GB2155322A - Furniture cover and method of making same - Google Patents

Abstract

A knitted or crocheted narrow fabric provides a valance (20) for a furniture cover, which valance is easy to fit and has a wide range of pattern possibilities. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Furniture cover and method of making same This invention concerns covers for articles of furniture and a method of making same.

It is common for articles of furniture, such as armchairs and settees, when upholstered, to be provided around theor lower margins with a valance, that is to say an ornamented and decoratively pleasing hanging border. Articles of furniture covered with plain coloured fabric often have fringed valances of a similar matching colour.

Fringed valances are generally fixed permanently in position by tacks, staples or stitching and they are, of course, easy to fit. The patterns and aesthetic effects which can be achieved with fringed valances are, however, rather limited.

An alternative type of valance, which is more common for articles of furniture covered by patterned fabric, although it is also occasionally used with plain fabric covers, is formed from a pleated strip of woven fabric. Such valances are nowadays less common than in the past and one probable reason for this is the considerable amount of work involved in making such valances. Firstly a length of wide woven fabric, which is produced in say 48 inch (122cm) widths must be slit into suitable widths of say 7 to 12 inches, (18 to 30cm). The resultant strips must firstly be hemmed, then gathered or pleated by hand at one edge in accordance with a standard pattern, e.g. pencil pleats, box pleats, and also often formed into or attached to piping which provides the upper extremity of the valance. As the production of such valances is labour intensive and time-consuming they are rather expensive.They are made more expensive by the fact that when patterned material is used usually only one strip slit from the wide fabric is suitable as regards the pattern thereon so the remainder has simply to be disgarded as wastage.

The aforesaid woven fabric valances may be fitted to the remainder of the furniture cover in the manner described for fringe valances. However, in both cases it is possible for the valance to be applied to the article of furniture in such a way that it is removable for occasional cleaning. Furthermore, valances may be provided integrally with removable (so-called "loose") furniture covers or may be separate therefrom and either permanently fixed to the article of furniture or readily removable.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new type of valance for adornment of furniture covers which is, generally speaking, an alternative to a fringe valance, but which can be produced with a greater variety of patterns and can be readily pleated or gathered, if desired, in the manner of a woven valance. It is a further object to provide a new type of valance for furniture covers which is easier and less expensive to produce and fit than known valances.

Pusuant hereto the present invention provides a furniture cover having a valance in the form of a knitted or crocheted narrow fabric.

The fabric to be used for such a valance can be purpose-made on a knitting/crocheting machine so that it is of the required width - approximately 6 inches (15 cm) wide is thought to be suitable - and has any desired pattern. As regards pattern, there are numerous possibilities such as combinations of different stitch types, overlaid ripple effects of chenille, overstitched cords, and combinations of different coloured yarns. As the crocheted fabric is made of the correct width, there is no wastage at all, as occurs when slitting a wide woven fabric, as described above. Moreover, no hemming is required, nor provision of piping along one edge.

The crocheted narrow fabric valance can easily be attached flat or slightly gathered to the lower margin of a furniture cover by tacks, staples or stitching, as previously mentioned. However, it is thought that pleating of the narrow fabric valance will often be desirable to enhance its appearance.

Accordingly, a further aspect of the present invention is a method of making a furniture cover having a valance by providing draw cords along one edge margin of a length of knitted or crocheted narrow fabric, fastening the draw cords at one end of the fabric and drawing same through from the other end of the fabric thereby to pleat the fabric, and subsequently attaching the one edge margin of the fabric to the lower margin of the furniture cover.

The draw cords may be part of a narrow pleating tape attached along the one edge margin of the fabric. Alternatively, they may be incorporated into the fabric itself, along the one edge margin.

Box pleats are particularly suitable for furniture cover valances, as they are pleasing to the eye and have become conventional. Accordingly, the pleating tape used in the proposed method advantageously has appropriate spacings of draw cord floating and hidden portions as to produce box pleats when the draw cords are shortened.

The proposed method is much easier and less labour intensive (and thus less costly) than the known method of producing furniture covers with pleated woven fabric valances.

Overall, it is believed that the proposed crocheted narrow fabric valance will provide an aesthetically pleasing and inexpensive alternative to the known types of valances for adornment of furniture covers.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary front view of a crotcheted narrow fabric suitable for use as a valance in a furniture cover in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of an armchair having a first embodiment of a cover in accordance with the invention; Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a pleated, knitted or crocheted narrow fabric suitable for use as a valance in a furniture cover in accordance with the invention; and Figure 4 is a persepctive view of an armchair having a second embodiment of a cover in accordance with the invention.

Figure 1 illustrates one example of the numerous pattern possibilities for a crocheted narrow fabric suitable for use as a furniture valance in accordance with the present invention. The fabric is about 6 inches (15 cm) wide and of indeterminate length, being cut to length as required. Figure 2 illustrates how the fabric shown in Figure 1 can be used as an aesthetically pleasing valance 20 by being tacked, stapled or stitched in position around the lower edge of an armchair 10 which is already covered in a matching plain-coloured fabric.

The patterned narrow fabric valance 20 is chosen so as to complement the main part of the armchair cover. In this particular example, the patterned narrow fabric hangs flat, that is to say unpleated, from the lower edge of the armchair 10.

Of course, the narrow fabric can be knitted rather than crocheted and it can be either permanently fixed to the covered armchair or readily removable.

In the latter case some other means of attachment, such as press fasteners, may be used instead of those mentioned above. Alternatively the narrow fabric valance 20 may be permanently attached to the armchair cover which as a whole is readily removable from the chair. It will, of course, be appreciated that the invention also encompasses covers for other pieces of furniture, particularly sofas or settees.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate another embodiment of the furniture cover of the invention in which the valance 20, again consisting of a length of knitted or crocheted narrow fabric, is pleated. In making such a cover, an appropriate narrow pleating tape 30 is sewn along one edge margin of the fabric.

Draw cords 31 are fastened, e.g. by tying together, at one end of the fabric and pulled through the tape 30 to provide pleats, in this case box pleats, along the length of the fabric. The fabric edge where the pleating tape 30 is attached is then attached to the rest of the furniture cover in any of the manners for the foregoing embodiment.

In another embodiment such draw cords could be incorporated into the fabric itself.

Claims (4)

1. A furniture cover having a valance in the form of a knitted or crocheted narrow fabric.

2. A method of making a furniture cover as claimed in claim 1, by providing draw cords along one edge margin of a length of knitted or crocheted narrow fabric, fastening the draw cords at one end of the fabric and drawing same through from the other end of the fabric thereby to pleat the fabric, and subsequently attaching the one edge margin of the fabric to the lower margin of the furniture cover.

3. A furniture cover having a valance substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

4. A method of making a furniture cover as claimed in claim 1 substantialy as hereinbefore described.