Seamed press felt including an elastic carrier layer and method of making

A method of making a press felt, comprising:

• providing a base fabric including at least lengthwise extending MD yarns arranged in two superimposed layers joined by the MD oriented yarns at CD oriented fold regions, the base fabric having a desired MD length and CD width, the MD oriented yarns forming first loops at a first one of the fold regions and forming second loops at a second one of the fold regions, and the first and second loops are adapted to be interdigitated to define a uniform channel extending the CD width of the press felt;
• forming a planar yarn assembly comprising an array of mutually parallel component yarns, by arranging the component yarns mutually parallel and at a desired spacing, and laminating the component yarns to an adhesive web under heat and pressure in a continuous process, and bonding the laminated component yarns to a nonwoven, elastic carrier material, the elastic carrier being stretchable allowing the planar yarn assembly to be stretchable in a direction essentially perpendicular to an orientation of the yarns of the array, the planar yarn assembly extends from one of the fold regions to the opposite fold region of the base fabric in a single layer, and at least some of the component yarns at first and second exterior edges of the planar yarn assembly are formed of a high surface contact area material;
• locating the planar yarn assembly interior to the two superimposed layers of base fabric with the first end of the planar yarn assembly extending at least partially into the MD yarn loops at the fold region;
• fixing the first end of the planar yarn assembly in position so that a first component yarn is in the desired position adjacent or extending partially into the MD yarn loops of the base fabric, and then stitching, sewing or otherwise bonding the first end to the base fabric;
• extending the planar yarn assembly towards the opposite fold region of the base fabric, the MD length of the yarn assembly being at least 1% less than an overall interior flattened length of the base fabric, and uniformly tensioning the planar yarn assembly across its CD width so as to stretch the elastic carrier with the laminated yarns attached to it by an amount sufficient to bring the second end into position adjacent to the seam loops;
• clamping the second end of the planar yarn assembly in position so that a last component yarn is in the desired position adjacent or extending partially into the MD yarn loops of the base fabric, and then stitching, sewing or otherwise bonding the second end to the base fabric.