Improvements in or connected with the Stiffening for the Fronts and other Parts of Coats or other Garments.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 24th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 22nd June, 1895
Improvements in or connected with the Stiffening for the Fronts
and other Parts of Coats or other Garments.
I, THOMAS HENRY BROWN, of York Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Commission Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
-
This invention is designed to provide a substitute for buckram, horsehair and
other similar stiff fabrics, used for stiffening the fronts of coats and other garments.
It consists essentially in preparing a fabric for this purpose having a number of
thin strips of horn embedded or stretched therein preferably diagonally which can
be inserted into the garment in lieu of the padding and stiffening at present
employed.
In carrying out the invention I take a piece of canvas of suitable texture and a
lighter fabric and machine the two together so as to form slots to encase fine strips
of flexible horn. The slots which receive the horn are preferably made diagonally
to give greater flexibility.
The material may be prepared in lengths of suitable size to be cut to any desired
shape, or it may be made up in different patterns and may be applied for inserting
in and stiffening gentlemen's coat fronts, vests, jackets, coat collars, dress bodices
or similar garments.
I consider this will be found a perfect substitute for the stiffening fabrics now
employed for these garments. It will be found flexible and rigid and not liable to
break or become soft, and lends itself to the inflection of the body, without
allowing the garment to become creased.
Dated this 27th day of August. 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.
Improvements in or connected with the Stiffening for the Fronts
and other Parts of Coats or other Garments.
I, THOMAS HENRY BROWN, of York Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Commission Agent, 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 :-
In the making of coats jackets and other garments the fronts lapels and other
parts require to be stiffened by the insertion behind the cloth of a material much
stiffer than the cloth itself in order to enable the garment to preserve its shape or
prevent it becoming creased. Hitherto for this purpose fabrics (known as
buckram") which are stiffened with size or glue or fabrics made of horsehair or
of other stiff fibres have been employed but these are all objectionable for the
66

page_text: purpose as they become softened or pliable by the influence of either heat or
moisture or both and in a garment they are constantly liable to either of these
influences.
This invention is designed to provide a stiffening fabric to be employed in
substitution of any of those at present in use which will not be liable to become
soft or pliable in wear.
It consists essentially of a compound fabric of linen cotton woollen silk or other
suitable fibre formed with slots running across the fabric either diagonally
longitudinally or transversely into which are inserted strips of horn whalebone
steel cane vulcanite wire or other suitable stiff flexible material thus producing a
stiffening fabric suitable to be cut to the required length or shape for the purpose
to which it is to be applied.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1. Front view of cloth in which the slots B are formed in the weaving one
part being shown in section with the stiffening strips D exposed.
Fig. 2. Longitudinal section of same on line 2-y.
Fig. 3. Enlarged section on same line.
Fig. 4. Front view of the cloth in which the slots B are formed by stitching two
plies of canvas (or other fabric) together.
Fig. 5. Section of same with one ply of the canvas removed and the stiffening
strips D exposed.
Fig. 6. Longitudinal section of same.
Fig. 7. Front view of another modification in which the slots B are formed by
stitching strips C on to the cloth or canvas.
Fig. 8. Longitudinal section of same.
Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 I weave of any suitable fibres a cloth A with a
'Humber of slots or slits B woven therein. These slots may run in any direction
But I prefer at present that they should be diagonally across the cloth from the
selvedge a to the selvedge a¹. The slots B may be formed at any convenient
distance apart according to the degree of stiffness required in the material. In
each of the slots B I insert a strip D of 'a semi-rigid material which while
rendering the fabric stiff will allow of a certain amount of flexibility. The strips D
thay be inserted in the slots B during the process of weaving or after the cloth has
been woven and finished in any ordinary way. The cloth I at present prefer to
weave for this purpose is an open loosely woven linen canvas.
Referring to Figs. 4 5 and 6 I form the compound cloth or fabric with the
slots B by stitching two or more plies of cloth or canvas. I take two pieces or
plies A and C of canvas or other suitable textile fabric and machine or stitch the
two together forming by such stitching slots or grooves B across the fabric in a
diagonal direction and into these slots I insert the strips D of semi-rigid material.
Referring to Figs. 7, and 8 I form the compound cloth or fabric with the slots B
by stitching on the first ply A a number of tapes or strips C' of textile material
and into the slots B thus formed I insert the semi-rigid or stiffening strips D.
The strips D of stiffening material may be made of horn, whalebone, steel, cane,
vulcanite, wire or other suitable material and may be inserted in the slots B in any
convenient manner.
The material may be manufactured in any suitable length and width to be
afterwards cut to the desired shape. The dotted lines où Fig. 4 indicate the
pattern for a coat front.
I thus produce a woven fabric which is stiff and at the same time flexible and
which can be cut to any desired shape or pattern and can be applied for inserting
in and stiffening men's coat fronts or vests jackets coat collars dress bodices or
similar garments.
I consider this will be found a perfect substitute for the stiffening fabrics now
employed for these garments. It will be found flexible and rigid and not liable to
break or become soft and lends itself to the inflection of the body without allowing
the garment to become creased.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A compound fabric for inserting in and stiffening garments formed with a
number of slots therein in which are inserted pieces of a semi-rigid material
substantially as described and shown.
2. A compound fabric for inserting in and stiffening garments formed of two
plies or pieces woven or stitched together with a number of diagonal slots between
them and pieces of semi-rigid material such as horn whalebone steel or cane
inserted or embedded in such slots substantially as described.
3. A compound fabric for stiffening garments formed with strips of semi-rigid
material attached thereto substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 22nd dow of Anil 1805
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Manchester, Liverpool, and London, Patent Agents.