IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF NECK-TIES OR SCARFS
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th June 1881. A communication
from abroad by Jacob H. Fleisch, of the City and State of New York, United
States of America.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltino, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
NECK-TIES OR SCARFS." A communication from abroad by Jacob H. Fleisch,
of the City and State of New York, United States of America.
This Invention relates to that description of scarfs commonly denominated flat
scarfs, to distinguish them from the round or long scarfs that are forined of a knot
or band having the appearance of a knot, with ends or tabs dependent from the
knot, being scarfs that are known in the trade as "Teck scarfs," "sailor's knot
scarfs," and under other names.
The flat scarfs of the kind to which my said Invention relates are usually
constructed of a centre or chin-piece that forms the central part of the upper
portion of the scarf, and two aprons or tabs that constitute the side portions or
wings, crossing each other at an angle at or near the vertical centre of the body
of the scarf, and terminating in free ends at the bottom. This description of scarf
has hitherto been invariably provided with what is called a shield. This shield is
a piece of some stiff material, usually cardboard, that is fastened to the rear face
of the scarf so as to occupy its upper central portion, and extending from the neck
line downward an inch and a half or more. Its original purpose was to hold the
detaining pin, to which the free end of the neck band was attached when on the
neck, but incidentally it served to stiffen the body of the scarf and support
the upper ends of the aprons or tabs. Sometimes this shield extends laterally
only to the outer end of the neck-line, between the inner edges of the neck-band,
leaving the aprons or side wings of the scarf unsupported or unstiffened, and
sometimes the shield has been made to extend across the entire width of the scarf.
But in all cases the centre of the upper part of the scarf, immediately at the neck
line, bas been made to a great degree rigid by the shield. This necessarily presents
Pine Ad

page_text: a comparatively sharp rigid edge to the chin of the wearer, which causes more or
less discomfort, while the silk or other covering of the centre piece is liable to be
rapidly worn at the neck-line. Another disagreeablo result of having this compara-
tively rigid shield placed in the centre of the scarf immediately under the chin of
the wearer is, that the lower edge of the shield has a tendency to be forced inward
upon the shirt bosom when the wearer stoops forward or presses his chin down
upon the upper edge of the centre piece, thus depressing the shirt bosom in ward
against the chest and thereby causing both discomfort to the wearer and an
ungraceful fit of the shirt bosom or front.
The object of my Invention is to obviate these above objectionable characteristics,
and it consists in a flat cross-apron scarf constructed with a soft or yielding centro
piece and with cross-aprons, the upper outer portions of which are supported or
stiffened, as hereinafter described. I will proceed to describe a scarf made according
to my said Invention.
I provide a centre piece made of silk, cloth, or any suitable material folded so as
to present a looped or curved upper edge, and extended down in front below the
angle of the crossing of the aprons. I provide two aprons or folding pieces, each
of which before it is folded into the scarf has the form of a parallelogram with one
corner rounded off. These aprons are placed together so as to cross over the centre
piece, then two upper outer angular corner pieces are folded over upon the other
portion of the aprons and secured thereto. These corner pieces servo to stiffen and
support the outer upper portions of the aprons, so that while the centro piece is
left more flexible and yielding, thus doing away with the objectionable shield in
connection with the centre piece, the aprons are made to preserve very well their
form, and lie flat when in use. But I prefer to further reinforce the said corner
pieces by stiffening pieces preferably made of paper cardboard. They are placed
and secured between the front of the aprons and the corner pieces. To one of
the corner pieces is secured the detaining pin, so that its front projects downward
and backward or inward from the inner inclined edge of the corner piece. Openings
are left at the upper edge of the scarf between the folds of the upper outer edge of
the aprons for the insertion and attachment of the neck band. One end of this
band is inserted into one of said openings between the outer or front hold of the
apron and one corner piece, and permanently secured therein. The other, the free
end of the band for adjustment on the neck of the wearer, is passed into the
corresponding opening on the opposite side of the scarf between the outer fold of
the apron and the corner piece, and drawn in and downward and caught upon the
pin.
The rounding off of the inner upper corner of the aprons before folding the outer
corners, as before described, gives to the completed scarf a form that enables it to
fit fairly to the base of the neck of the wearer, while the neckband acts to cause
the outer upper portions of the scarf at the neckline and down along the sidelines
to conform to the curvature of the neck and chest, the stiffening pieces supporting
and maintaining the form of the wings of the scarf, while the centre is left free to
yield to the pressure of the chin, and to be easily flexed across the centre of the
scarf.
I have described what I regard as the best and most economical mode of making
my improved scarf, but the angular pieces that constitutes the inner folds of the
aprons at the upper outer portions may be made of separate pieces sewed to the
aprons on the lines. The cutting and folding of the aprons, as I have described, is
however preferable.
The aprons above described are so folded that the lower angle of the folds are
at the outer points of crossing of the aprons, this being the preferable form of fold;
but it is obvious that the said lower angle may be carried somewhat higher up,
and that it is not absolutely necessary that it should exactly coincide with the
angle of crossing the aprons. There may be a slight departure from such coincidence
without departing from the spirit of my Invention.

page_text: I employ the usual padding or filling piece extending across the upper part of
the scarf of the rear surface covering the inner folded end of the centre piece, and
imparting somewhat more body or thickness to the scarf than it would have with
the centre piece and the aprons alone. This padding is inade of flannel or coarse
cotton cloth, which will not interfere with the flexibility and yielding capacity of
the neck piece and centre portion of the scarf.