GB2225215A - Method and patterns for making dresses - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for making dresses comprises making a plurality of bodices 8a of different designs (Figs. 2 & 3) and skirts 9a also of different designs (Fig. 4). The bodices and skirts for dresses of similar size fitting are provided with identical waist dimensions so that a bodice can be selected from any of the bodice designs and attached by a waist seam (30) to any desired skirt design. This permits many dress designs to be readily available while maintaining stock levels of bodices and skirts to a minimum. The bodice and skirt may be stitched together or attached by releasable fastening means. Sets of patterns for making the bodices and skirts are provided. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: METHOD AND PATTERNS FOR MAKING DRESSES The present invention relates to a set of patterns for use in the manufacture of a plurality of dresses, and it also relates to a method for manufacturing the dresses as well as dresses manufactured according to the method.

Because of the relatively high cost of carrying substantial stocks of dresses, retail dress outlets, and indeed wholesalers and manufacturers can only carry a limited range of designs of dresses. Furthermore, because of the large number of different size fittings of dresses, the number of designs which can be carried is further curtailed. Because of this, customers very often find it quite difficult to obtain a dress with which they are fully satisfied. In many cases, a customer may find the bodice of one dress desirable, and the skirt of another.

This thus leads to a customer having to compromise and purchase the dress with the preferred bodice or skirt.

Indeed, in many cases, this can lead to the customer having to incur further substantial expense in having the skirt or bodice altered, while still in general not having a fully satisfactory dress.

There is therefore a need for a method and patterns for manufacturing dresses which overcomes this problem, as well as dresses which overcome the problem.

The present invention is directed towards providing such a method and patterns as well as dresses.

According to the invention, there is provided a set of patterns for use in the manufacture of a plurality of dresses of different designs, the set of patterns comprising a plurality of bodice patterns of different designs for respective bodices and a plurality of skirt patterns of different designs for respective skirts, wherein the waist dimension of the bodice patterns and skirt patterns are substantially similar for similar size fittings of dresses so that a bodice made from any of the bodice patterns may be attached to a skirt made from any of the skirt patterns. Preferably, each bodice pattern is of sheet material.

In one embodiment of the invention, each bodice pattern comprises at least a back and front portion, and at least some of the skirt patterns comprise a pair of dimensions giving the length and width of the fabric to form the dress.

Preferably, the skirt patterns comprise a dimension which gives the size to which the waist portion of the fabric is to be gathered to form the waist dimension.

Additionally, the invention provides a method for manufacturing dresses of different designs using the patterns according to the invention, the method comprising the steps of manufacturing a plurality of bodices of different designs from corresponding bodice patterns, and a plurality of skirts of different designs from corresponding skirt patterns, wherein the bodices and skirts are manufactured with substantially similar waist dimensions for similar size fittings of dresses so that any design of bodice may be attached to any design of skirt for that size fitting.

Additionally, the invention provides a dress manufactured according to the method of the invention in which the dress comprises a bodice and skirt, wherein the bodice is selected from one of a plurality of designs of bodice and the skirt is selected from one of a plurality of designs of skirt, the bodice and skirt being of substantially similar waist dimensions for similar size fitting of the dress, and the bodice and skirt being attached to each other.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figs. 1(a) to (e) are perspective views of typical dresses according to the invention which may be made using the method of the invention, Figs. 2(a) to (e) are front perspective views of bodices for making the dresses of Fig. 1, Figs. 3(a) to (e) are rear perspective views of the bodices of Fig. 2, Figs. 4(a) to (e) are front perspective views of skirts for making the dresses of Fig. 1, Figs. 5 to 12 are plan views of patterns for making some of the bodices of the dresses of Fig. 1, and Figs. 13 and 14 are plan views of patterns for making some of the skirts of the dresses of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to Figs. 1(a) to (e) there is illustrated five dresses according to the invention indicated generally by the reference numerals 1 to 5 respectively, which have been manufactured using a method and patterns also according to the invention which are described in more detail below. Each dress 1 to 5 comprises a bodice 8 and a skirt 9. As can be seen, the dresses 1 to 5 are of different design, and the bodices 8 and skirts 9 are similarly of different design. There are five different designs of bodice 8a to 8e and five different designs of skirts 9a to 9e. The five bodices 8a to 8e are illustrated in Figs. 2(a) to (e) and 3(a) to (e) and the five skirts 9a to 9e are illustrated in Figs. 4(a) to (e).The bodices 8a to 8e and skirts 9a to 9e are manufactured so that any bodice 8a to e can be attached to any skirt 9a to e of the same dress size, thereby increasing the range of dresses from five to twenty-five which can be provided by interchanging the bodices and skirts 8 and 9. This is described below.

The bodices 8a, c and d comprise a front portion 14 formed by a single panel 13 and a pair of rear panels 15 which are cut out from fabric using the patterns according to the invention, some of which are illustrated in Figs. 5 to 12. The front and back panels 13 and 15 are stitched together along seams 16 and define a waist 17. A zip fastener 12 joins the two rear portions 15. The front portion 14 of the bodices 8b and e are formed in three pieces namely a central panel 18 and a pair of side panels 19. The central and side panels 18 and 19 are joined along seams 20, while the side panels are joined along the seams 16 to the back panels 15 to define a waist 17. In this case, all bodices of the same dress size fitting have substantially similar waist dimensions.The waist dimensions for each dress size are as follows: Size 8 - waist circumference 64 cms Size 9 - waist circumference 65 cms Size 10 - waist circumference 66 cms Size 11 - waist circumference 67.5 cms Size 12 - waist circumference 69 cms Size 13 - waist circumference 71 cms Size 14 - waist circumference 74 cms As can be seen, all the bodices 8 with the exception of the bodice 8b are provided with sleeves 21. The bodices 8a, c and d are provided with frills 22 around the neck, while the bodice 8b is provided with a sash type frill 23.

The skirts 9a to e are each formed of a rectangular piece of fabric 25 the dimensions varying depending on the dress size fitting. The ends 26 of the fabric 25 are stitched along a seam (not shown) at the centre back to form each skirt 9. The edge 28 is gathered to form a waist 29 which can be stitched to any of the bodices 8a to 8e along a seam 27. In this case, the dimensions of the waist 29 of skirts 9a to e of similar dress size fitting are identical and furthermore, are identical to the dimensions of the waists 17 given above for the bodices 8 for the various sizes. Thus, all skirts 9a to e of dress size 8 have a waist dimension 29 of 64 cms. The waist dimension 29 of all dresses 9a to e for dress size 9 is 65 cms and so on.

Thus, any bodice 8a to e can be secured along a seam 30 to any skirt 9a to e of the same dress size fitting to form a dress of a desired pattern formed from a combination of a desired bodice and a desired skirt.

A frill 31 extends around the lower portion of the skirt 9b. A frill 32 is provided extending from the waist 29 downwardly at the front of the skirt 9d and around a lower portion at the side of the dress. The frill 32 returns upwardly at the rear of the skirt 9d to join the waist 29 at the centre back. Thus, the front and rear of the skirt 9d are substantially similar. The skirt 9e is gathered at 34 and a bow 35 is provided. An additional piece of material 36 is provided at the gathered portion 34. Six gathers 37 similar to the gathers 34 are provided around the end of the skirt 9c and a bow 38 is provided at each gather 37. Only two of the gathers 37 are illustrated in Figs. 1c and 4c. When a selected bodice and skirt 8 and 9 respectively are stitched together, a waist sash 40 may also be provided, see Figs. la, c, d and e.

Referring now to Figs. 5 to 14, there is illustrated patterns for the bodices 8a and 8b and the skirts 9a and b. Fig. 5 illustrates a pattern 50 for half of the front portion 14 of the bodice 8a. To use this pattern, the fabric is folded along the front centre line of the bodice and the pattern 50 is placed on the folded fabric, which is then cut out. When the cut fabric is unfolded, a blank for a front portion 14 is provided. The pattern 50 comprises a side edge 51 which forms the side seam 16 and a bottom edge 52 which forms part of the waist 17. A cutout 53 enables the side edges 52 to be drawn together, thereby forming the bust of the bodice. A cutout 55 forms portion of an arm outlet. Slits 56 are provided to indicate the line along which the various seams and hems are to be formed. Such slits 56 will be well known to those skilled in the art.

Fig. 6 illustrates a pattern 60 for forming the rear panels 15 of the bodice 8a. The pattern 60 forms the left-hand rear panel 15, while the right-hand panel 15 i & formed by reversing the pattern 60. The pattern 60 is provided with an edge 61 which forms the side seams 16.

The edge 63 in use forms the edge of each back panel 15 which is joined to the zip fastener 12. An edge 64 forms portion of the waist 17 of the bodice 8a. A cutout 65 forms portion of the arm opening. Slits 66 similar to the slits 56 indicate the line for the seams or hems as the case may be. Fig. 7 illustrates a pattern 67 for cutting the neck frill 22. A pattern 68 of Fig. 7 forms the sleeves 21 of the bodice 8a.

The dimensions of the patterns 50, 60, 67 and 68 are selected according to the dress size fitting. However, the waist dimension for each dress size fitting is standardized according to the waist dimensions given above. Accordingly, when the bodice 8a for a size 8 dress is made up from fabric cut using the patterns 50, 60, 67 and 68, the circumference of the waist formed by the edges 52 and 64 of the patterns 50 and 60 will always form a waist circumference of 64 cms.

Referring now to Figs. 9 to 12 patterns 69, 70, 71 and 72 are illustrated for the bodice 8b. In this case, the pattern 69 forms the front panel 18 of the bodice 8b while the pattern 70 forms the two side panels 19. The edges 73 and 74 of the panels 69 and 70 respectively forms the edges of the fabric which are joined along the seams 20.

The edge 75 of the pattern 70 form the seam 16 of the bodice 8b. The pattern 71 forms the entire back portion 15 of the bodice 8b. The edges 76 form the seams 16 at each side of the bodice. The edges 77 of the patterns 69, 70 and 71 together form the waist 17 of the bodice 8b. The pattern 72 forms the sash frill 23. Slits 79 in the patterns 69, 70, 71 and 72 are similar to the slits 56 in the pattern 50 and indicates the line for seams and hems.

Referring now to Figs. 13 and 14 there is illustrated skirt patterns 80 and 81 for the skirts 9a and b. The pattern 80 forms the skirt 9a and 9b. Edges 82 of the pattern 80 form the edges (not shown) which are joined by the rear seam (not shown) of the skirts 9a and 9b. The edge 83 of the pattern 80 forms the waist 29 of the skirts 9a and b. It is envisaged that the length to which the waist edge of the fabric is to be gathered to form the waist will be written on the pattern 80. The dimensions of the pattern 80 will vary depending on the dress size.

Similarly, the waist dimensions will also vary according to the waist dimension set out above. The pattern 81 forms the frill 31 of the skirt 9b.

In all cases, where patterns are provided, they are of sheet material, in this case plastics material. In certain cases, it is envisaged that the patterns for the skirts, sashes and the like where they are of rectangular or square shape, instead of being provided in sheet pattern form, may be merely provided as a set of dimensions.

Although not illustrated, the patterns for the bodices 8c to e and skirts 9c to e will be substantially similar to the patterns already described with appropriate changes to suit the particular design. Such required design changes will be well known to those skilled in the art.

Accordingly, since the bodices and skirts of similar dress size fitting have similar waist dimensions, any bodice 8a to e can be attached to any skirt 9a to e by merely sewing the desired bodice to the desired skirt. This therefore enables the manufacturer to keep his stock of dresses to a minimum. By having a supply of bodices 8 and skirts 9 of different designs a to e for each size, a dress with a desired bodice and skirt can readily easily be provided.

All that is required is to select the desired bodice and skirt and stitch the two together along the waist seam 30.

Furthermore, a retailer, by carrying a stock of five dresses in each size, can display all the bodices 8a to e and all the skirts 9a to e. A customer by fitting the five dresses can select the bodice and skirt combination which they prefer and the manufacturer can then readily easily provide the desired dress by merely selecting the desired bodice and skirt and switching the two together, as already described. It is envisaged in most cases that the bodice of each design and skirt of each design will be identified by appopriate reference numerals and/or letters, for example the bodices may be identified by the reference letters a to e and the skirts by the reference letters a to e, and a manufacturer would then merely request a dress of the appropriate size with a bodice a and a skirt c for example.

Alternatively, it is envisaged in certain cases that the bodices 8a to e and skirts 9a to e of the various sizes may be supplied separately to retailers for the purposes of demonstration. In which case, a customer could try on each bodice separately with each skirt as desired.

Indeed, where the bodices and skirts are supplied separately, it is envisaged that releasable fastening means may be provided on the bodices and skirts for releasably attaching them together during fitting. For example, the waist 17 of the bodices may be trimmed with a strip of hooks, while the waist 29 of the skirts 9 may be trimmed with eyes of hooks and eyes material which is sold under the Trade Name VELCRO. Thus, a customer may fit on a desired bodice with a desired skirt and secure them at the waist by joining the strips of the VELCRO.

While particular designs of bodices and skirts have been described, dresses with bodices and skirts of other designs could be provided without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, while specific waist dimensions have been described which correspond with particular dress sizes, other waist dimensions could be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

Furthermore, while the waist dimension of each bodice and skirt have been described as being identical for respective dress size fittings, it is not absolutely essential that the waist dimensions of the bodice and skirt should be identical. It has been found in practice that provided the waist dimension of the skirt and bodice are within + or - 5 mm above the stated dimension, then a bodice and skirt can still be attached together with adequate results.

Needless to say, if different designs of bodice and skirt are to be provided, appropriate patterns would be provided.

Further, while in the particular embodiment of the invention described, five designs of bodice and five designs of skirt have been described and illustrated, any number of bodices and skirts could be provided without departing from the scope of the invention. Indeed, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the number of bodices does not have to be similar to the number of skirts.

Claims (29)

1. A set of patterns for use in the manufacture of a plurality of dresses of different designs, the set of patterns comprising a plurality of bodice patterns of different designs for respective bodices and a plurality of skirt patterns of different designs for respective skirts, wherein the waist dimension of the bodice patterns and skirt patterns are substantially similar for similar size fittings of dresses so that a bodice made from any of the bodice patterns may be attached to a skirt made from any of the skirt patterns.

2. A set of patterns as claimed in Claim 1 in which each bodice pattern is of sheet material.

3. A set of patterns as claimed in any of Claims 1 or 2 in which each bodice pattern comprises at least a back and front portion.

4. A set of patterns as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3 in which at least some of the skirt patterns comprise a pair of dimensions giving the length and width of the fabric to form the dress.

5. A set of patterns as claimed in any preceding claim in which some of the skirt patterns are of sheet material.

6. A set of patterns as claimed in any preceding claim in which at least some of the skirt patterns comprise a dimension which gives the size to which the waist portion of the fabric is to be gathered to form the waist dimension.

7. A set of patterns as claimed in any preceding claim in which a pattern for sleeves corresponding to some of the respective bodice designs are provided for respective size fittings of dresses.

8. A set of patterns as claimed in any preceding claim in which a plurality of patterns for frills corresponding to some of the respective bodice and skirt designs are provided for respective size fittings of dresses.

9. A set of patterns as claimed in Claim 7 or 8 in which at least some of the sleeve and frill patterns are of sheet material.

10. A set of patterns as claimed in Claims 2, 5 or 9 in which the sheet material patterns are of a flexible substantially tear resistant material.

11. A set of patterns as claimed in Claim 10 in which the sheet material is a plastics material.

12. A set of patterns as claimed in any preceding claim in which the waist dimension for a bodice or skirt of a size 8 dress in the range of 64 cms to 69 cms.

13. A set of patterns as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 11 in which the waist dimension for a bodice or skirt of a size 9 dress in the range of 65 cms to 70 cms.

14. A set of patterns as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 11 in which the waist dimension for a bodice or skirt of a size 10 dress in the range of 66 cms to 71 cms.

15. A set of patterns as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 11 in which the waist dimension for a bodice or skirt of a size 11 dress in the range of 67.5 cms to 72.5 cms.

16. A set of patterns as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 11 in which the waist dimension for a bodice or skirt of a size 12 dress in the range of 69 cms to 74 cms.

17. A set of patterns as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 11 in which the waist dimension for a bodice or skirt of a size 13 dress in the range of 71 cms to 76 cms.

18. A set of patterns as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 11 in which the waist dimension for a bodice or skirt of a size 14 dress in the range of 74 cms to 79 cms.

19. A set of patterns substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings for use in the manufacture of a plurality of dresses of different designs.

20. A method for manufacturing dresses of different design using the patterns of any of Claims 1 to 19, the method comprises the steps of manufacturing a plurality of bodices of different designs from corresponding bodice patterns, and a plurality of skirts of different designs from corresponding skirt patterns, wherein the bodices and skirts are manufactured with substantially similar waist dimensions for similar size fittings of dresses so that any design of bodice may be attached to any design of skirt for that size fitting.

21. A method as claimed in Claim 20 in which the method includes the step of placing some of the patterns on the fabric material from which the dress is to be made, and cutting the material to the corresponding pattern.

22. A method as claimed in Claim 20 or 21 in which the method includes the step of forming the bodices and skirts from the cut material.

23. A method as claimed in any of Claims 20 to 22 which comprises the step of selecting a bodice and skirt of similar size fitting of dress and stitching the bodice and skirt together.

24. A method substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings for manufacturing dresses of different designs using patterns of any of Claims 1 to 19.

25. A dress manufactured in accordance with the method of any of Claims 20 to 24 comprising a bodice and skirt, wherein the bodice is selected from one of a plurality of designs of bodice and the skirt is selected from one of a plurality of designs of skirt, the bodice and skirt being of substantially similar waist dimensions for similar size fitting of the dress, and the bodice and skirt being attached to each other.

26. A dress as claimed in Claim 25 in which the bodice and skirt are releasably attached to each other by releasable fastening means.

27. A dress as claimed in Claim 25 in which releasably fastening means is provided by strips of hooks and eyes sold under the Trade Name VELCRO.

28. A dress as claimed in Claim 25 in which the bodice and skirt are stitched together.

29. Dresses substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.