DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is top plan view of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a right-side elevational view of the invention, the left-side elevational view being a mirror image thereof;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the invention as used on a garment;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of two pieces of a garment shown properly aligned before sewing; and
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of two pieces of a garment shown properly aligned before sewing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention is a pattern making tool 10 for marking a fabric 20 with a marking device 30 (the marking device is shown in FIG. 3). A substantially flat template 40 comprises a front surface 50, a back surface 60, and a peripheral edge that joins the front and back surfaces 50 and 60. The template is preferably transparent (or translucent) so that when the template 40 covers a portion of the fabric 20, the fabric 20 will be at least partially visible therethrough. The template 40 may be cut or stamped from a sheet of plastic stock material, or may be injection molded from a substantially clear or translucent material.
The peripheral edge is comprised of a top edge 72, a bottom edge 74, a left edge 76, and a right edge 78, such that the template 40 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, in the preferred embodiment, wherein the top and bottom edges 72 and 74 are parallel and orthogonal to the left and right edges 76 and 78. However, different shapes for the template 40 may be used as well without varying from the spirit and the scope of the present invention.
A first notch 80 having a first shape, such as a triangle, is formed in the top edge 72 of the template 40 (as shown in FIG. 1). Similarly, a second notch 90 having a second shape, such as a trapezoid or rectangle, is formed in the bottom edge 74 of the template 40. The first and second notches 80 and 90 are preferably coaxially aligned along a common longitudinal axis 120 thereof, the longitudinal axis 120 being preferably parallel to each left and ridge edges 76 and 78 of the template 40. A cut-out 140 is further formed as an opening in the template 40, shown in FIG. 1. The cut out is a combination of the first and second notches 80 and 90, such as a five-sided combination of the triangular first shape 85 and the trapezoidal second shape 95 (FIG. 1). The cut out 140 is between and coaxially aligned with the first and second notches 80 and 90. With the marking device, the user can trace portions of the cut-out 140 to create the precise shape desired onto the pattern. For example, if a triangular notch were desired, the user would place the template on the edge of pattern and trace the sides of a triangle following the diagonal lines of the cut-out 140. The pattern is then made by cutting on the traced triangular lines. The pattern is placed on the fabric and the various fabric pieces are cut following the pattern.
It is conventional in the garment industry that a trapezoid notch indicates the back pieces of the garment and a triangular notch indicates the front pieces. A notch on the armhole, as in FIG. 4, is an indication to the seamstress that a sleeve is to be attached to the armhole. The sleeve (not shown) would be marked with a triangular notch on one side of the sleeve and a trapezoidal notch on the opposite side of the sleeve. The fabric pieces thus have “built in” instructions to the seamstress via the notches. Each piece is sewn to another piece by matching the notches of each piece with the notch of the same shape on another fabric piece. The notches also indicate whether a piece is the back or front piece of the garment.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the first notch 80 further includes at least one first indicia 100 thereon, the indicia 100 generally being parallel to the top edge 72 of the template 40. Similarly, the second notch 90 preferably includes at least one second indicia 110 thereon, the indicia generally being parallel to the bottom edge 74 of the template 40. A third indicia 100 and 110 is preferably included on both the first and second notches 80 and 90, respectively along the common longitudinal axis 120 thereof. Finally, a fourth indicia 130 may be included between and substantially parallel to the top and bottom edges 72 and 74 of the template 40.
In use, the pattern is formed for the front piece of the garment, for example, and marked with the first shape 80 from the template, a triangle in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a triangular notch 52 is traced. The top edge 72 of the template 40 may be used as a guide for tracing with the marking device 30. The pattern for the back piece of the garment may be similarly marked with the trapezoidal notch. After the pattern is made, it is used to cut the various pieces of the garment. The notches are used to indicate, in the FIG. 5 embodiment that the top piece of the garment is joined to the bottom piece of the garment. The triangular notches 61 and 62 in the top piece of the garment are matched to triangular notches 63 and 64, shown in FIG. 5. The triangular notches indicate that the top back piece is to be joined to the bottom back piece. In this manner, the individual pieces of the garment may be quickly matched when being readied for sewing together the garment.
Each first indicia 100, second indicia 110, third indicia 120, and fourth indicia 130 may be used as a guide to ensure the top edge 72 or bottom edges 74 of the template 40 are parallel with the edge of the pattern 35. As the template 40 is transparent, markings 36 on the pattern 35 are easily visible therethrough, facilitating the proper placement of the template 40 on the pattern 35 and/or fabric 20. Seam allowances (not shown) are easily marked when the template 40 includes a plurality of each of the first indicia 100, second indicia 110, and fourth indicia 130, each spaced ⅛ of an inch apart, for example.
While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the triangular first shape 85 and the trapezoidal second shape 95 may be readily replaced with any other contrasting shapes as is known in the art. Likewise, the overall shape of the template 40, while shown in the preferred embodiment as rectangular, may be any other suitable shape including a square, a circle, an oval, a triangle, a parallelogram, a trapezoid, or the like. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.
Patent Application
20070261260
