Improvements in Dress Linings.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 18th July, 1895-Accepted, 24th Aug., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE INTERNATIONAL FIBRE CHAMOIS Co.
(a corporation organized under the laws of the State of New York), of
19 Vandewater Street, in the City of New York, United States of
America, Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Dress Linings.
1, ERNEST DE PASS, of 78, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow of
the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, 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, that is to say :—
This invention relates to stiffening linings for ladies dresses. Heretofore such
linings have been made of woven fabric which are equally rigid in all directions,
and which, when crumpled, retain the wrinkles and after repeated crushing and
wrinkling, lose more or less of their stiffness. Thus the stiffening in wear, tends
to impair the shape or set of the garment.
It has been found that this difficulty may be remedied by using a lining
composed of tough fibre sheets rendered pliable by crushing or twisting.
This material, being made of tough paper fibre sheets, has in its original
form, considerable stiffness, and, rendered flexible by repeated crushing or
twisting, is adapted thereby to retain its form, and is found to be exactly
suited for combination with those parts of ladies' and children's dresses which,
while requiring stiffness, are still subject to crushing and bending. In this fabric
the fibre runs lengthwise of the web. The web of paper is crushed by twisting or
otherwise until it is made flexible. It then has considerable elasticity in lines
substantially across the web, which is also across the line of the fibre, but little or
none lengthwise of the web and fibre.
Therefore, in arranging the pieces of the lining for the skirt, the pieces are cut
and placed so that the fibres run circumferentially, and the stretch, or elasticity
of the lining is in substantially vertical lines, from the top to the bottom of the
skirt or other article.
This arrangement prevents crumpling and permits stretching incident to the
sitting posture of the wearer, as the fibrous fabric bends and stretches elastically
in a direction across the lines of the fabric, with great facility. At the same
time when the pressure is removed the fabric resumes its normal position and
hangs in well formed folds. No amount of use or crushing will destroy the
stiffening or set of this lining, and at the same time it is light and inexpensive.
It is adapted to other parts of the garment also. The same rule should be
observed, in these other parts as in the skirt, to arrange the fibre at right angles
to the line of the stretch of the garment. It serves admirably in puffed sleeves,
as well as in other parts of the garment, and is capable of being formed in plaits,
which form it retains, however much it may be subsequently crushed in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In combination with a skirt or other parts of a dress, a stiffening lining
consisting of crushed paper or sheets of fibre having elasticity in lines substantially

page_text: 2. In combination with a skirt or other parts of a dress, a stiffening lining
consisting of crushed paper or sheets of fibre, the fibre of the lining being arranged
at substantially right angles to the line of the stretch of the garment.
Dated this 18th day of July 1895.
ERNEST DE PASS.