Improvements in Shirts, and in Appliances for use in Ironing the Fronts of same.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 31st Mar., 1891-Accepted, 2nd May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shirts, and in Appliances for use in Ironing the
Fronts of same.
I, JAMES TAYLOR of 44 Glover Street, Birkenhead, in the County of Chester,
Tailor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to shirts made of linen or other such material, the fronts of
which are dressed by being starched and ironed. It is found in such shirts that
the fronts, being flat and stiff, do not follow the contour of the chest the sides of
the front standing out from the body, and so making it very difficult to fit a waist-
coat, especially a dress waistcoat; the fronts also cause inconvenience to the
wearer by protruding at the sides through the waistcoat opening when the latter is
wide and the object of my invention is to remedy these inconveniences.
According to my present invention, I construct shirts and dress the fronts of
same as follows;―
The front of the shirt is made of the usual shape and material and is formed of
two side pieces, but instead of cutting these side pieces out of the material in the
usual way, that is to say with the thread, I cut them "on the bias," the threads
running diagonally across the front, and I stitch a tape round the periphery of
each of the side pieces except at the top where they are joined to the neck band.
In this way the peripheries of the side, pieces are prevented from stretching, while
the central portion, in consequence of being cut on the bias, stretches sufficiently
to give the front the necessary slightly convex form; the exact amount of convexity
being determined by the shape of the ironing block to be subsequently described.
The shirt may open in front or at the back as desired, in the latter case the side
pieces of the front are permanently secured down the centre.
When it is inexpedient to cut the material on the bias as described, I obtain the
slightly convex form by making the front so that its periphery where it is attached
to the shirt is shorter than it would be if the front were flat as is usual.
This is effected most conveniently by stitching a tape round the periphery of the
front, except where it is attached directly to the neck band. The tape is shorter
than the edge of the front to which it is stitched by an amount depending upon the
degree of convexity required. The surplus length of the edge of the front is
gradually gathered in in stitching it to the tape, and as the difference in length is
small and it is distributed along the whole length of the tape no perceptible
fullness or plaits are so caused. The front may be buttoned in front in the usual
way or it may be fastened permanently and the shirt buttoned elsewhere.
In some cases I obtain the relatively short periphery by cutting the side pieces
of the front with their central and adjacent edges slightly convex instead of straight
as is usual and uniting these edges either directly or by a central parallel strip
stitched to each.
As the length and breadth of the front are thus unaffected while the periphery
is shortened, the effect as before is to give the front a slightly convex form.
By suitably arranging the seams and the length of the central strip, the central
portion of the front may be formed comparatively flat and so fit that portion of the
chest which is usually flat. The periphery of the front may if desired be reinforced
by a tape to prevent subsequent stretching.
Studholes are provided in the central parallel strip and the shirt is buttoned
either at the side of the front or at the back, generally however with this form of
front I prefer to button down the back.
In each case the front is attached to the shirt in the usual way and the rest of
the shirt is constructed as usual with the exception that I prefer to dispense with

page_text: the shoulder straps and give the shirt the requisite shape at the shoulders by
cutting the seams as in an ordinary coat.
The shirt front is dressed by being starched and ironed in the usual way with the
exception that the front being now curved it cannot be conveniently ironed on a
flat surface. In order to iron the shirt front I therefore provide an ironing block
preferably of wood; the block is curved to suit the shape of the person who wears
the shirt and is covered with a soft yielding material such as flannel or felt over
which the shirt front is ironed.
Dated this 28th day of June 1890
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Strect, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shirts, and in Appliances for use in Ironing the
Fronts of same.
I, JAMES TAYLOR of 44 Glover Street, Birkenhead in the County of Chester,
Tailor, 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 :-
A
My invention relates to shirts made of linen or other such material, the fronts of
which are dressed by being starched and ironed. It is found in such shirts that
the fronts, being flat and stiff, do not follow the contour of the chest the sides of the
front standing out from the body, and so making it very difficult to fit a waistcoat,
especially a dress waistcoat; the fronts also cause inconvenience to the wearer by
protruding at the sides through the waistcoat opening when the latter is wide and
the object of my invention is to remedy these inconveniences.
According to my present invention, I construct shirts and dress the fronts of same
as follows;-
In the accompanying drawings which serve to illustrate my invention
Figs. I and II show the shirt front when dressed.
Fig. III shows the manner in which the front is constructed.
Figs. IV, V and VI show the ironing block.
Fig. VII shows the front open for ironing; and
Fig. VIII shows a modified construction of the front.
The front 1 of the shirt 2 is made of the usual shape and material and is formed
of two side pieces, but instead of cutting these side pieces out of the material in
the usual way, that is to say with the thread, I cut them "on the bias," the threads
running diagonally across the front as indicated by the lines a a and b b, and I
stitch an unstretchable tape 3 round the periphery of each of the side pieces except
at the top where they are joined to the neck band 4. In this way the peripheries
of the side pieces are prevented from stretching, while the central portion in
consequence of being cut on the bias, stretches sufficiently to give the front
the necessary convex form as shown in section in Fig. II; the exact amount
of convexity being determined by the shape of the ironing block to be subsequently
described.
The shirt may be open in front or at the back as desired, in the latter case the
side pieces of the front are permanently secured down the centre.
When it is inexpedient to cut the material on the bias" as described, I
obtain the slightly convex form by making the front so that its periphery where
it is attached to the shirt is shorter than it would be if the front were flat as
is usual
This is effected most conveniently by stitching a tape round the periphery of the
front, except where it is attached directly to the neck band. The tape is shorter
than the edge of the front, to which it is stitched, by an amount depending upon

page_text: the degree of convexity required. The surplus length of the edge of the front is.
gradually gathered in in stitching it to the tape, and as the difference in length is
small and it is distributed along the whole length of the tape no perceptible full-
ness or plaits are so caused. The front may be buttoned in front in the usual way
or it may be fastened permanently and the shirt buttoned elsewhere.
In some cases I obtain the relatively short periphery by cutting the side pieces.
of the front with their central and adjacent edges slightly convex as shown in
Fig. VIII instead of straight as is usual and uniting these edges either directly
or by a central parallel strip stitched to each.
As the length and breadth of the front are thus unaffected while the periphery
is shortened, the effect as before is to give the front a slightly convex form.
By suitably arranging the seams and the length of the central strip, the central
portion of the front may be formed comparatively flat and so fit that portion of the
chest which is usually flat. The periphery of the front may if desired be reinforced
by a tape to prevent subsequent stretching.
Studholes are provided in the central parallel strip and the shirt is buttoned
cither at the side of the front or at the back, generally however with this form of
front I prefer to button down the back.
In each case the front is attached to the shirt in the usual way and the rest of
the shirt is constructed as usual with the exception that I prefer to dispense with
the shoulder straps and give the shirt the requisite shape at the shoulders by cutting.
the seams as in an ordinary coat.
The shirt front is dressed by being starched and ironed in the usual way with
the exception that the front being now curved it cannot be conveniently ironed
on a flat surface. In order to iron the shirt front I therefore provide an
ironing block 5 preferably of wood; the block is curved to suit the shape of
the person who wears the shirt and is covered with a soft yielding material 6
such as flannel or felt over which the shirt front is ironed. I prefer generally
to make the ironing block with such curvature as is necessary to iron one half of
the shirt front at a time, as shown in Figs. IV, V and VI. Fig. V is a plan and
Figs. IV and VI sections on the lines X X and Y Y respectively.
It will be seen from an inspection of Fig. IV that the curvature of the block is.
one half part of the curvature which it is desired to give the front when dressed, as.
shown by the dotted line c, c
In order to facilitate the ironing of each half of the front separately I continue
the central opening thereof below the bottom of the front as shown at 7 Figs. I
and VII, so that the two sides of the front may be drawn apart as indicated
in Fig. VII.
The tape which is attached to the periphery of the front as before mentioned,.
may be secured in any convenient manner, but I prefer to secure it between the
folds (generally four) of the linen as shown in Fig. III.
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. The improved shirt in which the material of the front is cut "on the bias,"
the periphery of said front, or of each half of it when the shirt opens in front, having
an unstretchable tape attached thereto, which when the front is ironed on a block
such as 5, while preventing the periphery from stretching allows the central portions
of the material to stretch sufficiently to give the front the desired convex form,.
substantially as described.
2. The improved shirt the front of which is made slightly convex by attaching
the periphery of the front to an unstretchable tape and making the length of
said periphery somewhat shorter than it would be if the front were flat, substantially
as described.
3. The improved shirt, the front of which is made slightly convex by forming
it of two side pieces, the central and adjacent edges of which, originally cut convex,.

page_text: are united directly or by a central parallel strip attached to each, substantially as
described.
4. In dressing the fronts of shirts, the use of a block such as 5, substantially as
and for the purpose described.
5. The improved shirt substantially as described and illustrated in Figs. I, II,
III and VII.
Dated this 26th day of March 1891.
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
26, Castle Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.