Undershirts and similar sleeveless garments

Abstract

An undershirt or similar sleeveless garment consists of a single, substantially rectangular piece of two-way stretchable knit fabric which, at its opposite end portions, defines the front and back, respectively, of a body portion. The fabric piece has arcuate cutouts in its opposed side edges between the end portions and a neck-opening between the arcuate cutouts with the fabric therebetween defining seamless shoulder strap portions integral with the front and back body portions. Side seams of longitudinally stretchable stitching join together the respective side edges of the front and back body portions so that the cutouts define armholes above such side seams. The edge portions of the neck opening and armholes are reverted or folded back and secured to the adjacent fabric by longitudinally stretchable stitching extending along such edge portions for finishing off the neck opening and armholes and also the upper ends of the side seams without detracting from the stretchability of the garment.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to garments such as sleeveless undershirts and the like, and more particularly is directed to improvements in garments of the described character formed of knit fabric.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Conventional sleeveless undershirts and like garments are usually formed of two pieces or blanks of knit fabric which respectively form the front and back of the garment. Such blanks have central cutouts in their upper ends to define a neck opening and cutouts in the upper portions of their side edges to define armholes, with the fabric remaining between such cutouts forming front and back shoulder strap portions. In producing a garment from the described blanks, the respective side edges of the blanks are stitched together below the armholes to form side seams, and the abutting ends of the front and back shoulder strap portions are stitched together to provide seams extending across the tops of the shoulder straps. The ends of these side seams and shoulder strap seams have to be tacked or otherwise secured to prevent the unravelling thereof. In order to finish off the neck opening and armholes, separately cut bindings or tapes are stitched along the edges of the neck opening and armholes, respectively. Since the edges and ends of the bindings or tapes are raw or cut, such edges and ends have to be folded under prior to the stitching of the bindings or tapes to the remainder of the garment.

In the mass production of the above garments, the material for the bindings or tapes and the labor required for the cutting of the bindings or tapes and for the attachment thereof to the garment are significant items of cost. Further, at the top of each shoulder strap of the garment, the laterally extending seam joining the front and back shoulder strap portions, together with the multiple thicknesses of the bindings or tapes extending around the neck opening and the adjacent armhole, produce substantial, relatively hard or rigid fabric bulges, particularly at the ends of each lateral shoulder seam, and these bulges are a source of discomfort to the wearer, especially when a weight is borne by the wearer's shoulder.

It has been proposed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,284, issued to me on May 3, 1955, to provide a garment of the described character which is devoid of seams extending across the tops of its shoulder straps. However, in this garment, as in the previously described garment with shoulder seams, the neck opening and armholes are again finished off by separately cut bindings or tapes which prevent full realization of low cost mass production. Although the absence of seams extending across the tops of the shoulder straps alleviates the discomfort to the wearer, this problem is not fully overcome as the multiple thicknesses of fabric where the bindings or tapes are folded under to hide their cut ends and edges still create fabric bulges. Further, even if the knit fabric used for the garment is substantially stretchable with a view to accommodating a single size garment to wearers of various sizes, or to the growth of an infant or child over an extended time, the bindings or tapes applied around the neck opening and armholes considerably restrict the stretching thereof and of the shoulder straps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide an undershirt or similar sleeveless garment which is capable of being economically mass produced.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a garment of the described character in which substantial economies are realized in finishing-off the neck opening and armholes and the side seams of the garment.

Another object is to provide a garment, as aforesaid, which affords increased comfort to the wearer.

Still another object is to provide a garment, as aforesaid, which is stretchable at its neck opening, armholes and shoulder straps, as well as at its body-covering portion, so as to accommodate a single size garment to wearers of various sizes or to the growth of an infant or child over an extended period of time.

In accordance with an aspect of this invention, an undershirt or similar sleeveless garment is formed of a single, substantially rectangular piece of two-way stretchable knit fabric defining the front and back of the garment body at its opposite end portions and having arcuate cutouts in its side edges between such end portions and a neck opening centered between the edge cutouts with the fabric between the neck opening and edge cutouts defining seamless shoulder straps, the respective side edges of the front and back of the garment body are joined together by longitudinally stretchable stitching forming side seams of the garment with the arcuate cutouts forming armholes above such side seams, and the edge portions of the neck opening and armholes are folded back against the adjacent fabric and secured to the latter by longitudinally stretchable stitching extending along such edge portions, whereby the neck opening and armholes and the upper ends of the side seams are finished off without resort to tacking of the side seams and separately cut bindings or tapes for the neck opening and armholes.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom edge portion of the garment body is folded back against the adjacent fabric and secured thereto by longitudinally stretchable stitching for finishing off the bottom of the garment body and the lower ends of the side seams. Further, the knit fabric of the single substantially rectangular fabric piece constituting the garment according to this invention is preferably formed to be more stretchable in its longitudinal direction than in the direction at right angles thereto, so that the shoulder straps of the garment will be relatively extensible.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of this invention, will be apparent in the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a flattened tube of knit fabric showing the lines along which the tube is cut to provide fabric blanks or pieces from which garments according to this invention are to be formed;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of one of the fabric pieces or blanks cut from the flattened tube of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the garment-forming blank of FIG. 2 after such blank has been folded and seamed along the sides thereof;

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged front elevational view of the completed garment according to this invention shown inside-out;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the garment in its inside-out condition showing details of the finishing of the garment according to this invention; and

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the completed garment shown right-side out.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings in detail, and initially to FIG. 1 thereof, it will be seen that undershirts and similar sleeveless garments according to this invention are preferably formed from a tube 10 of circularly knitted fabric which is more stretchable or yieldable in its circumferential or lateral direction indicated by the arrows a than in the lengthwise direction indicated by the arrows b. A particularly desirable circular or tubular knit fabric for garments according to this invention is the knitted pile fabric disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,111,829 issued to me on Nov. 26, 1963, and which generally comprises a base or ground of stretch nylon or other synthetic yarns and a random arrangement of loops of cotton or synthetic yarns extending from the base or ground and having various lengths to give the face of the fabric a shaggy appearance which is characteristic of "poodle" type fabrics.

After the knit fabric tube 10 has been flattened to provide superposed layers of material joined together along the opposite folded side edges 12 and 14 of the flattened tube, a series of side-by-side disposed garment forming blanks 16 are die cut or stamped therefrom. It will be seen that, in die-cutting or stamping the garment forming blanks 16 from flattened tube 10, the latter is cut along the folded side edges 12 and 14 so as to separate the superposed layers of material and along spaced apart lateral lines 18 which extend inwardly from side edges 12 and 14 to the ends of centered oval lines 20. Further, the flattened tube 10 is cut along oval lines 22, each of which is centered between adjacent oval lines 20 but preferably offset laterally to one side of the longitudinal median of the flattened tube.

As a result of the foregoing cutting of the flattened tube 10, each of the knit fabric pieces or blanks 16 derived therefrom is shown on FIG. 2 to be of substantially rectangular configuration and to have opposite end portions 24 and 26 which are dimensioned to define front and back body portions, respectively, of the garment to be produced therefrom. By reason of the oval cut lines 20 between successive blanks 16, each blank 16 is shown to have arcuate cutouts 20a in its opposed relatively long or side edges, with such cutouts 20a being centered between the end portions 24 and 26, while the oval cut lines 22 provide each blank 16 with a neck opening 22a which is centered laterally between the arcuate cutouts 20a and which extends further toward end portion 24 than toward end portion 26. It will be apparent that the fabric of blank 16 between arcuate cutouts 20a and neck opening 22a defines seamless shoulder strap portions 28 which integrally connect the end portions 24 and 26. Further, in each blank 16, the direction a of maximum stretchability is shown to extend longitudinally by reason of the fact that each blank 16 extends laterally in respect to flattened tube 10 when cut from the latter.

Each blank 16 is formed into an undershirt or similar sleeveless garment by folding the blank along the transverse medial line 30 so that end portion 24 forming the front 24a of the body is superposed on end portion 26 forming the back 26a of the body. Preferably, such folding is effected so that the eventual outer surfaces or faces of the knit fabric of end portion 24 and 26 will confront each other. When the blank 16 is thus folded, the front of neck opening 22a is deeper than the back of the neck opening, as shown on FIG. 3. After folding of the blank, the adjacent or respective side edges of front body 24a and back body 26a are joined together by longitudinally stretchable stitching to form side seams 32. Such longitudinally stretchable stitching may be simply constituted by differential stitches formed with stretch polyester or nylon thread. Upon the formation of the side seams 32, the arcuate cutouts 20a of the blank 16 define armholes 20b above the side seams.

In accordance with the present invention, the neck opening 22a and the armholes 20b are finished off by turning back the edge portions thereof, as at 22'a and 20'b, respectively (FIG. 4), and then securing the folded back edge portions 22'a and 20'b to the underlying adjacent fabric by means of longitudinally stretchable stitching, for example, similar to the stitching of side seams 32, which extends continuously along the folded back edge portions 22'a and 20'b, as at 22"a and 20"b on FIGS. 4,5 and 6. Since the knit fabric of blank 16 has two-way stretchability, no problems are encountered in folding back the edge portions 22'a and 20'b along the closed curves of neck opening 22a and armholes 20b. Further, the edge portions 22'a and 20'b are preferably folded back onto the base or ground side of the knit fabric, that is, the surface of knit fabric which will be at the inside of the completed garment so that each folded-back edge portion 20'b and the stitching 20"b extending therealong at the bottom of the respective armhole 20b will finish-off and secure the upper end of side seam 32 at the respective side of the garment, as at 33 on FIG. 5.

Further, the bottom of the body of the garment is finished off by turning back the bottom edge portion 34 (FIGS. 5 and 6) onto the base or ground side of the adjacent knit fabric, and then securing the folded or turned back edge portion 34 to the underlying adjacent fabric by means of longitudinally stretchable stitching, for example, similar to the stitching of side seams 32, which extends continuously along folded back edge portion 34, as at 35. It will be apparent that the folded back edge portion 34 and the stitching 35 extending therealong at the opposite sides of the garment body serve to finish off and secure or lock the lower ends of the side seams 32.

Following the finishing off of the neck opening 22a and armholes 20b and of the bottom of the garment body, as described above, the completed garment appearing on FIGS. 4 and 5 is everted or turned inside-out, as shown on FIG. 6, so that the face or pile side of the knit fabric will face outwardly and the folded back edge portions 20'b, 22'a and 34 will be at the inside of the garment.

It will be appreciated that, in the completed garment, the folded back edge portions 20'b,22'a and 34 which respectively finish the armholes, neck opening and bottom of the garment are of the same two-way stretchable knit fabric as the remainder of the garment and thus do not significantly restrict the stretching of the garment. Since the oval cut lines 20 and 22 (FIG. 1) which eventually define the armholes 20b and neck opening 22a of the garment are elongated in the direction of the maximum stretchability of the knit fabric, the major portions of the peripheries of the armholes 20b and of the neck opening 22a extend generally in the direction of maximum stretchability in the completed garment to permit the maximum extension or stretching of the neck opening and armholes. Further, the shoulder straps 28 also extend generally in the direction of maximum stretchability of the knit fabric. The foregoing characteristics all contribute to the provision of a garment that is adapted to fit wearers of various sizes and also to accommodate the growth of an infant or child over an extended period of time.

Since the shoulder straps 28 are devoid of seams extending thereacross at the tops of the shoulder straps, and since the neck opening and armholes are finished off merely by a single additional fabric thickness in the folded back edge portions 20'b and 22'a, thick bulges of fabric are not present in the shoulder straps 28 so that the garment affords optimum comfort to the wearer even when a load is borne by the wearer's shoulder.

It will also be apparent that the described garment according to this invention makes possible very substantial economies in its mass production. In this connection, it should be noted that the folded back edge portions 20b and 22a which finish off the armholes and neck opening of the completed garment are derived from the fabric of flattened tube 10 that would otherwise be cut away and wasted if the oval cut lines 20 and 22 were dimensioned to correspond to the desired sizes of the armholes and neck opening of the completed garment. Thus, no additional fabric is required for finishing the armholes and neck opening, and there is a further saving of the additional labor required when, as in the prior art, the neck opening and armholes are finished off by separately cut bindings or tapes. It is also to be appreciated that, in the garment according to this invention, the stretchable stitching 20"b, 22"a and 35 forms a blind seam in each case so that the cost of tacking or locking the ends of these seams, as well as the cost of tacking the ends of side seams 32 which are secured by stitching 20"b and 35, can be eliminated.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that precise embodiment, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A sleeveless garment of the described character consisting of a single, substantially rectangular piece of two-way stretchable knit fabric which is more stretchable in the longitudinal direction of said rectangular fabric piece than in the direction at right angles thereto, with the opposite end portions of said rectangular fabric piece defining front and back body portions, respectively, of the garment, said fabric piece having arcuate elongated cutouts in its opposed side edges between said end portions and an oval neck opening centered laterally between said cutouts with the fabric of said piece between said neck opening and said cutouts defining seamless shoulder strap portions integral with said front and back body portions and extending generally in said longitudinal direction, longitudinally stretchable stitching joining together the respective side edges of said front and back body portions to form side seams at the inside of the garment with said cutouts defining armholes above said side seams, the edge portions of said neck opening and said armholes being folded back against the adjacent fabric of said piece at said inside of the garment, and longitudinally stretchable stitching extending along said folded back edge portions and securing the latter to said adjacent fabric against which said edge portions are folded back for finishing off said neck opening and armholes and the upper ends of said side seams.

2. A garment according to claim 1, in which the edge portions at the bottom of said front and back body portions are folded back at said inside of the garment against the adjacent fabric of said piece and secured thereto by longitudinally stretchable stitching extending along the bottom of the garment for finishing off said bottom of the garment and the lower ends of said side seams.