Controlling garment size

Abstract

A method of controlling the size of a fabric of a garment is disclosed which comprises overfeeding the fabric into a sewing machine while simultaneously providing a tape or cord to stabilise the sewn fabric. The tape or cord is made from a material which can be eliminated or made extensible during subsequent processing. Preferably the tape or cord is made form a material which is water-soluble and will therefore dissolve during garment washing. However, other materials can be employed such as heat-activated or steam-activated materials which become extensible on activation. The basis of the invention is that the tape or cord produced from the material will be sufficiently rigid so as to stabilise the drawn in garment fabric for application of the waistband, and yet will be removed or become extensible in subsequent processing before it reaches the wearer so that the fabric and waistband can expand during wear.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.