The present invention relates generally to the fabrication of wearing apparel and, more particularly, to the construction of shirts and methods for producing the same, especially shirts fabricated from knitted fabrics.
As is well known, virtually all shirts, whether formal or informal and whether made of woven, knitted or other fabric, are produced by a so-called cut-and-sewn methodology wherein individual fabric pieces are cut from the selected fabric and then sewn together into a configuration forming a shirt body for covering a wearer""s torso and sleeves for covering the wearer""s arms. Necessarily, this cut-and-sewn process produces a number of individual seams in the resultant garment, typically including at least seams along each shoulder, vertical seams along one or both sides of the torso portion of the shirt body, seams encircling each arm at the juncture with the shirt body, and seams providing a finished edge to the various openings (e.g., the neck, arm and waist openings) in the garment. This process is highly labor intensive and, in turn, adds a greater element of expense to the cost of producing the garment than the fabric itself. In addition, seams tend to be weaker and, hence, more subject to separation, tearing or other damage, than unseamed portions of the fabric from which the shirt is made.
Accordingly, there is a need and desire within the apparel industry to provide shirts in which seams are minimized so as to reduce the cost of manufacture and also improve the overall strength and durability of the garment, particularly garments such as sports jerseys which must endure more rigorous conditions of use and abuse than other types of shirts.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a novel method of fabricating shirts in general by which the formation of seams is minimized. A more particular object of the present invention is to employ circularly knitted fabrics in such process. Another object of the present invention is to provide a methodology of fabricating shirts which may be applicable in various embodiments to many different types of shirt garments, but the present invention seeks to provide in one particular embodiment a methodology specifically applicable to the fabrication of sports jerseys, especially football jerseys. A still further specific object of the present invention is to provide a method of fabricating shirts which eliminates the seams normally formed in conventional cut-and-sewn shirts at the top of the shoulders, between the shirt body and the sleeves, and along one or both sides of the shirt body. It is additionally an object of the present invention to provide a novel structure of shirt as a result of the methodology of the invention.
Basically, the present invention utilizes two lengths of circularly knitted tubular seamless fabric, one of which will form the body of the shirt and the other of which will form the shoulders and sleeves. The fabric tube which will form the body of the shirt is knitted to a diameter and predetermined length suitable for the shirt body, with the lower end of the fabric being formed with a turned welt to form a folded finished annular edge defining the waist opening of the shirt body and with the upper end of the fabric tube left with an unfinished edge for sewing to the other fabric tube which will form the shoulders and sleeves. This latter fabric tube for forming the shoulders and sleeves is similarly knitted (either on the same or a different knitting machine) to a predetermined length (depending upon the size of the garment and whether the sleeves will be short, mid-length or long sleeves), with each opposite end of the tube formed with a turned welt to form a folded finished edge defining the arm openings in the shirt.
The present method basically forms the garment by orienting the shoulder/sleeve tube perpendicularly with respect to the upper end of the body tube and sewing the two tubes together. The shoulder/sleeve tube is cut appropriately in preparation for this sewing operation, which cutting may be performed in differing ways according to how the shoulders and sleeves are to be sized and shaped. For example, in a simplified embodiment, the shoulder/sleeve tube may be slit axially along only an intermediate length of the tube sufficient to be sewn along the upper unfinished annular edge of the body tube, but otherwise leaving the sleeves seamless. Alternatively, the shoulder/sleeve tube may be slit axially along its entire length, following which the resultant cut edges are sewn midway along their length to the upper annular edge of the body tube and the cut edges of the shoulder/sleeve tube extending outwardly beyond either side of the body tube are then sewn together, e.g., taperingly, to shape and size the sleeves. A neck opening is also cut in the shoulder/sleeve tube opposite the side thereof sewn to the body tube, and a neck band is sewn along this opening to form a finished neck to the garment.
Advantageously, the above-described process results in the complete elimination of any seam along the top of the shoulders of the garment, any seam encircling the sleeves, and any seam along the sides or otherwise along the length of the shirt body.