Combined Ladies' Dress Facing and Skirt Binding.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 14th Nov., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Combined Ladies' Dress Facing and Skirt Binding.
We, AARON MOSES WEBER, Manufacturer, of Oshkosh, County of Winnebago,
State of Wisconsin, U.S.A., and WILLIAM JAY HAY, Manufacturer, and GEORGE
HILTON, Lawyer both of the same place, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Heretofore great discomfort has been experienced by ladies in riding bicycles,
owing to the fact that with ordinary bindings the skirt is too light, and when
weighted with lead or equivalent materials it hangs unevenly and flaps against the
legs to the great annoyance of the wearer. The weighted parts also wear out at
the bottom and render the skirt unsightly.
The object of our invention is, firstly, to provide a combined skirt binding and
facing especially adapted to be used by bicycle riders, which will not only serve as
a binding and facing but which will add uniformly to the weight of the lower
edge of the skirt, and at the same time stiffen it sufficiently to prevent it from
banging against the legs of the wearer; and secondly, to provide for the construction
of the binding as an article of manufacture adapted to be very easily and quickly
attached to the dress without the necessity of sewing by hand through the stiffened
portion.
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a side view and Fig. 2 an enlarged edge view of the invention.
Fig. 3 is also an edge view shewing the binding in process of attachment to the
skirt, with dotted lines indicating its attached position.
A strip of velvet or other suitable cloth A is cut bias and lined with any suitable
material, the lining B being secured to the velvet by means of a solution of rubber,
which renders it waterproof. The strip is then folded and a strip of tape C is
preferably sewn between the respective sides to prevent stretching. This tape,
however may be omitted if desired. We then take ordinary dress goods D, cut the
same bias, and attach a lining E to it by means of rubber cement in the same
manner that the strip A is prepared, as above described, thus forming a wide facing
of rubber cloth for the lower part of the skirt. The facing is then laid upon the
folded strip A with the edges together, and the facing and strip A are secured
together by stitching. The upper edge of the facing is provided with a strip of
tape F, which facilitates its attachment to the dress, it being preferable to do the
stitching to the dress by hand, the rubber cement rendering it difficult to pass a
needle through the facing.
In attaching the facing to the skirt, the prepared strip is first laid in reversed
position on the outside thereof, as shewn in Fig. 3, and sewed thereto near the
lower edges, the strip being then folded over on the inner side of the skirt, and
secured to the dress lining by stitching through the braid F the latter being the
only case where a machine cannot well be used.
It will be observed that we have thus provided a dress binding and facing formed
into a single article of manufacture of sufficient weight and stiffness to make it
hang properly, and waterproof throughout. It is very quickly and easily attached
to the skirt and can be washed when soiled without removing it.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. A combined dress facing and binding comprising a facing strip of bias cut
waterproofed cloth baving along its outer face at the lower edge a longitudinally
folded bias cut waterproofed binding, the binding being secured to the facing with
its free edges flush with the lower edge thereof, substantially as described and
shewn.
2. A combined dress facing and binding comprising a facing strip of bias cut
waterproofed cloth having along its outer face at the lower edge a longitudinally
folded bias cut waterproofed binding, the binding being secured to the facing with
its free edges flush with the lower edge thereof, the facing having along its inner
face at the upper edge a narrow tape, the tape projecting above the edge of the
facing, substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 30th day of September 1896.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.