US2638597A - Maternity garment - Google Patents

Description

May 19, v1953 JANET BRIGGs 2,633,597

- Now BY CHANGE oF NAME JEANETTE M. TRoxELL MATERNITY GARMENT Flled oct s, 1947 s sheets-sheet 1 M E muril May 19, 1953 JANET BRIGGs 2,638,597

Now BY CHANGE oF NAME JEANETTE M. TRoxELL MATERNITY GARMENT Filed Oct. 9, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Tm/enfer' @y 4 www Mazur-f May 19, 1953 JANET ERIGGS 2,638,597

Now BY CHANGE oF NAME JEANETTE MgTRoxELL MATERNITY GARMENT Filed Oct. 9, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIC-.I3

Patented May i9, 1953 Janet Briggs,

MATERNITY GARMENT hicago, Ill.,: now by change Aof v y l.name Jeanette M. Troxell l Application October 9, 1947, Serial No. 778,802 y 26 Claims.

.Y 1 My invention relates generally to maternity garments and, more particularly, to maternity garments which permit the" wearer selectively to increase the convexity or fullness of the garment at the desired level in the front throughout the entire period of pregnancy.

Maternity garments `presently on themarket appear to 4be devoted exclusively to providing expansion of the garment circumferentially, in an amount governed by the wearer, as the period of pregnancy progresses. The ability to enlarge circumferentially is most commonly achieved by forming the garment withfa circumference corresponding to the maximum circumferential increase expected in the wearer and then. employing a draw string construction by means ofwhich the garment may initially be constricted at the waist to a normal waist measurement and may subsequently be let out at the waist selective amounts to accommodate the increase in girthof the wearer. Although a construction Aallowing circumferential enlargement is necessary, it fails to take into consideration that the expansion is not only circumferential but also produces an increase in the vertical dimension of the pregnant womanV asmeasured from 'the waist overv the enlarging labdomen to the hem line. As a consequence, the present forms of maternity garments rise up at the front as the abdomen of the wearer enlarges and the resulting irregular .hem line is very unpleasing in appearance. The hem line in the front may rise as muchv as four to six inches during the entire period of pregnancy and .previous attempts to allow for this have been inadequate and have resulted in vconstructions which are unpleasing in appearance and uncomfortable to the wearer.

` Itis a primary object of my invention to pro.- vide a` maternity garment'which will fit the curvature ofthe figure not only inithevery early stages `of pregnancy when the `iigure is substantially normal but also to rgive a stylish appearance all through'the term of pregnancy. In accomvplishingr this objective'there is' provided a garment which will permit the wearer to increase the fullness of the front of thegarment, that is,

to provide av convexity to accommodatethe en-I larging abdomen and thereby to increase the total vertical vmeasurement of the front in order to maintain the hem line of the garment even at all times. Means for allowing a selective amount of circumferential enlargement of the garment is also incorporated; The resulting garment is pleasing in appearance andis comfortableto the wearer;

the individu-a1 wearer, since the level of the greatest enlargement. of the abdomen varies in different women and may also vary in the same women during the period of pregnancy or during subsequent pregnancies. Generally the greatest forward .projection of the abdomen will occur several inches below the waist level and colisequently 4innthe various forms of the maternity garment of my invention I provide means for increasing the `convexityof thegarment vat that level. The meansfor increasing the convexity may bey described, briey, as a double layer of material extending horizontally across the front of the garment and held at the side seams, 4together with one or more lines of spaced apart stitches extending horizontally from seam to seam in the double layer. When there are a plurality of lines of stitches they may be successively ripped out to provide increasing convexityand length in controllable degrees. y f Since the womans, body in the area of the waistline increases considerably,measured both circumferentially andvertically, -as the term of pregnancy progresses, there is also provided means for increasing the fullness `or convexity of the garment at. the `waist level. Normally the bust enlarges as the period of pregnancy progresses and f therefore there is also provided means for increasing the fullness andyerticalmeasurement of the bodice of the maternity garment. s 1

Heretofore not too much consideration appears to have been given to designing maternity garments Ywhich are pleasingin appearance, the pri-- mary concern of -most manufacturers appearing to be that of merely allowing-an increase inthe circumference' of the garment without any attempt toconceal or minimize theungainly appearance of the .wearer or to provide more -esthetic lines to the. wearer by the designy of the garment. 'It isa particular advantage of my invention that-.the means-for increasing the convexity and length of the front of the garment lends itself to manyattractive designs and decorative effects. 1

In one lform of my invention I provide a maternity garment which is adapted-to be employed in conjunction with a loose fitting outer garment, such as a smock, whereby the actual silhouette of the wearer may be concealed. In the accomplishment of this objective-I provide in the garment, which is covered by the smock, an-upper that they may be of different forms and may be employed at various levels ofthe garment so that the wearer will be able to employ releasable means at any and all levels at which convexity or fullness is required by the Venlargingof the body, whether at the bust, waist or abdomen level or .at a levelfadjacent thereto.

It should benoted that in providing the releasable means the horizontal grain of the goods is maintained substantially level at all times, both at that stage when the figure is still in its normal shape and also at the latest stage of pregnancy, when the releasable means have been employed to add convexity and additional vertical length to the front of the garment. This is important, since any construction whichresults in a distortion or twisting of the grain of the goods out of the horizontal will always give lgarment embodying my invention, the wearer' thereof being at the earliest stages of pregnancy when the figure is of a substantially normal shape;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the garment illustrated in Figure 1 with the wearer being shown in an advanced state of pregnancy, a covering garment such as a smockfbeing indicated in dotted lines;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view on enlarged scale of the front of the garment illustrated in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the front of the garment with the section being taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure l;

Figure 5 is `an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the front ofA the garment with the section beingtaken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 2; f

Figure 6 is a `view similar to thatof Figure 4 showing a modified form of limiting-means for controlling the extent to which the lines of stitches may be rippedfout;

VFigure 7 is a view `similar to that of Figure 5 and embodying the modified limiting means of Figure 6; v

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the back, orvreverse, side of the front portion of a garment embodying a modified form of releasable means, with the garment being turned inside out for purposes of illustration;

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 9-9 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a front elevation of another form of maternity garment embodying my invention with the wearer being shown in the earliest stage of pregnancy when the figure is of a substantially normal shape;

Figure 1l is a side elevation of the garment of Figure 10 with the wearer being shownv in an advanced stage of pregnancy;

Figure 12 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the front of the garmentv with the section being takensubstantially on the line I2-I2 of Figure 10;

Figure 13 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view of the front of the garment with 'the section being taken substantially along the line I3-I3 of Figure 10;

f Figure 14 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view of the portions ofthe garment illustrated'in Figure 13 showingfthemanner in which they are initially secured together;

Figure 15 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view of the front of the garment with the section being taken substantially on the line I5--I5 of Figure 10; and

Figure 16 illustrates yanother form of maternity garment embodying my invention.

Referring rst to Figures 1 through 5 there will be seen a maternity garment, indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral I, which comprises a back portion 3 and a front portion 5 secured to the back 3 along side seams such as the side seam 1. The upper portion 8 of back 3 or portions 9 and I3 of skirt I5 may be formed of anydesired number of pieces. However,` the skirt I5 may be formed of a different material of finer quality than the upper portion of the garment which extends upwardly from the line A-Ar in Figure 1. The front comprises an upper portion II and a depending skirt portion I3, the upper portion I I of the garment being formed of a material such as the upper portion 8 of the back 3, and the skirt portion I3 of the front 5 being formed of the same type of material as the skirt portion 9 of the back 3. The upper front portion II is initially constructed so that it, together with the upper back portion, will have a maximum circumference corresponding to the maximum enlargement, circumferentially, which the wearer will attain during the period of pregnancy. Means I'I,` for constricting the garment at the waist so that it will fit the figure during the earlier part of pregnancy when the figure is substantially normal, may take many forms but is shown in Figure 1 in the form of a drawstring I9 carried in a guide 2| in the front 5. of the garment I. It will therefore be seen that the upper front portion II of the garment I is circumferentially expansible in amounts selectedby the wearer in order to accomodate 'the enlarging abdomen.

The upper front portion II of front 5 is cut vwith such fullness that its lower edge is much 'wider than the adjoiningedge of the skirt portion I3 andthe two portions are therefore secured together along their adjacent edges for their respective full lengths by gathering the lower edge of the upper front portion II to the upper edge Vof the front skirt portion I3. It is to be particularly noted that the depending skirt, indicated generally by the reference numeral I5, is notY circumferentially expansible but instead maintains the same circumference at all times throughout the period of pregnancy. The purpose of this will now-be explained.

' Duringpregnancy' a woman may feel extremely self-conscious because of the change in shape of her figure and consequently would prefer, if possible, to be so clothed that her condition of pregnancy would not be readily observable.

Maternity garments presently on the market reveal a condition of pregnancy in two very noticeable. manners, rst, by the enlargedabdomen of the wearer which extends the front of the garment and causes the hem line to rise upas much as four to six inches and, secondly, by the extensive increase in the circumference of the hem due to the fact that the garment has been permitted to expand circumferentially from the waist downwardly. By my invention I ycanfelimadema:

7 mate' seth of the Vriserve mestoedlnaieationsef the pregnant condition.` the first place the depending-skirt port 113; which Will be' seen by others, is not per 'medts enla-ree circumfe'rentially when the ripper' portion l l of the front 5, which will be concealed. in a marmerte be described, is' permitted to expand circumferentially and in other directions in order to ac'c'oinno'date 61de abdoirtil In other Words' the hem line maintains the same circuirrierencethiouglront the entire period of pregnancy While the enlarging abdomen is comfortably mfcomm'odated, oy" reasoner" the improved structure or? the earrieifit; by permitting the' upper portion It to' be eiiiphsble circmnfer'ntally to' any degree neces'- sary'.- It will4` be observed that l provide means not' only for' increasing. the' circumference ofthe garment the upper' flCjIi') port/10D H Where needed, but also l provide means for adding length and. producing a co'nvexity to` the feront ofi' the garment in the upper' front portion Ill silice the measurement vertically from the Waist along the outline' ci? the enlarged abdomen to the lirl'e also'v increases as pregnancy' progresses.

Thisrne'a'ns' for adding; length and producing conl vexity", will' bie' described n detail immediate'l'y below,- permits'- the wearer to' maintain` the heniliiref at'tlll'e proper' l'evelthroughout the period of pregnancy, thus' eliminating the second factor which tends to reveal a pregnant condition.-

Heretorre maternity garrxte'nts', have been desighed rii'ainlyfor'the purpose" of providing means for increasing the garment circnmferentially. They' have not however satisn'ed thel need for ani increase in* the vertical measuremerit.v problem of covering. the-'ligure as it enlargesf m'ay better visualized if you consider' what would bei necessary' tdi cover" a portion'l of a balloon as it is eipanded.- It is obvious that circumfererl tial'- erlllargom'ents only' one' aspect-of the' increase in the surface. Means" musttlrereforebe pro v'ide'dl tot' not' only increasing thel frontv of the garment in a circumferential' direction but also ah directions since" ai somewhat hemispherical surface is presented.

The means for' producing aiv e'onve'xit-y" or' fullri'essf to' thefront of the garment to accommodate enlarging abdomen and for thereby increas-y in'g the verticali measurement of the front of .the garment is' indicatedgenerallly by the reference nlurn al 23i it' coni-prises',` itsr simplest form, a tuck W111i' "i extendshorizontally from one side seam' l to euother side seam and is of the same Width as it extends' across the front off the garz'rleiit. Consequently' the horizontalgrain of th'e goods' is' zriaintain'e'd substantially parallel to' tlm-'e loor throughout th'ef front of the garment le Ifr" reference to Figure 4 W'i'l-l be made, itv will be seen that inl a'A preferred form` ofthe invention means for providing convexlity and lengtl'i.x tothe front of the garment includes in addition to' the line of stitches' 215', which forms the` tuckl,` a plurality' or lines ofstitches 25a, 25o, 25e, 25d, 25e, in the folded portion 2/1 ofy the tuck. The tuck provides in the folded? portion 2l two layers of material 29' and 3 if. It will be observed that the lines of stitches 25; 25a, 251)4 25o, 25'd',. and 25e e'x't'enc'il substantially* horizontally in spaced relation" to each other from1 on'e side' seam 'l to" the other side seam 1 across the' fron-t- 5' of thef garmenty I. lAll of the lines of stitches,4 including the line forming vthe tuck, are releas'able by the wearer intermediate the` side' seams as desired. The` lines of stitches are usually releasedl pm'- gres'si-vely beginning with the line' 25 forming? the The.:

8 trickl.- Sin'ee they tuck is heldin place by the side 'seams T, even when the' lines of stitches 25, 25a, 25o, etc. are released, the tuck will be converted to a pair o'f darts instead of being droppedthe amcunt from side s'earn to Yside seax.

I-t should be here explained that the' side seams 'I do not need to lie exactly in the' position indicated in Figures l `and 2 but may be in front or back o'fthe central line of the side of the wearer if that is desired. In any event, the referer'c'e to' side seams in this description and in the claims means those. seams between which the means 23' for producing convexity is disposed. It will be' Vunderstood thatv if vertical seams were to* pass across thelines of stitches 25,y 25a, 25h, etc., that would .prevent thoseI lines of stitches from .being ripped out beyond suchvertical lines of stitches llirl'ess theyertical lines Were also ripped out. vvFrom actual experiment it hasnbeen determined that having. the yside `seams alone the center of the side ci the wearer produces very satisfactory results.

As the' woman enlarges during pregnancy she will release the' ripper fron-t portion Il circumferentially by means of the constricting inea-ns Il at the' Waistlin'e and willal'so rip out successively the lines of stitches 25, 25a, etc. As the nrst line of stitches 25' is ripped out the tuck is changed toy a pair oi small darts' extending toward each other from the sideV seams. As successive lines of stitches 25a, 25h, etc. are ripped out; a deeper and deeper dart is provided at each side of the garment and consequently increased convexity and fullness is provlded.- vIf reference will' be madeI to Figure 2 it will be seen that the convexty thus provided permits the upper front portion Il ofthe garment to iit about the protruding abdomen and to' comeback under it to the upper edge of the skirtportifon'- I3 at the front 5. Asa result ther skirt does' not rise upy in the front andi produce an -neyen herir line and it i's permitted-.to be norr-*expansib-le as Well. When a garment such as a smock or other loosez fitting covering garmentiswo'rn' over the maternity gar- :rient I= they true sha-pe of the' wearer is enti-rely concealed because a smoel: or similar blousing garment conceals the silhouette of any person whether pregnant or' n'ot. Consequently, with a covering garment; such as the garment 32 ,indicated inY dotted linesV in- Figure 2,- the're is ,nothing to indicate that the wearer is pregnant since the ci-rcumferenceo-f the hem line remains 'constarrt at all times and the depending` skirt i5 remains at the same level. Since smocks` and similar garments are commonly Worn by women there are marry varieties and designs thereof on the mark-et, inclu-ding some that are highly deco'- rative and are Worn as' formal` attire". As a result the pregnant woman has available a Wi'd'e selection of coveringga'rmelits which she* may employ in connectionA with the maternity garmentr 4.

rPhe loose-hangi covering garmentysuch as the smo'ck 32,-.d'oes not have tlie sametendency lto ride upon the abdomen as does a dress.v However, I may also embody my invention in* the sxrlock-l, whereby it too may acquire additional verticali measurement, clon-ivexity in the front. This may be doneby the neans 23 just described or inthe manner described hereinafter witlrespectl to the garment of Figures 10 and 11F.-

. It Willibe.v apparent that the' upper portion of the garment I from the linea-aet upward :nay be formed of :an inexpensive 'material .since it' will covered. It is only necessary that the depending skirt `I be of a usual dress/material since it alone will be Yobservable whenthe covering garment is worn. 1

It will be recalled that the means 23 forproducing convexity tothe front of the garmentwhich means, in Figure 1,` is shown as being a tuck with a plurality of parallel lines of stitches in the folded portion of f the 'tuck-has the tuck secured at the side seams with the lines of stitchesA being releasable only intermediate the side seams. Evenif the lines of stitches were all ripped out completely from one side seam to the other, darts would always result, as shown in Figure 3,- since the tuck originally placedin the garment is not releasable at the side seams. Such darts `would be similar to unpressed dartssince they would not be secured against theffront of the garment. Cups or pockets would therefore tend to be formed. Consequently, ina preferred form of my invention the wearer is instructed by code means, such asdifferent colored thread or other means, to rip out the successive lines of stitches decreasing amounts in either direction from `the center of the front portion 5. The dartsVwhich are formed when thelines of stitches are ripped out in that manner, are then held fiatagainst the front of the garment by those stitches which are permitted to remainin the various Ilinesvof stitches. The resulting darts are those illustrated in Figure 3. -The variousdots 33 are intended to represent the places where the stitches have been ripped out from the material. In actuality these dots or needle holes will not be visible.

So that the wearer of the garment may more easily rip out the successive lines of stitches only the proper amount, that is, decreasing amounts for the successive line of stitches, I provide, as may best be seen in Figures 4 andy 5, a pair. of` lock stitches 35 for each line of stitches in the folded portion 21 of the tuck. The lock stitches of each pair are spaced equidistant yfrom the'center line on the front of the garment. It is then a very simple matter for the wearer to cut a line of stitches adjacent the center front of the garment and to rip it in each direction as far as the lock stitch will permit at each end ofthe line of stitches. It will be seen that the inner lines of stitches have their respective pairs of lock stitches 35 spaced increasingly greater distances from ,the side seams, i. e., -closerto the vertical median line of the front 5. Consequently, when all of the lines of stitches are `ripped back as far as their respective lock stitches will permimthe result will be that shown in Figure 5 and the darts 34which will be formed adjacent each side seam will be held ilat and in place by those stitches, of each line of stitches, whichare not ripped out.

In place of the lock stitches v35 of Figures 4 and 5 I may substitutea single line of stitches `A3'! in Figures 6 and A'7 'which intersects each side seam and also curvesthrough and intersects each of the lines of stitches 25a, 25h, etc. at two places. Line 25 may also be so intersected, ifl desired. The line of stitches 3l therefore prevents the wearer from ripping veaclrof the, lines of stitches 25a, 25h, etc.,.al1 the way to theside seams in somewhat the same manner as do the lock stitches of Figures 4 and 5. In Figure 7 there will be seen the resulting dart 34 which is held in place by the stitches which are not ripped out in the various lines of stitches when a control line of stitches 31vis employed.- Itwill be understood that in place,V of such `a single line of stitches 31 two separate lines of stitches, curved .or straight, may beemployed, eachextending from lustratedin Figures 1 through 7.

1-0 a side seamand intersecting the horizontal lines of stitches 25a, 25b,etc. y

In Figures 8 and 9 I show a tuck 23 which has' a straight line of stitches 25, i. e., a line following the horizontal grain of the goods, and a plurality of inner lines of- stitches 25a, 25o, 25e, and 25d in the folded portion 21, all of the latter lines of stitches being curved in this modification of my invention with the lines of stitches being adapted to be-ripped completely vfrom, one sideseam 1 to the other side seam 1. Consequently, .the wearer does not have to rely upon lockstitches or similar devices and does not need to watch exactly how Afar 4the line is ripped out since'the side seams 'I will limit the ripping operation. Thea curved lines of stitches 25a, 25h, etc., automatically produce darts as they-are succesf sively ripped out and the darts are held in place byy the lines of stitches not yet ripped out and therefore cups `or `pockets will not be formed. It willbe appreciated that the parallel lines of stitches 'extending horizontally from one side seam to the other side seam are more easily and quickly formed `than curved .lines having different radii since they may be stitched on a multipleneedle machine,l whereas the curved lines of stitches ordinarily will need to be formed individually one after the other. A garment having the straight parallel lines is therefore more economical toproduce.

It will be observed from Figures 1 and 2 that the means 23 for producing a.A convexity and fullness to the garment is situated at that level vat which the wearer will have the greatest forward projection during pregnancy.` It will be understoodvthat several such means 23, for example, tucks, may be employed at different levels on the front portion 5 of the garment l and that they may be wider or narrower, that is, of greater or lesser vertical measurement, than the tucks il- Withsuch a pluralityf-of tucks-various shapes of figures may be accommodated since some women carry the fetus lower than do others. Consequently, I may form the garment with a plurality of tucks `intermediate the waistline and the seam which joins the upper lfront portion` Il with the lower front skirt portion I3. iHowever, for most women the greatest forward projection during pregnancy will be at that level indicated by the tuck 23 in Figures 1 and 2. As will be pointed out below, tucks or other means fory increasing the convexty or fullness of the front of the garment may also be employed at the waist level and above'the waist level, as well as below. v Y- It will be observed that the uppery front portion Ilfof the garment l ofvFigures 1 and 2 extends from the shoulder level to-a level belowrthe abdomen and, although Ima-y form this of a plurality of pieces of material, in one form of my invention Iformit of a single piece. of material and thereby gain additional length since -there is no cutting out of the material at thewaistline as is ordinarily done in the blockiconstituting the lbodice and in the block constituting the -skirt portion of the front ofthe garment. -The normal front blocks of the bodiceandskirt portions of a dress have the adjacent edges, whichare to be joined, cut inwardly of each blockin order to t the garment at the waist. This, however, results in the -loss of some of the materialwhich might well go into the vertical measurement of the garmentto assist` in maintaining thehem line level in a maternity garment;l Prior to the time when `the Aadditional material is needed for 11 increase of the vertical measurement, it forms a slight blouse above the waistline.

In employing a one-piece upper front portion I provide a proper t at the waist While the gure still retains its normal shape by reason of the drawstring arrangement or by providing a belt or waist band `having a series of circumferentially spaced releasable snaps at the waist level across the front of the garment with the fullness at the front of the garment lbeing formed in pleats somewhat in" the manner illustrated in Figure l which will be described at greater length hereinafter. The successive snaps Apermit the release of the pleated fullness at the election of the wearer. In addition to providing additional vertical measurement to the front of the garment, cutting the upper front portion in one piece eliminates certain steps which are ordinarily taken the manufacture of a garment. Such construction therefore provides a reduction in the amount of labor necessary and lowers the ultimate cost of the garment.

Referring now to Figure l0 there will be seen a maternity garment in the 'form of an outer garment which lends itself to a variety of designs and decorative effects but which also includes means for producing convexity or fullness of the garment to the extent desired as the figure enlarges. In this garment there is illustrated a plurality of tucks 53 below the waistline which extend substantially horizontally from one side seam to the other side seam and also a tuck 55 at the level of the bust in the upper front portion of the garment 5|. At the waist there is provided an additional means 51 for the further addition of fullness and vertical measurement to the fron-t of the garment, as will be ex* plained more fully below. It is important in an outer garment, such as garment 5|, that the various'means forproducing convexity or fullness in the garment have their releasable portions concealed so that la pleasing appearance of the garment may be provided and so tha-t there isi-1o change in `design as the releasable portions are employed during the term of pregnancy.

In Figure l5 there is illustrated on an enlarged scale the plurality of tucks 53 behind which are formed a plurality of smaller tucks 59 which also extend horizontally from one side seam to the other side seam behind the larger tucks 53. In the folded portion 6| of each of the smaller concealed tucks 53 there are a plurality of lines of stitches 55 which may extend parallel to each other and to the line of stitches B3 which ferm the smaller tuck 59. It will be understood that lock stitches may be employed in these lines of stitches 65 in substantially the same manner as that illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. If preferred, aline of stitches, such as the line 31 of Figures 6 and '7, may be employed for intersecting the parallel lines of stitches 65. From Figures 10 and l5 it will be apparent that as the successive lines of stitches 63 and 65 are ripped out in the smaller tucks 59, which are concealed behind the larger tucks A53, it will bepossible to remove equal numbers of lines of stitches from each of the tucks 55 and thereby to maintain an even and balanced appearance to the large tucks 5,3. Alternatively, the wearer may rip out, successively, all of the lines of stitches in one tuck 59 before any lines .are ripped out of the other tucks 59, It will be apparent that the lines of stitches. of the various tucks may be ripped out sequentially in a variety of ways to suit the wearers gure.

If reference will now be made -to Figures 10, l1. and 12 it will he seen that I have formed the bodice 64 of the garment 5| of two portions of material 65v and 61, respectively, and that I have provided behind the tuck .or folded portion 55 a smaller concealed tuck 11, tuck 1l being formed in the upper `part or vmargin of the lower portion G1 of the bodice 64 'by the line of stitches "13. In the folded portion il of the tuck there are a plu-v rality of lines of stitches 15 all of which liriosv extend from side seam to side seam in the front' of the garment 5|, if 4the bodice is not divided vertically, or from the side seams vtoward the seams in the ,adjacent edges, if the 'bodice is divided vertically as at 1E. The lines of stitches '|5 which are formed in the folded portion 14 of the tuck 55 may take any one of the forms illus# trated and described above in Figures 4, 6 or 8. Since the bust normally enlarges during pregnancy, additionai fullness to the garment at the level of the bust will be provided by the tuch 'H and the releasable lines of stitches 'I3 and l5. When the front of the bodice $4 is formed of two portions 65 and 61, as illustrated in Figures 10, 131 and 1,2, greater circumferential fullness may be provided in forming the lower portion 67 without compelling unneeded fullness to be employed in the upper portion 55 which fits the shoulders of the wearer. The additional circumferential fullness of the lower portion 61 of the bodice B4 may be accommodated in a pleasing manner by shirring or pleats or by other known means. However, it is not to be overlooked that the front of the `bodice may be formed of a greater or lesser number of pieces of material while yet incorporating means for providing con vexity or added vertical measurement.

Referring now more particularly to Figures l0, 11, 13 and 14, it will be seen that a modified form of means for providing increased fullness to the gar-ment and for adding to the vertical measurement thereof in the front may `be provided at a seam. Keeping in mind that the normal Ablocks of the bodice and front skirt portions of the usual dress are out inwardly along a curved line at their adjacent edges so that the garment when sewed together will t the waist, it will be seen that I gain additional material for adding to the front of the gar-ment by cutting the adjacent edges of the blocks for the bodice 64 and the skirt 19 with the grain o f the goods and then securing the adjacent edges together by a plurality of lines of stitches 8| (each of which might be called a seam?, the deepest of which lines corresponds to the normal curve of lthe waist line. When I say the deepest line of stitches I refer to the line which is farthest removed from the edges of the bodice 64 and skirt 19 which are joined together. Lines .of stitches inwardly thereof, that is, closer to the edges which are joined together, are less and less curved and the innermost 83, that is the shallowest, is stitched with the horizontal grain of the goods. Instead of having the curved lines of stitches coming to a Common Point, they may be additionally spaced from each other without changing their respective curvatures as shown in Figure 13. In such construction each line intersects the side seams at points spaced from the points of intersection of the other lines with the side seams. This yfeature furnishes a means for providing the greatest possible additional length at center front of the garment, but it creates the smallest possible pick-up, or dart, at the side seams. The aforementioned problem of hiding the functional tuck 13 or seam from view under a larger tuck or belt, which constitute the style of the garment, has then been solved.

As the figure enlarges at the waist not only circumferentially but also in all directions, successive lines of stitches 8l, Ibeginning with the deepest, are ripped out, except for the final line of stitches 83 which forms a seam for holding the bodice portion 64 and skirt portion 19 of the garment together. The additional length gained by ripping out the successive lines may by itself, or in combination with small tucks 59 behind large tucks 53 (Figure 15), permit the garment to maintain an even hem line so that the garment does not rise or `hike up by reason of the enlarging abdomen of the wearer. It will be understood, of course, that if the material forming the front is not divided at the waist, a releasable tuck could be employed. l

To accommodate the circumferential enlargement of the iigure at the waist'and abdomen, the front skirt portion 19 and the bodice portion 64 are cut with sucient kcircumferential fullness to accommodate the figure of the wearer at the most advanced stage of pregnanacy and the additional material may be taken up circumferentially by the draw-string arrangement illustratedin Figures 1 and 2 or by providing a plurality of folds or pleats85 in a decorative manner at the front of the garment with a belt 81 circumferentially enlargeable.

Even though I may provide a plurality of horizontally extending tucks, such as tucks 53, or a single tuck, at other levels on the front of the dress, I prefer to have at least one of the tucks at that level at which the wearer will have the greatest forward projection during pregnancy since increased convexity will be necessary at that location or immediately above that level.

Instead of a plurality of tucks such as tucks 53 in Figures 10 and 11,it is also possible to provide selective means for increasing the convexity or fullness of a garment by means of horizontal seams 9| (see the garment 89 of Figurefl) which have a plurality of curved lines of stitches (or other seams) 93 in spaced relation to each other. A series of seams formed by curved lines of stitches was employed, as wll'be recalled, at the waist of the garment 5| of Figure'l'O. I-Iowver, in the seams 93 of the garment 89 of Figure 16 the first, or deepest, linev of stitches 9| which is releasable will be a substantially straight line, i. e., with the horizontal grain of the goods, since it will be desirable' to have the dress initially `formed with the grain of goods horizontal in all portions of the garment below and above the waist.v The straight line of stitches 9| will, therefore, be the deepest line, or deepest seam, and the successive lines of stitches or'seams 93 will be curved, the outermost, or shallowest, having the shortest radius of curvature. This is just the reverse of the showing inFigures 13 and 14 but achieves the same end in 'that-it permits the greatest possible vertical increase without creating a dart at each of theside seams. It could then be used with or vWithout a covering tuck on the outer surface of the garment. When these lines of stitches are ripped out to produce convexity or fullness of the garment at the level desired there will, of course, always be left intact one line of stitches 93 so that the pieces of the garment will not separate. y In order that the wearer may more readily determine which of the stitches of the garment areto be ripped'out and which rarenever to be ripped out I prefer to have the vreleasable lines of stitches of a different color than those which are employed to secure the pieces of the garment together. No accidents will then result and the wearer may always be able to see which lines of stitches may be safely released. Various other manners of distinguishing between the lines of stitches which are to be releasable and those which are not may be employed, such, for example, as stitches of an obviously different type, or stitches which are marked. by tags or attached threads of different colors or by printing on the inner side of the garment.

While I have shown preferred embodiments of my invention, I do not intend to be limited thereto, except insofar as the claims are so limited, since modifications and other uses will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, in view of the foregoing disclosure, without departing from the true scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A maternity garment comprising in combination, a back, and a front having at least a portion which is circumferentially expansible at least at the areas of the waist .and abdomen, said front portion being joined to the back along side seams, and said front portion including separate vertically releasable means extending from side seam to side seam at all times at substantially dierent horizontal levels for the purpose of selectively increasing fullness in the front at a level at which the users body will increase its forward projection during pregnancy.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the separate releasable means include a tuck extending between the side seams at the abdominal area and being releasable intermediate said seams and a horizontally extending seam at the waist level formed by a plurality of spaced apart'lines of stitches extending between the side seams, the deeper lines of stitches in said tuck being spaced apart and being releasable intermediate said side seams.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the separate releasable means include a releasable tuck extending horizontally from one sidev seam to the other side seam substantially at the level of the bust, a releasable tuck extending horizontally from one side seam to the other side seam substantially at the level at which the wearer will have the greatest forward projection during pregnancy, each of said tucks including one or more lines of stitches in a folded portion of the tuck, said lines of stitches being spaced apart and extending from side seam to side seam and said lines of stitches holding together the overlapped portions of material forming the tuck and being releasable intermediate said seams, and a releasable seam in said front portion at the waist level, said seam being formed by a plurality of lines of stitches spaced apart from said other lines of stitches in said tucks and extending from side seam to side seam, the deeper lines of stitches of said seam at the waist level being releasable between the side seams.

4. In e. maternity garment, in combination, a back, a front having at least a portion which is circumferentially expansible at least at the areas of the waist and abdomen, said front portion being joined to the back at side seams, and said front portion having a tuck extending horizontally from side seam to side seam at that area Where the users body will increase its forward projection during pregnancy, with said tuck being of substantially the same vertical measure ment throughout, and a plurality of spaced apart horizontally extending lines of stitches one of which lines forms said tuck and the rest of which lines of stitches extend horizontally in the folded portion of the tuck inwardly of said line of stitches forming said tuck, all of said lines of stitches holding together the overlapped portions of the material forming the tuck and being successively releasable in order to provide convexity to the front of the garment, means associated with at least some of said lines of stitches on either side of the center of the front to diilerentially limit the extent to which said lines of stitches may be releasable along their length from the center of the front toward the side seams.

5. In a maternity garment, in combination, a back, a front having at least a portion which is circumferentially expe-risible at least at the areas of the waist and abdomen, said front portion being joined to the back at side seams, and said front portion having a tuck extending horizontally from side seam to side seam at that area where the users body will increase its forward projection during pregnancy, with said tuck being of substantially the same vertical measurement throughout, and a plurality of spaced apart horizontally extending' lines of stitches one of which lines forms said tuck and the rest of which lines of stitches extend horizontally in the folded portion of the tuck inwardly of the line of stitches forming said tuck, all of said lines of stitches holding together the overlapped portions of rthe double layer of material and being successively releasable in order to provide convexity to the ront of the garment, a pair of spaced apart lock stitches formed in each of the line of stitches which are positioned inwardly of theV line of stitches forming said tuck, the lock stitches of each pair being equally spaced from their respective side seams and the lock stitches of the inner lines of stitches being successively farther from their respective side seams.

6. A maternity garment comprising, in oombination, a back, a front joined to the back at side seams, said front being formed of two portions which are joined together and comprise a one piece upper portion which is circumferentially expansible at least at the areas of the waist and abdomen and a lower portion non-expansible circumferentially, said upper portion being adapted to extend below the abdomen, and releasable layers of material forming a tuck incorporated in said upper portion and vertically spaced below said area of the waist for providing convexity to the upper portion ot t e front of the garment said layers of material being horizontally disposed and being releasable vertically at a level at which the users body will increase its forward projection during pregnancy.

7. A maternity garment comprising, in conibination, a back, a front joined to the back at side seams, said front being formed of two portions. which are joined together and comprise an upper portion circumferentially expansible at least at the areas of the waist and abdomen and a lower portion non-expansible circumferentially, releasable means for circumferentially constricting the upper portion substantially at the waist level, said upper portion being adapted to extend below the abdomen and being gathered on to the upper edge of said lower portion, and a horizontally extending tuck in the upper portion between said area of the waist `Ni and the upper edge of said lower portion at a level at which the users body will increase its forward projection during pregnancy, said tuck being releasable` 8. A maternity garment comprising, a combination, a back, a front having at least a portion which is circumferentially expansiblc at least at the areas of the waist and abdomen, said front portion being joined to the back at side seams, and means for controlling the circumferential expansion, said front portion initially conforming to the normal three dimensional curvature of the figure and including extra material extending generally horizontally between, and being held at, the side seams at a level at which the users body will :increase its forward projection during pregnancy, said material being releasable progressively downwardly for the purpose of providing changes in the vertical curvature of the front but continuing to be held at the seams, the circumferential and the vertical changes thereby permitting the garment to be changed in accordance with they changes in the curvature of the figure as pregnancy progresses.

9. A maternity garment comprising, in combination, a back, a front having at least a portion which is circumferentially expansible at least at the areas of the waist and abdomen, said front portion being joined to the back at side seams and comprising a single piece of material extending downwardly from the waistline over the abdomen, said means for controlling the circumferential expansion, said front portion initially conforming to the normal three dimensional curvature of the figure and including extra material below the waistline extending generally horizontally at the level at which the users body will increase its forward projection during pregnancy and being held at the side seams at all times, said extra material being composed of a double layer of the material held together by spaced apart generally horizontal lines of stitches which are releasable in order to make the extra material releasable progressively downwardly for the purpose of providing changes in the vertical curvature of the front, the circumferential and vertical changes thereby permitting the garment to change in accordance with the changes in the curvature of the ilgure as pregnancy progresses.

10. A maternity garment comprising, in combination, a back, a front joined to the back at side seams, said front being formed of two portions which are joined together and comprise an upper portion which is circumferentially expansible at least at the areas of the waist and abdomen and a lower portion non-expansible circumferentially, releasable means for circumferentially expanding the upper portion substantially at the waist level, said upper portion extending below the abdomen and being gathered onto the upper edge of said lower portion, and a horizontally extending tuck between said waist levelv and upper edge of said lower portion formed by a line of stitches in the upper portieri at a level at which the users body will increase its forward projection during pregnancy, and a plurality of lines of stitches in the folded portion of the tuck, said stitches holding together the overlapped portions of the material forming the tuck and said stitches extending from side seam to side seam, the line of stitches forming the tuck and said plurality of lines of stitches being releasable intermediate the side seams 17 y 11. A maternity garment comprising, incombination, a back, and a front having at least a portion which is circumferentially expansible at least at the areas of the waist and abdomen,

said front y'portion being joined to the back at double layer, said lines ofl stitches extending from side seam to side seam and holding together the overlapped portions of the double layer of material, and at least one of said lines vof stitches being releasable intermediate said seams.

12. A maternity garment comprising, in combination, a back, and a front having at least a portion which is circumierentially expansible at least at the areas of the waistand abdomen, said front portion being joined to the back at side seams, and said front portion at least at one level where the users body will increas'eits forward projection during pregnancy including a generally horizontally disposed double layer of Amaterial extending across the front between the side seams and being held at said seams, a plurality of 'spaced'apart lines of stitches in said double layer, said lines of stitches extending from side seam to side seam and holding together the overlapped portions of the double layer of material and at least one of said lines of stitches being releasable intermediate said seams, and code means for indicating the releasable lines oi stitches.

13. A maternity garment comprising, in cornbination, a back, and a front having at least a portion which is circumferentially expansible at least at the areas of the waist and abdomen, said front portion being joined to the back at side seams, and said front portion at least at one level where the users body will increase its forward projection during pregnancy including a generally horizontally disposed double layer of material extending across the front between the side seams and being held at said seams, a plurality of spaced apart parallel lines of stitches in said double layer, said lines of stitches extending generally horizontally and holding together the overlapped portions of the double layer of material, a curved line of stitches extending from one side seam to the other side seam and intersecting each of said parallel lines of stitches in two places, said parallel lines of stitches each being releasable intermediate the two intersections with said curved line of stitches.

14. A maternity garment comprising, in combination, a back, and a front having at least a portion which is circumferentially expansible at least at the areas of the waist and abdomen, said front portion being joined to the back at side seams, and said iront portion at least at one level where the users body will increase its forward projection during pregnancy including a generally horizontally disposed double layer of material extending across the front between the side seams and being held at said seams, said double layer being of substantially the same vertical measurement rom side seam to side seam and including a plurality of spaced apart lines of stitches extending from side seam to side seam and holding together the overlapped portions of the double layer of material, said lines of stitches being individually releasable intermediate the side seams to provide increased convexity to the front of the garment.

15. The garment of claim 1 wherein the separate releasable means includes a plurality of generally horizontally disposed double layers of material with the layers of each double layer being joined together intermediate the side seams by a plurality of lines of stitches which extend generally horizontally from side seam to side seam and hold together the overlapped portions of the double layer of material, said lines of stitches being individually releasable at the desired level to provide increased vertical measurement to the front of the garment.

16. The garment of claim 8 wherein said front is formed of a plurality of portions with the adjacent portions being joined together by a plurality of generally horizontally disposed curved lines of stitches which form a double layer of material extending horizontally across the front from side seam to side seam, the curved lines of stitches being in spaced relation to each other and being individually releasable intermediate the side seams.

17. The garment of claim 8 wherein the front is formed of a bodice portion and a skirt portion with said portions at their adjacent edges being cut with the grain of the goods and being secured together to provide a double layer of material by a plurality of lines of stitches which are spaced from each other and extend from one side seam to the other side seam in said double layer, said lines of stitches being individually releasrable between said side seams and the deepest line of stitches corresponding to the normal curve of the waistline.

18. The garment of claim 8 wherein the front is formed of a bodice portion and a skirt portion with said portions at their adjacent edges being cut with the grain of the goods and being secured together to provide a double layer of material by a plurality of lines of stitches which are spaced from each other and extend from one side seam to the other side seam in said double layer, said lines of stitches coming to a substantially common point at each side seam and the deepest line of stitches being parallel to the grain of the goods.

19. The garment of claim 8 wherein the extra material comprises a horizontally extending tuck formed by a line of stitches across the front from side seam to side seam, and a plurality of other lines of stitches spaced apart in the folded portion of the tuck, said other lines of stitches holding together the overlapped portions of the material forming the tuck and being curved away from the line forming the tuck and extending from side seam to side seam, the line of stitches forming the tuck and the curved line of stitches being releasable intermediate the side seams.

20. The garment of claim 8 wherein there is a substantially horizontal tuck extending across said iront portion below the waistline between the side seams, and wherein the extra material comprises a tuck formed behind said rst mentioned tuck and concealed from View, said second mentioned tuck being releasable.

21. The garment of claim 8 wherein there is a plurality of larger tucks spaced from each other and extending substantially horizontally from side seani toside seam in said front portion, each larger tuck having concealed behind it a smaller tuoi: which comprises the extra material, each smaller tuck having a plurality of lines of stitches 19 in a folded portion of said smaller tuck for holding together the overlapped portions of the material forming the smaller tuck, the line of stitches forming the smaller tuck and the lines of stitches in the folded portion of the smaller tuck extending from side sea-m to side seam and being releasable intermediate the side seams.

22. The garment of claim 1 wherein said front is formed of a bodice portion and a skirt portion, said portions at their adjacent edges being cut with the grain of the goods and being secured together by a plurality of curved lines of stitches extending substantially horizontally from one side seam to the other side seam to provide ver'- tically releasable means, and a plurality of horizontal tucks in the front below the Waist level, one of said tucks being located substantially at the level at which the wearer will have the greatest forward projection during pregnancy, and smaller horizontal tucks concealed behind each of the tucks which are located below the Waist level, said concealed tucks. being releasable to provide additional vertically releasable means.

23. The garment of claim 8 wherein the front portion is adapted to extend below the abdomen and wherein there is a depending skirt portion which is formed of a piece of material separate from said front portion, said front portion being gathered and connected to said depending skirt portion below the abdomen, said dependent skirt portion being non-expansible circumferentially.

24. The garment of claim 8 wherein the extra material is in the form :of a horizontal tuck of uniform vertical measurement extending across the front from one side seam to the other side seam with the tuck being releasable intermediate the side seams. y

25. The garment of claim 8 wherein the extra material is in the form of a seam formed of a plurality of lines of spaced apart stitches extending generally horizontally from one side seam to the other side seam, the deeper lines of stitches being releasable intermediatev the side seams.

26. The garment of claim 8 wherein said vextra material results from the front portion being formed 0I two pieces of material joined by a generally horizontal sea-m at the waistline, said two pieces at their joined .edges having been cut with the grain of the goods and said seam having been formed by a plurality .of lines of `stitches extending -from one side seam to the other side seam, the lines .of Stitches including a line which is substantially parallel to the .cut edges and a curved line of stitches spaced from the straight line and located farther from the `cut .edges than said straight line of stitches JANET BRIGGS.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 838,922 Vernon l- Dec. 18, 1906 1,461,798 Hildreth July .17, 1923 1,765,937 Patten 1 June 24, 1930` 2,021,711 Abrams Nov. 19, 1935 2,044,668 Cukor June 16, 1936 2,141,814 Frankfurt et al Dec. 27, 193.8 2,259,236 Wellins et al. Oct. 14, 1941 2,290,485 Sutter July 2l, 19.42

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