Patent ID: 7007326

Claim:
A fabric package comprising a length of fabric wound up on a cylindrical core of uniform diameter, the fabric being a substantially non-stretchable bonded nonwoven fabric having a lower edge region, an upper edge region, and a mid-span there-between, the fabric having a unit weight in the range of 30 to 120 g/m 2 , a stretchability of less than 10%, the lower edge region having elastic elements stitched therein under sufficient tension to extend the elastic elements to at least 200% of their non-tensioned length, and the lower edge region requiring a stretch force of at least 100 grams, to substantially remove gather from the lower edge when removed from the wound-up package, the upper edge region having elastic elements stitched therein such that the stretch force required to keep the upper edge region of the fabric from gathering, twisting and rolling out of plane when removed from the wound-up package, is no more than 15% of the stretch force required to prevent the lower edge region from gathering upon removal from the wound-up package, and the mid-span region having a width in the range of 7 to 20 inches.