demand—these appearance features. If these appearance features are changed too much, consumers may simply buy some other shoe. 
     One such appearance feature of Converse Chuck Taylor All Star® footwear relates to stitching. Traditionally, certain types of Converse Chuck Taylor All Star® footwear have included uppers formed from canvas. Those canvas uppers include parallel lines of stitching along the upper, proximate the collar and the throat of the upper, that helps secure an outer panel of the upper to a lining of the upper. This stitching is, along with other appearance features, an important component of the overall look of the product. If the appearance of this stitching were to change, the shoe would simply not look the same. 
     The parallel stitching lines in traditionally-manufactured Converse Chuck Taylor All Star® footwear are formed using a double needle straight lock stitch. That type of stitch does not elongate or stretch. Because the canvas used for uppers of those traditionally-manufactured products also does not stretch, this has not previously been a concern. However, stretchable canvas materials that have an appearance similar to the non-stretchable canvas used for traditionally-manufactured products are available. Incorporating such stretchable canvas into uppers of Converse Chuck Taylor All Star® footwear would offer multiple functional advantages such as improved fit and greater wearer comfort. However, the benefits of replacing the canvas used in those uppers would be reduced (if not lost) if straight lock stitches are used for the parallel stitching lines. Because straight lock stitching does not stretch, use of straight lock stitching would drastically reduce (if not eliminate) the stretchability of the stretch canvas along that straight lock stitching (e.g., along edges of the ankle collar and throat). 
     Other stitch types do allow elongation. However, many of those stitch types have a very different appearance, and as mentioned, many devoted consumers of the Chuck Taylor All Star® shoe demand fidelity to its traditional appearance, even in the details. One stitch type that allows elongation, and that also has an appearance similar to double needle straight lock stitching on one side, is a double needle cover stitch. As explained in further detail below, a double needle cover stitch may be formed using two needle threads and a loop thread. The two needle threads may be arranged as parallel lines of regularly spaced loops that penetrate joined materials, and that have an outward appearance similar to straight lock stitching. The loop thread, which is located on an opposite side of the material, interloops and interlaces the loops of the needle threads in a pattern that allows the stitch to elongate along the length of the stitch. 
     The double needle cover stitch is not known to have previously been used in connection with shoes. Indeed, and despite inquiries among various high-volume footwear manufacturers, the inventors were unable to find a footwear manufacturer having equipment in its factory that was even capable of performing cover stitching in connection with a shoe upper. Ultimately, it was necessary to work with stitching machine vendors to obtain equipment that could produce double needle cover stitching. A footwear manufacturer then had to integrate that equipment into a process for making uppers. 
     Double needle cover stitching has been used in garment applications such as hems around arm or leg openings. Forces on such a hem are different than those found in the ankle and/or throat of an upper. A garment hem line may be tensioned somewhat (e.g., around a sleeve opening of a tightly fitting t-shirt) and may be subject to some abrasion against a wearer&#39;s skin or other garment. In a shoe, however, such forces would normally be greater in magnitude and/or sustained over a much longer period. For example, a shoe wearer may secure a shoe by tightly cinching laces, thereby imparting tension along the edges of the upper in the ankle opening and/or throat region. As the shoe wearer walks, runs, etc., the tension along the ankle collar and/or throat regions would be increased. Users or manufacturers have sought to provide elastic tensioning to footwear by replacing standard laces with laces that have elastic properties, enabling limited lace elongation. However, the stitching of shoe uppers, particularly around the collars, has typically been selected for secure, durable, immobile connection of shoe materials. 
       FIG.  1    is a medial side view of an example shoe  10  having an upper comprising stretchable canvas, and in which double needle cover stitching is used. The shoe  10  may include a sole assembly  12  and an upper  14  positioned above and secured to the sole assembly  12 . The upper  14  may comprise a collar  16  that extends along a top edge of the upper  14 , and that forms an opening through which a wearer&#39;s foot may be inserted into the interior of the shoe  10 . The collar  16  may connect to a throat  17 . A pair of rows of eyelets  18  may be positioned on the upper  14  under edges of the throat  17 . A tongue  20  may span the throat  17 . A lace  22  may be threaded through the eyelets  18  on the medial side  19  of the throat  17  and through similar eyelets  18 , not shown, on a lateral side of the throat  17 . The upper  14  may also include ventilation openings  15 . The sole assembly  12  may include a midsole positioned beneath and secured to the upper  14 , and an outsole may be secured to a bottom surface of the midsole. Also or alternatively, a bottom surface of a midsole can serve as the ground-engaging portion (or other contact surface-engaging portion) of the shoe  10 . Sole assembly  12  may be secured to the upper  14  by, e.g., gluing or other known techniques. 
     The upper  14  may be comprise a stretchable canvas material. Stretchable canvas used for the upper  14  may be formed from various materials and may have various properties. For example, an outer layer of the upper  14  may comprise an example stretchable canvas that is a stretchable canvas material having a fiber content of approximately 73% cotton, approximately 15% nylon, and approximately 12% spandex, and a weight of approximately 451.5 grams per square meter (g/m2). The example stretchable canvas may be a plain weave in which weft and warp threads cross at right angles, and which may have an appearance that emulates traditional non-stretch canvas materials used in previous shoes. The example stretchable canvas may include yarns or fibers extending in weft and warp directions and may have a weft direction stretchability that is greater than a warp direction stretchability. 
     Stretchability of material in a particular direction may be the degree to which that material is elastically elongatable in that direction. Stretchability (or elastic elongatability) in a particular direction may be quantified as a percentage of an original length (in that direction) by which a material will extend without breaking when tension is applied, and from which extension the material will return to the original length after tension is released. The example stretchable canvas may have a weft direction stretchability percentage of between 120% and 170% and a warp direction stretchability percentage between 20% and 35%. The warp direction stretchability percentage may also or alternatively be expressed as a percentage of the weft direction stretchability percentage (e.g., if weft direction stretchability percentage is X % and warp direction stretchability percentage is Y %, warp direction stretchability percentage may be Y/X % of the weft direction stretchability percentage). The example stretchable canvas may have a warp direction stretchability percentage that is between 12% and 29% of the weft direction stretchability percentage. As another example, a stretchable canvas may have a weft direction stretchability percentage up to 138% and/or a warp direction stretchability percentage between 5% and 10%. 
     The term “approximately” means close to, or about a particular value, within the constraints of sensible commercial engineering objectives, costs, manufacturing tolerances, and capabilities in the field of footwear manufacturing and use. The term “substantially” means mostly, or almost the same as, within the constraints of sensible commercial engineering objectives, costs, manufacturing tolerances, and capabilities in the field of footwear manufacturing and use. 
     Stretchable canvas material may be elastically elongatable so as to stretch from an at rest condition to a fully stretched condition and then restore itself to the at rest condition. Including stretchable canvas material in the upper  14  may improve flexibility, comfort, and easy on/off wearability of the shoe  10 . For example, when the lace  22  is threaded through all of the eyelets  18  and tied, a wearer may still be able to don or remove the footwear  10  without untying the lace  22 . 
     The upper  14  may include stitching  24  to secure layers of the upper  14  to one another. In particular, and as described in more detail in connection with  FIGS.  4 A and  4 B , the stitching  24  may help secure a stretch canvas outer layer of the upper  14  to an inner lining layer. The stitching  24  may extend along the upper  14  adjacent (or proximate) to the collar  16  and the throat  17 , and may extend substantially parallel to the edges of the collar  16  and the throat  17  (e.g., by following, at an approximately constant offset, the edges of the collar  16  and the throat  17 ). A portion of the stitching  24  may also extend under the eyelets  18 . The stitching  24  may extend over the lateral side of the upper  14  in a pattern similar to that shown in  FIG.  1    for the medial side. The stretch canvas material of the upper  14  may be oriented so that the weft direction is approximately parallel to the edge of the collar  16 , and so that the maximum stretchability of the canvas material is in a direction S in the heel region  21  and near collar  16 . The direction of no (or minimum) stretchability may extend in a direction NS. The stitching  24  may also be included in other regions, and/or may be omitted from one or more of the regions indicated above. 
       FIG.  2    shows components at several stages during an example process for fabricating the upper  14 . As part of that process, and as shown at the top of  FIG.  2   , a panel  31  of stretchable canvas and a panel  32  of a liner material may be cut from larger sheets. The shapes of the panels  31  and  32  may correspond to a slightly enlarged and flattened version of the portion of the upper  14  extending from the medial edge of the throat  17 , around the heel, and to the lateral edge of the throat  17 . However, the term “panel” is not limited to particular shape. A panel may, for example, comprise (or consist of) a portion of material (e.g., a ribbon, strip, tape, etc.) with a length that is much greater than its width. 
     Examples of materials that may be used for the liner material include stretch canvas and stretch knits. The liner material may be more stretchable in one direction than another, or may have a stretchability that is approximately the same in all directions. If a liner material has a direction of maximum stretchability, the panel  32  and the panel  31  may be cut from larger sheets of materials such that, when the panels  31  and  32  are aligned as shown in  FIG.  2   , the directions of maximum stretchability in the two panels are aligned. The liner material may have a maximum stretchability that is equal to or greater than a maximum stretchability of the canvas material. The liner material may have a maximum stretchability that is less than a maximum stretchability of the canvas material, but that allows stretch of the upper in regions joined by any of the various types of stretchable stitches described herein. If two materials having different maximum stretchabilities are joined with their directions of maximum stretchability aligned, and are joined by a stitch (e.g., as described herein) that extends along both directions of maximum stretchability and that does not limit stretchability, the maximum stretchability of the joined materials along that stitch may be the lesser of the maximum stretchabilities of the two materials. For the joined materials however, greater force may be needed to achieve maximum stretch. 
     A top edge  33  of the panel  31  and a top edge  34  of the panel  32  may be sewn together, using stitching  35 , to create a first partial shell  38 . The stitching  35  may, for example, comprise overlock stitching. Additional details of the stitching  35  are shown in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  and are described more fully below. When the panels  31  and  32  are sewn along the edges  33  and  34  to form the first partial shell  38 , the right side of the panel  31  (i.e., the side that fill face outward in the completed shoe  10 ) and the right side of the panel  32  (i.e., the side that will face toward the interior of the completed shoe  10 ) are facing each other. The first partial shell  38  may be turned right side out to create a second partial shell  42 . In the second partial shell  42 , the edges  33  and  34  joined by the stitching  35  are hidden inside and between unjoined portions of the panels  31  and  32 . 
     The stitching  24  may then be applied to the second partial shell  42  to create a third partial shell  44 . The third partial shell  44  shown in  FIG.  2    has been rotated 180 degrees, in the plane of the figure, relative to the second partial shell  42 . Additional details of the stitching  24  are shown in  FIGS.  4 A and  4 B  and are described more fully below. Fabrication of the upper  14  may be completed by performing additional steps. For example, the eyelets  18  and ventilation holes may be installed, a toe piece and the tongue  20  may be attached, an Achilles region reinforcing strip may be added, a strobel or other lasting element may be attached, etc. The upper  14  may then be attached to the sole structure  12  to fabricate the shoe  10 . 
       FIG.  3 A  is an enlarged, partially-schematic perspective view of a portion of the first partial shell  38  that includes a section of the stitching  35 . The remainder of the stitching  35  may be similar. In  FIGS.  3 A through  4 B , the panel  31  of stretchable canvas is represented with stippling, and the panel  32  of liner material is shown without a pattern, to more clearly distinguish the separate materials. This way of showing the panels  31  and  32  is not intended to require (or exclude) a difference in color, in other appearance-related features, or in other material properties of the two materials used for the panels. The wavy lines along edges of the sections of the panels  31  and  32  shown in  FIGS.  3 A through  4 B  indicate that the panels extend beyond the direction of the wavy-line edges. Shading and outline used for threads in  FIGS.  3 A through  4 B  is used merely to distinguish between threads and better show relative positions, and is not intended to require (or exclude) a difference in color, in other appearance-related features, or in other material properties of the threads. Vertical or angled tilde (“˜”) symbols are used to indicate that the threads, described below, continue beyond the regions shown. 
     As indicated above, the stitching  35  may be an overlock stitch (also known as an over edge stitch). Although a three-thread overlock stitch (e.g., an ASTM D-6193 type 504 stitch) is shown in the example of  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B , other types of overlock stitches may be used. Those other stitch types include, without limitation, a four-thread overlock stitch (e.g., an ASTM D-6193 type 512 or type 514 stitch) or a five-thread overlock stitch (e.g., an ASTM D-6193 type 516 stitch). Types of stitches, other than overlock stitches, allowing extension along the stitch line may also or alternatively be used. Multiple types of stitches may be combined for the stitching  35  (e.g., one stitch type in a first section, a different stitch type in second section). Although the example of  FIG.  3 A  shows the needle thread  51  of the stitching  35  running along the panel  31 , the stitching  35  could be applied in the reverse manner. For example, the positions of the panels  31  and  32  may be reversed from what is shown in  FIG.  3 A . 
     The stitching  35  comprises three threads: a needle thread  51  and two looper threads  54  and  55 . The needle thread  51  may extend over the surface the panel  31  along a path parallel to the edges  33  and  34  of the panels  31  and  32 , with loops of the thread  52  penetrating the panels  31  and  32  at regular intervals. The threads  54  and  55  may extend over the edges  33  and  34 . In the completed upper  14  the structure of the stitching  35 , and of the portions of the panels  31  and  32  extending from the thread  51  to the edges  33  and  34 , may be substantially the same throughout as is shown in  FIG.  3 A . In the completed upper  14 , however, the panel  31  is folded over the portion of the panel  31  secured by the stitching  35 , and the panel  32  is folded over the portion of the panel  32  secured by the stitching  35 . The stitching  35  may allow the panels  31  and  32  to stretch, in the regions joined by the stitching  35 , to the same extent that those panel regions may be able to stretch before the stitching  35  is applied. 
       FIG.  3 B  is an enlarged, partially-schematic perspective view of the portion of the first partial shell  38  shown in  FIG.  3 A , but with additional portions of the panels  31  and  32  omitted to show additional structure of the stitching  35 . Each of loops  57  of the thread  51  penetrates the panels  31  and  32 . Each of loops  58  of the thread  55  passes through the bottom portion of one of the loops  57  and extends across the surface of the panel  32  and over the edge  34 . Each of loops  59  of the thread  55  passes through one of the loops  58 , extends over the edge  33  and across the surface of the panel  31 , interloops one of the loops  57 . Moreover, the loop  58  through which each of the loops  59  extends passes through one of the loops  57  that is different from (but adjacent to) the loop  57  interlooped by that loop  59 . 
       FIG.  4 A  is an enlarged, partially-schematic perspective view of a portion of the third partial shell  44  that includes a section of the stitching  24 . The remainder of the stitching  24  may be similar. As indicated above, the stitching  24  may be a double needle cover stitch (e.g., an ASTM D-6193 type 406 stitch). Other types of cover stitches could be used. For example, a three-needle cover stitch (e.g., an ASTM D-6193 type 407 stitch) could be used, with the center needle thread having a color similar to the color of the outer surface of the panel  31 , so as to have an external appearance similar to that shown in  FIGS.  1  and  2   . Multiple types of stitches may be combined for the stitching  24  (e.g., one stitch type in a first section, a different stitch type in second section). 
     The stitching  24  comprises three threads: two needles threads  61  and  62  and one looper thread  63 . The needle threads  61  and  62  may extend over the surface of the panel  31  in parallel paths, with loops of the threads  61  and  62  penetrating the panels  31  and  32  at regular intervals. As partially seen in  FIG.  3 A , the looper thread  63  extends across the surface of the panel  32 . In the completed upper  14  the structure of the stitching  24 , and of surrounding portions of the panels  31  and  32  joined by the stitching  24 , may be substantially the same throughout as is shown in  FIG.  4 A . The stitching  24  may also allow the panels  31  and  32  to stretch, in the regions joined by the stitching  24 , to the same extent that those panel regions may be able to stretch before the stitching  24  is applied. 
       FIG.  4 B  is an enlarged, partially-schematic perspective view of the portion of the third partial shell  44  shown in  FIG.  4 A , but with additional portions of the panels  31  and  32  omitted to show additional structure of the stitching  24 . Each of loops  65  of the thread  61 , and each of loops  66  of the thread  62 , penetrates the panels  31  and  32 . For each pair of adjacent loops  65  and  66 , a portion of the thread  63  passes through. That portion of the thread  63  forms loops  69  and  70 . The loop  69 , between the pair of adjacent loops  65  and  66 , interloops a loop  66  of the next pair of loops  65  and  66 . The loop  70  passes through the loop  65  and then interloops the loop  65  of the next pair of loops  65  and  66 . 
     The stitching  35  and the stitching  24  are extensible and allow portions of the panels  31  and  32  secured by that stitching to stretch. This allows use of stretch canvas material in the upper  14  without unduly limiting the stretchability of that material in regions having the stitching  24  or the stitching  35 . Moreover, the stitching  24  may have an appearance, on one side of the stitch, that is similar to that of the stitch type traditionally used in some types of shoes. In particular, each of the needle threads  61  and  62  appears similar to one side of a line of straight lock stitching. This allows a shoe to maintain an appearance, associated with shoes made without stretch canvas or other stretch materials, that consumer may demand. The looper thread  63  may be exposed on an interior surface of the upper  14 , as can be seen in  FIG.  5   , which shows a portion of an interior surface of the upper  14 . 
     Although examples of materials, stitch types and position, and other configurations are provided above, other materials, stitch types and/or positions, and/or other configurations may also or alternatively be used. For example, different types of stretch canvas may be used. Such other stretch canvas materials may have different amounts of stretchability in the weft direction. For example, prior to attachment to a liner or other material, a stretch canvas may have a weft direction stretchability of at least 25%, at least 50%, at least 75%, at least 100%, at least 150%, or more than 150%. A stretch canvas material may be stretchable in the warp direction (e.g., may have a stretchability of any of the previously-mentioned percentages) instead of the weft direction, and/or may have different weights, different combinations of fibers, and/or different weaves. Instead of being stretchable in the weft direction (or warp direction) and not stretchable in the warp (or weft) direction, stretch canvas used for an upper may have a first degree of stretchability in one of the weft or warp directions, and a second degree of stretchability, less than the first degree, in the other of the weft or warp directions. Stretch canvas may be arranged in an upper so that directions of maximum stretch and of no (or less than maximum) stretch are different from that shown as directions S and NS in  FIG.  1   . 
       FIG.  6    is a flowchart showing steps of an example method for fabricating an upper and an article of footwear comprising that upper. In step  100 , panels (e.g., the panels  31  and  32 ) may be cut from larger sheets of material. One of those panels may comprise stretchable canvas or another stretchable material, and may be used to form an exterior portion of an upper. One of those panels may comprise a material used to form a liner of the upper. 
     In step  102 , stitching (e.g., the stitching  35 ) may be applied to edges of the panels. That stitching may be applied, for example, to secure those panel edges together. In step  104 , the panels secured by the stitching of step  102  may be turned right side out. After turning the panels right side out, the stitched edges may be hidden between the remainder of the two panels. 
     In step  106 , stitching (e.g., the stitching  24 ) may be applied to the panels that were turned right side out in step  104 . This stitching may further secure the panels together. The stitching of step  106  may be in portions of the panels that are adjacent or otherwise proximate edges of the panels that will become edges of an ankle collar (e.g., the ankle collar  16 ) and/or a throat (e.g., the throat  17 ) in a completed upper. The stitching of step  106  may be applied so that one or more needle threads are on a surface that will become an exterior surface of the upper and so that one or more looper threads are on a surface that will become an interior surface of the upper. 
     In step  108 , additional fabrication operations for the upper may be performed. Lace eyelets and/or ventilation holes may be added. A toe piece and/or a tongue may be attached. An Achilles region reinforcing strip may be attached. A strobel or other lasting element may be attached. In step  110 , the upper from step  108  may be attached to a sole structure. 
     One or more of the steps of  FIG.  6    may also be performed if the upper will not have a lining. For example, stitches (e.g., the stitching  24 ) may be applied to a panel similar to the panel  31 , and with the panel  32  omitted. 
     For the avoidance of doubt, the present application includes the subject-matter described in the following numbered clauses:
         1. An article, comprising a footwear upper, wherein the footwear upper comprises an elastically elongatable first panel.   2. The article of clause 1, wherein the first panel is elastically elongatable, along at least one direction across a surface of the panel, by at least 50%.   3. The article of clause 1 or clause 2, wherein the first panel comprises stretchable canvas.   4. The article of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the first panel comprises a woven material.   5. The article of any one of clauses 1-4, wherein the first panel comprises a woven material having a weft direction and a warp direction, wherein the first panel is elastically elongatable, in one of the weft direction or the warp direction, by a first percentage, and wherein the first percentage is at least 50%, and/or between 120% and 170%.   6. The article of clause 5, wherein the first panel is elastically elongatable, in the other of the weft direction or the warp direction, by no more than a second percentage, and wherein the second percentage is no more than 10%-30% of the first percentage, and/or wherein the first panel is elastically elongatable, in the other of the weft direction or the warp direction, by no more than 20%-35%.   7. The article of clause 5 or clause 6, wherein the first panel is elastically elongatable, in the other of the weft direction or the warp direction, by no more than 5%-10%.   8. The article of any of clauses 1-7, wherein the first panel forms exterior portions of the upper surrounding an ankle collar of the upper.   9. The article of any of clauses 1-8, wherein the first panel forms exterior portions of the upper surrounding a throat of the upper.   10. The article of any of clauses 1-9, further comprising first stitching comprising one or more needle threads penetrating the first panel and one or more looper threads coupled to the one or more needle threads, wherein the first stitching allows elongation of the first panel, in the at least one direction, by at least 50%.   11. The article of clause 10, wherein the first stitching extends along a first stitching path that is proximate to at least one of an ankle collar of the upper or a throat of the upper.   12. The article of clause 10 or clause 11, wherein the upper comprises a second panel, and wherein the first stitching secures the first panel to the second panel.   13. The article of any of clauses 10-12, wherein the second panel forms an interior surface of the upper.   14. The article of any of clauses 10-13, wherein the first stitching comprises cover stitching.   15. The article of clause 14, wherein the first stitching comprises double needle cover stitching.   16. The article of any of clauses 10-15, wherein the first stitching secures the first panel to a second panel.   17. The article of any of clauses 10-16, wherein the one or more needle threads extend across an exterior surface of the upper and the one or more looper threads extend across an interior surface of the upper.   18. The article of any of clauses 10-17, further comprising second stitching joining an edge of the first panel to an edge of a second panel, and wherein the second stitching allows elongation of the first panel, in the at least one direction, by at least 50%.   19. The article of clause 18, wherein the second stitching comprises overstitching.   20. The article of clause 18 or clause 19, wherein the second stitching extends along a second stitching path that is proximate to at least one of an ankle collar of the upper or a throat of the upper.   21. The article of any of clauses 10-13, wherein the first stitching comprises overstitching joining an edge of the first panel to an edge of a second panel, wherein the first panel forms at least a portion of an exterior surface of the upper and the second panel forms at least a portion of a lining of the upper.   22. The article of any of clauses 1-21, further comprising a sole structure, and wherein the upper is attached to the sole structure.   23. An article of footwear comprising an upper, wherein the upper comprises a first panel formed from stretchable canvas and forming exterior portions of the upper surrounding an ankle collar of the upper and a throat of the upper.   24. The article of clause 23, wherein the upper comprises first stitching that extends along a first stitching path that is proximate to at least one of the ankle collar or the throat, wherein the first stitching comprises double needle cover stitching.   25. The article of any of clauses 23-24, further comprising a sole structure, and wherein the upper is attached to the sole structure.   26. The article of any of clauses 23-25, wherein the first stitching path is proximate to the ankle collar.   27. The article of any of clauses 23-26, wherein the first stitching path is proximate to the throat.   28. The article of any of clauses 23-27, wherein the upper further comprises a second panel and overstitching joining an edge of the first panel to an edge of the second panel, wherein the second panel forms at least a portion of a lining of the upper.   29. The article of any of clauses 23-28, wherein one or more needle threads of the first stitching extend across an outer surface of the upper and one or more looper threads of the first stitching extend across an inner surface of the upper.   30. The article of any of clauses 23-29, wherein the stretchable canvas comprises a woven material having a weft direction and a warp direction, wherein the stretchable canvas is elastically elongatable, in one of the weft direction or the warp direction, by a first percentage, and wherein the first percentage is at least 50%.   31. The article of any of clauses 23-30, wherein the stretchable canvas is, in the other of the weft direction or the warp direction, elastically elongatable by no more than a second percentage, and wherein the second percentage is between 10%-30% of the first percentage.   32. A method comprising applying first stitching to at least a first panel, wherein the first panel is elastically elongatable, along at least one direction across a surface of the first panel, by at least 50%, and wherein the first stitching comprises one or more needle threads penetrating the first panel and one or more looper threads coupled to the one or more needle threads, and wherein the first stitching allows elongation of the first panel, in the at least one direction, by at least 50%.   33. The method of clause 32, further comprising forming an upper, from the first panel, with the first stitching extending along a first stitching path that is proximate to at least one of an ankle collar of the upper or a throat of the upper.   34. The method of clause 32 or clause 33, further comprising attaching the upper to a sole structure.   35. The method of any of clauses 32-34, wherein the first stitching comprises double needle cover stitching and secures the first panel to a second panel.   36. The method of any of clauses 32-35, further comprising joining an edge of the first panel to an edge of the second panel using overstitching.   37. The method of any of clauses 32-36, wherein the first panel comprises stretch canvas.       

     The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit embodiments of the present disclosure to the precise form described, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various examples. The features discussed herein were chosen and described in order to explain the principles and the nature of various examples and their practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the present disclosure with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Any and all combinations, subcombinations, and permutations of features described herein are the within the scope of the disclosure.