A Method of Shaping Corsets and other Garments.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Jan., 1895--Accepted, 9th Feb., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Method of Shaping Corsets and other Garments.
I, JAMES JOSEPH MCINERNEY, residing at 454 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, in
the County of Kings, and State of New York, Merchant, 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 :-
This invention relates to corsets and similar garments, and has for its object to
provide a very strong, durable and cheap garment which may be formed in one or
two pieces, and which will of itself be sufficiently stiff to in a measure retain its
designed shape; a further object of the invention being to provide a new and
improved steel for use in connection therewith.
The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangements of parts
hereinafter fully described.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of portion of a corset embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is a plan view of a piece of the fabric from which the same is formed,
showing the seam or pleat forming part of the invention in its first fold, with the
steel therein.
Figure 3 is a similar view with the steel turned, and the seam completed.
Figure 4 is a transverse section upon the line - Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a similar section upon the line y-y Figure 3.
In the practice of my invention I produce a sheet or piece of fabric A, of the
size to form a whole corset, or where the same is to be laced at the rear,
I divide said fabric into two parts of equal size, to form each one half or section
of the garment.
The fabric A is suitably marked with a diagram to indicate at what portions the
area thereof is to be reduced to properly shape the corset, and at such portions the
fabric is folded double as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and a curved line of stitching
inserted through the same to form a hollow and undivided pleat B, tapered from its
centre to the reduced ends b¹ thereof.
a
The fabric is then straightened out to the horizontal plane as shown in Figure 3,
and the pleat B folded down upon each side of the stitching a, and secured along
and immediately within the outer edges of said pleat B, through the outer or main
strip of said pleat and its inner folded edges, and finally through the fabric A.
As, in practice, by this means, an excess of one-half inch of fabric is taken in at
the centre or enlarged portion of the pleat, the corset is caused, by the formation
of a plurality of such pleats, to assume the usual shape of such garments, as shown
in Figure 1, and by the peculiar construction and formation of said pleats, and the
several series of stitching securing the same, they form stiffening strips, which of
themselves cause the garment to retain its designed shape.
In conjunction with this seam or pleat, to cause the usual "steels" or other
metallic strengthening and supporting strips to be more effectually retained without
transverse stitching, I have devised an improved form of such device, comprising
the flat metallic or other body C, widened at its centre C¹, and tapered towards
each of its ends C³, similarly to the pleat B.
When the steel is used, I insert the same between the folds of the fabric A when
first commencing the formation of the pleat, and then form the seam or stitching a.
When the fabric is straightened the steel will thus project vertically at right
angles therefrom, whereupon it is turned to assume the horizontal position, and at

page_text: the same time flatten out the pleat, which is then secured by the stitching c.
It will be observed that this steel is immovably secured in place without the aid
of other fastening.
Other garments of similar contour or character, may be formed in like manner,
and variations or slight changes may be made without departing from the operative
principle of the device.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A corset or other garment, formed in one or two main pieces, and folded and
stitched at intervals to form integral pleats of varying width, to reduce the
diameter of the garment at the wider points of said pleat, substantially as shown
and described.
2. A corset or other garment, formed in one or two main pieces and longi-
tudinally folded and stitched at intervals to form pleats tapering in width from the
centre toward each end thereof, and bound to said garment by longitudinal
stitching inserted through said pleat and the garment-fabric at each side, sub-
stantially as shown and described.
3. A corset or other garment, having a plurality of integral vertical pleats
formed therein at intervals by means of a seam extending through the doubled
fabric, said pleats being flattened to project beyond each side of said seam and
bound to the fabric by longitudinal seams extending within each edge of the pleat
through both folds thereof and the fabric, substantially as shown and described.
4. The combination, with a corset or other garment having integral or other
pleats or the like adapted to receive stiffening material, of a plurality of strips of
such material tapered from the centre toward each end whereby they are
retained in the corset without other fastenings, substantially as shown and
described.
5. A corset formed of one or two main pieces, folded vertically at intervals and
stitched together by a curved seam, to form hollow pleats overlapping the seam at
each side and tapering from the centre thereof to each end, steels in each of said
pleats, conforming in shape thereto, and longitudinal seams along the edges of said
pleats inserted through both folds thereof and through the fabric of the garment,
substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 7th day of January 1895.