An Improved Knitted Undervest.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1898-Accepted, 19th Nov., 1898
An Improved Knitted Undervest.
I, ROBERT METCALF APPLETON, of No. 24, Kingston Street, in the City of Boston,
State of Massachusetts, and United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 has relation to knitted articles of apparel, such as undervests,
corset covers, and the vest part of union garments, and chiefly to such garments
designed for ladies' wear.
Ladies ribbed-shaped underwear as now knitted in Jersey-shaped vests and
Jersey-shaped corset covers have a loose or open stitch knitting at the front or
upper and also lower parts, both back and front, with a plain or close stitch
knitting at the waist part of the garment.
It is the object of this invention to produce such improvements in the class of
garments mentioned as will enhance their fitting and comforting qualities, particu-
larly at the back and front parts of the shoulders and across the bust of the
wearer.
Complaints are made that the so-called shaped vests, as now manufactured,
having the loose or open stitch knitting at the whole of the front and back of the
garment, makes it too roomy and uncomfortable, both at the back and front parts
of the vest. This surplus knitting at the back of shoulders causes
"rucks" or
folds in the garment, and makes it difficult to have dresses fitted thereover as
perfectly as desired; and, besides this, the "set" of the garment is uncomfortable.
It is the particular purpose of my improvements to remove these difficulties
and provide a garment which, in its structural character, is adapted to fit in a
practically perfect manner and be at the same time comfortable to the wearer.
To these ends my invention consists of a vest, corset cover, or similar article of
apparel possessing peculiar characteristics, all of which are hereinafter fully
described and represented in the drawings.
Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings and to the letters marked
thereon, forming a part of this specification, the same letters designating the same
parts or features, as the case may be, wherever they occur.
Of the drawings-
Figure 1 is a front view of a ladies' undervest embodying my improvements.
Fig. 2 is a back view of what is portrayed in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a front view showing a slightly modified form of garment represented
in Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 shows a strip of knitting, cut from a circular knitting machine.
In the drawings-
a designates the closely-knit shoulders portion of the garment.
b designates the loosely knit band which in the seamed or sewed garment
extends, at least, across the bust from side to side, though when the garment is
made seamless it may extend entirely around the same on the bust line.
רנס...D

page_text: 18 the Closery Kit waist.
d is the loosely knit skirt.
C
designates the seams at the sides.
f designates the closely knit back, a thing that may be done when the web for
the garment is formed on a flat or straight machine.
g designates the folding line for the flat fabric.
It will be understood from the description given hereinafter, as it will be under-
stood from the drawings, in view of the state of the art, that my improvements
rclate only to the shoulders and bust portions and the back portion opposite the
bust part.
The machines for the manufacture of the fabric shown in Fig. 4 can be of any
diameter so as to cut from the product of each one or more vests, the web being
separated by cutting lengthwise in proper proportions for size or width required.
It is then turned over at or near the dotted line 7g, so that it shall bring the two
parts the front and back-of the fabric together to form a garment. The sides
are then closed by seaming or sewing along the line e in the usual and best mode
that may be in practice.
In manufacturing vests in accordance with my invention, I produce a plain or
close stitch back f, as is seen in Fig. 2, which conforms to the shape more perfectly,
and have a loose or open stitch knitting at the front and bust part of the garment,
as is shown in Fig. 1.
In place of knitting these vests upon a circular machine and dividing them as
heretofore described, I can knit them upon flat or straight knitting machine,
shaping or fashioning the web as the knitting proceeds, but, as I am at present
informed, I can manufacture them at less cost upon a circular knitting machine.
For producing this-what I call "dress fitting shoulders "-vest seamless, I
knit the upper part with the plain, close or fine stitch knitting a. This extends
equal distances down the back of the garment. Then I use the open or loose stitch
knitting & extending around the front and back of the rest for the bust part of the
garment. Fig. 3 shows the front part of this seamless shaped garment.
In this way I remove the coarse, loose knitting from the front and back of the
shoulders, where it is not required, and which, as now is the practice of knitting
vests, causes much discomfort, as her inbefore referred to. I can cut and trim
these vests for low necks and half low necks, as well as for high necks, as shown in
Fig. 3.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
!
A knitted undervest for ladies' wear, in which the shoulders portion of the
garment is knit in relatively close stitch and the bust part is knit in relatively
loose stitch forming a broad ban 1 which may extend from side to side across the
front or entirely around the garment, substantially as described.
Dated this 26th day of July 1898...