Miscellaneous Definitions — accessories, trims, tools and general fashion terms from Apparel Search
A hook-and-eye closure is a clothing fastener that consists of two parts, each sewn to their respective pieces of cloth: one part with a small protruding blunt hook, and the other with a small eye — a loop of thread or a metal loop — positioned so the hook engages the eye and holds the two pieces together. It is a small, flat, nearly invisible fastening, which is exactly why tailors place it where a closure must hold firmly without showing.
A hook-and-eye closure is a clothing fastener that consists of two parts, each sewn to their respective pieces of cloth, one with a small protruding blunt hook, and the other with a small loop (also known as the "eye" or "eyelet") protruding. To fasten the garment, the hook is slotted into the loop. Simply constructed of bent wire, hook-and-eye closures are typically used in groups to provide sufficient strength to bear the forces involved in normal wear. For this reason, hooks and eyes are commonly available in the form of hook-and-eye tape, consisting of two tapes, one equipped with hooks and the other equipped with eyelets in such a way that the two tapes can be "zipped" together side-by-side. To construct the garment, sections of hook-and-eye tape are sewn into either side of the garment closure.
Hook-and-eye closures are commonly used in corsetry and brassiere, see figure 2 and figure 3.
Many zippers on skirts or dresses, particularly those on garments with back or side zippers, are accompanied by a hook-and-eye closure at the top.
In a Complete Dictionary of Dry Goods, under the name of crochet and loop, this form of fastening was in use in England as early as the fourteenth century. Usually they appear on the corset in this country .All the hooks and eyes are made in New England. Size ranged from No. 1 small, to No. 10 large.
In 1830s, corsets became more popular. In 1847, Front fastening stays with patent clipswas found, which believed that the patent clips is the former form of busk. Start from then, most corsets were made with front fastening stays, which were quicker to put on and take off. See the Figure 5.
By 1850s, the split busk was invented. Busk is the rigid element of a corset placed at the center front. It was made of 2 long pieces of steel, one side has a series of studs that locked into specially shaped corresponding eyelet holes.
Later on, different shape of busks appeared to serve different needs due to the rise in concern of women's health. See Figure 6. During 1880s, the 'spoon busk was developed which supposedly put less pressure on the abdomen.
In 1893,
Marie Tucek
patented
the
Breast Supporter
the first
garment
similar
to the modern-day
bra that
used shoulder
straps with
a hook-and-eye
closure
to support
the breasts
in pockets
of fabric.
See Figure
7. The shoulder
strap was
rigidly
secure to
the center
front by
using the
hook and
eyes at
straps.
A numbers
of hook
and eye
employed
on the strap
respectively
to hook
the latter
after they
are drawn
tight over
the shoulder
and back
of the person.
It made
the center
part to
fit snugly
upon the
wearers
body directly
under the
breast.
In 19th century, people started to patent this form of fasteners in USA. In 1900 June, E.C Beecher patented his form of hook and eye to US government, which propose to be sewn on the 2 sides of the garment and use as a fastener. See Figure 8.
A more similar hook and eye which use in brassieres nowadays was patented during nineteenth century in 1902, invented by M.E. Company. See Figure 9. It was considered as an improvement of hook and eye. Besides, it provides a hook and eye that can be readily attached without necessity of stitching or sewing.
Nowadays, hook and eye is still the most common form of fastening on brassieres.
| Timeline of Hook and Eye tape | Events |
|---|---|
| 14th | Crochet and Loop appeared in New England |
| 19th (in 1847s) | Front fastening with patent clips in corset |
| 19th (in 1850s) | Split busks appeared in corset |
| 19th (in 1880s) | Spoon busks |
| 19th (in 1893s) | Breast Supporter was patented by Marie Tucek which the 1st hook and eye appeared in brassier |
| 20th (in 1900- 1902s) | Similar hook and eyes in brassier being patented |
| 21st | Nowadays hook and eye tape in Bra |
In the production of hook and eye, they can be divided into 2 parts, according to different stages with respect to different component parts of the hook and eye.
1.Prepare tricot fabric for hook and eye tape. The hook and eye tape are made by several layers of fabric, one of the layer is brushed tricot, which gives better comfort to the users.See figure 10 for a tricot knitting machine. 2.The fabric roll is put on the automatic cutting machine. By using computer system, the fabric roll is cut into a specific width according to the size of hook and eye tape.See figure 11 for an automatic cut tape machine. 3.Prepare hook and eye buckles. The coiled wire, which can be in white, black, gold or silver, is fed into a bending machine,see figure 12, by setting the automatic computer system, the wire can be bended to different hook or eye shape. 4.The hook and eye buckles are sent to dye, the process is depended on the raw material of the buckles. White colored buckles will be sent to dye into different color or keep it as white. Black buckle will only use to make black hook and eye. For silver or gold color, the color is usually made by electroplating.
Hook and eye tapes are sewn by different machines, one is the eye sewing machine and the other is the hook sewing machine.
1. For the hook sewing machines, see figure 13, the hook buckles were put into a container and it will place the buckle one by one on the cut tape and sew it onto the fabric and form a tape automatically, see figure 14 The distance between each hook can be pre-set into the computer program.
2. For the eye tape sewing machines, the working process is similar to the hook sewing machine. However, the machines are place in a row according to the number of column for the eyelets. In figure 15, it is a 3 column eyelets tape which is sewn by 3 sewing machines, each responsible for on row of eyelets. In figure 16, it is a 2 column eyelets tape sewing set.
3. The
hook and
eye tapes
were made
in a row
form. It
was then
sent to
cut or undergo
other finishing
according
to customers
need. For
example,
overprinting
or use ultra-sonic
to make
a logo on
the tape,
pre-cut
to a specific
row etc.
Figure 18
is an ultrasonic
hook and
eye tape
sealing
and cutting
machine.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hook-and-eye_closure). 7/4/09 Modified by Apparel Search. |
The hook-and-eye is the fastener that does its work in hiding. A button advertises itself and needs a buttonhole cut into the cloth; a zipper runs a visible track; but a hook and eye sits flat inside an overlap, invisible from outside, holding an edge closed at a single point. Each half is sewn to its own piece of cloth: the hook — a small protruding blunt hook of shaped metal wire — on one side, and the eye — a small loop of metal, or a loop worked in thread — on the other. Brought together, the hook slips into the eye and the tension of the garment itself keeps it seated. The hold is strong in the direction garments pull, across the closure, yet releases with a simple upward lift, which is why the fastener has survived centuries of competition from snaps, zippers and hook-and-loop tapes.
Placement follows the fastener's virtues. At the top of a skirt or dress zipper, a hook and eye takes the strain at the waistband so the zipper's top stop is not torn by it, and holds the waistband closed even before the zipper is drawn. At necklines and collar points it closes the last centimeter that a zipper or button run cannot reach neatly. At trouser and skirt waistbands the related hook-and-bar form lies flatter still. Inside foundation garments the principle multiplies: rows of hooks and several columns of eyes let the wearer choose among fastening positions, giving one garment an adjustable fit — a use visible on the back closure of most bras.
Hooks and eyes are sold by size, from fine, small sets for lingerie and blouses to heavy sets for coats, waistbands and theatrical costumes, and in finishes matched to fabric color, including black, white and silver-tone metal. Sewing them on is exact handwork: each half carries small holes or loops at its base for stitches, and the two halves must be positioned so that when the hook is engaged, the edges of the garment meet exactly as the pattern intends — neither gaping nor overlapping. A thread eye, worked with buttonhole stitches over a small loop of thread, is the couture alternative to a metal eye on delicate fabrics, because it adds no hard edge against the skin or the cloth.
Failure, when it comes, is usually in the stitching rather than the metal: the fastening concentrates the garment's strain on a few stitches, so hooks and eyes on hard-wearing garments are sewn with many firm stitches and checked when other repairs are made. Understood properly, the hook-and-eye closure is a study in proportion — the smallest complete fastening system in the sewing box, two parts and a few stitches, doing work that whole rows of buttons do on a coat front, at the scale of a fingernail.
A hook-and-eye closure is a clothing fastener that consists of two parts, each sewn to their respective pieces of cloth, one with a small protruding blunt hook and the other with a small loop, the eye, that the hook catches to hold the pieces together.
They are used where a flat, discreet fastening is needed: at the top of zippers on skirts and trousers, at waistbands, at necklines and collar edges, and inside garments such as bras, where rows of hooks and eyes give adjustable fastening.
A hook and eye pairs a hook with a round loop, while a hook and bar pairs the hook with a flat straight bar. Both work the same way; the bar form is common at trouser and skirt waistbands because it lies especially flat.