Patent ID: 8597452

Claim:
A method of stretching a nonwoven substrate material to increase thickness and decrease basis weight of the material, the method comprising: providing a roll of substrate material, wherein the substrate material comprises about 50% (by weight) cellulosic fibers and about 50% (by weight) thermoplastic fibers; unwinding the substrate material from the roll; stretching the unwound substrate material in a cross-direction, wherein the shape of the stretched substrate material is maintained during and subsequent to stretching in the cross-direction; advancing the stretched substrate material using at least one of an advancing roller and a belt set; slitting the advanced stretched substrate material; folding the advanced stretched substrate material; applying an adhesive composition to an outer surface of the folded stretched substrate material; and cutting the folded stretched substrate material into discrete sheets and adhesively joining the sheets using the adhesive composition, wherein, when stretched in the cross-direction by about 50% of the nonwoven substrate material's initial width, the material has a decrease in basis weight of from about 5% to about 33% of its initial basis weight.