Improvements, in Shirts, Shirt-waists, and other Garments.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements, in Shirts, Shirt-waists, and other Garments.
I, ALBERT EVELINE LEHMAN, of the City of Saugerties, in the County of Ulster,
and State of New York, one of the United States of America, an employé in a
shirt factory, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what unanner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Shirts, shirt-waists or other garments made of woollen cloth will after one or two
washings shrink about the neck portions, frequently to such an extent that the upper
or collar button cannot be buttoned. The object of my improvement is to avoid
this difficulty.
I have in the accompanying drawings illustrated only such portions of a shirt or
shirt-waist as are essential to an understanding of my improveinent. In these :-
Figure 1, is a rear view of a collar and a portion of the upper part of a shirt
embodying my improvement.
Figure 2, is a similar view showing certain seams open, which are shown closed
in Figure 1.
Figure 3, is a view of the collar of the shirt detached.
Figure 4, is a view on an enlarged scale, showing the method of sewing a certain
seam of an infold, as seen from the rear or outside of the shirt.
Figure 5 is a similar view from the front or inside.
Figure 6 is a section of the collar of the shirt taken on the line x, x, Figure 1.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A designates the collar of the shirt. This collar is formed of two portions a, a',
which are of substantially the same shape and are united by stitching upon the
side edges a³, a³, a¹.
About midway in the length of the collar and of each of the portions a¹, thereof,
are downwardly extending portions a", which are gore shaped, as horo shown. These
gore shaped portions are preferably cut from the goods at the same time as the collar
and are integral therewith.
B designates a yoke of the shirt. This yoke may be of the usual or any desired
form, except that at or near the middle of its length, it is provided with a V shaped
or gore shaped opening b. There are two of the yokes B, one upon the outside or
back of the shirt and one upon the inside of the shirt. They are of the same shape
substantially, and the V shaped openings therein will when the yokes are arranged
upon the shirt come approximately opposite each other.
C designatos the main body of the shirt. The yokes B are secured to the main
body by rows of stitching c, c', c². The gore shaped pieces aº, upon the collar
pieces a, a, are of approximately the same shape as the V shaped openings b in
the yoke B and when the collar is arranged upon the shirt, said gore shaped pieces
will extend into said V shaped openings.
Rows of stitching d terminating at a secure the collar to the body portion C of
the shirt. A row of stitching d secures a portion of the lower edge of the portion a¹,
of the collar to one of the yoke pieces B and also the side edges of one of the
gore shaped pieces a³, to the side edges of the V shaped openings, b, in said yoke
piece. A similar row of stitches secures the portion a of the collar and the
other of the gore pieces a, to the other of the yoke piecos B. This will be better
understood when it is stated that upon taking hold of the back and front yoke pieces
and the back and front portions of the collar they may be drawn apart; the back
and front portions of the collar and the back and front yoke pieces not being secured
together at or near the gore pieces aº.
The portions having been united as described, a fold is taken longitudinally of the
gore pieces a, and about midway in the width thereof upon each of the portions a a¹,

page_text: of the collar. This fold will also extend approximately to the upper edge of the
collar when the same is turned up, and in which position I have shown all the
collars in the drawings. The fold consists simply in laying one half of the goro
piece over upon the other half and the fold in the portion of the collar which is
above the gore piece will be necessarily of approximately the same shapens is the goro
piece, or in other words when the whole fold is opened out, it will present approxi-
nately the appearance illustrated in Figure 2. The parts having been folded together
in the manner described, the portion of the material folded in, is tucked in or passed
to one side between the portions a, al of the collar and the yoke pieces B in such
manner that the fold upon the side of the shirt will extend toward one shoulder
and the fold upon the inside of the shirt will extend toward the other shoulder.
This is illustrated more clearly in Figures 1, 4, 5 and 6 and more particularly in the
lutter Figure.
I have lettered the fold extending toward the right shoulder and shown in dotted
lines e, and the fold extending toward the left shoulder also shown in dotted lines.
By this means it will be quite clear that seams g. g' will be formed upon both the
inner and outer sides of the shirt, which seams will he substantially opposite each
other, and in the position of the shirt as illustrated substantially vertical,
The fold having been male, I unite the side edges of the seam g, as shown more
clearly in Figure 5. with a threadh, sewn lack and forth between the edges of
the scam. I then pass the thread through from the inside to the rear side, preferably
through an eyelet i thence through an eyelet i, and thence unite in a similar manner
the seam of g' formned upon the outer or rear side and eventually pass the thread through
another eyelet, and unite the two ends of the thread preferably by tying them
together upon the inside of the shirt. The shirt when thus constructed will present the
appearance indicated more clearly in Figure 1, in which condition it is ready for sale.
The shirt having been washed and shrinkage of the collar having occurred as is
inevitable in all woollen shirts, the thread is cut between the eyelets. If then the
two threads he grasped at the lower part, or where they are tied together, and drawn
downwardly the senins g g' will be separated and by then grasping the collar or other
portion of the shirt adjacent thereof and drawing them sidewise the folds will by
opened out so that the collar and collar portion will present the appearance indicated
more clearly in Figure 2. By this means it will be clearly seen that the width of the
portion of the shirt which extends about the neck will be materially increased and the
shrinkage due to washing will be compensated for.
In further explanation of my invention I would say that the collar portion A
is of two thicknesses of material which are exactly aliko, the shape of the same being
shown in figure 3. In the centre of the bottom edge of each of these parts there is
secured, or formod integral with the goods, a gore-piece a. These pieces aª enter
V-shaped cuts in the yoke and are stitched therein as shown in figure 2, the
yoke also being of two pieces stitched together at certain points, but not in the centre
in the vicinity of the V-shaped cuts. When the collar and yoke, both of double
material, are joined on the line d the parts appear as indicated in figuro 2—
except that the dotted lines in the collar-part are not present, theso lines repre-
senting merely stitch-holes which are seen when the threads are withdrawn to let the
folds out, as already explained; figure 2 it will be remembered representing the
completed structure after the folds have been let out subsequent to washing the
garment, to compensate for the shrinkago of the goods. Figure 1 shows the garmont
as it appears when finished before it has been washed. In producing the garment
as thus shown (figure 1), after the collar and yoko have been joined together on
the line the goods on one side-say on the right-is folded over onto the front
of the garment so that the edge of the fold assumes a vertical lino passing centrally
through the goro-piece a and the goods at the back of the garment is likewise
folded over at the opposito or right hand side, in both cases the surplus goods being
tucked or folded in between the double thicknesses composing collar and yoke. The
folded parts are secured in this position by stitches h, figures 4 and 5, as explained.
When the garment thus constructed has shrunk from washing, the folds are lot out by

page_text: removing the stitches h, when the collar and yoke are permitted to enlarge laterally
and thus compensate for shrinkage. Figure 2 shows the garment in this expanded
condition.
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. In a shirt or other garment, the combination with a body portion of a collar
having a folded in portion being united by a draw-thread, substantially as and for
the purpose specified.
2. In a shirt, the combination with a body portion of a collar having two portions
united together for a certain distance, but for another distance being unconnected
together, each of said portions being separately provided with folded in portions, the
side edges of which are united by draw-threads, substantially as specified.
3. In a shirt, the combination with a body portion, of yoke portions made separate
from each other, a collar having two portions made separate from each other said
collar being provided with gore shaped pieces extending into and united at their
edges to V shaped openings in the yoke pieces, said gore pieces being folded in the
direction of the width of the collar and tucked between the yoke pieces and collar
pieces in opposite directions, the side edges of the folds thus formed being united by
draw-threads, substantially as specified.
4. The construction of wearing apparel such as pantaloons and other garments con-
sisting in providing said garment with a folded in portion united by a draw-thread,
the whole being so arranged that when said draw-thread is severed the folded in
portion is released to compensate for any loss in dimensions which may have been
occasioned by the shrinkage of the material of which the garment is made, sub-
stantially as specified.
Dated this 4th of Wh
1000
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.