It is well known that pantyhose or legging drawers are obtained by special sewing machines having elongate arms with brackets sliding there along and having textile tubular elements (or pantyhose leggings) superimposed thereon. The brackets are urged or pressed against one another to clamp or block the fabric interposed therebetween. Subsequently the fabric is longitudinally cut and sewn to couple the two tubular elements to each other and thereby provide for pantyhose formation. The pantyhose are removed from the sewing machine after the two brackets have been moved away from each other.
Special sewing machines of this type are well known and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,808, issued Nov. 4, 1975, to Cassinelli.
It is also well known that pantyhose or drawers obtained as above mentioned have to be sometimes subjected to subsequent processings or operations. For example, it often occurs that the central pantyhose portion or "astride" portion has to be backed by applying and sewing to the interior thereof as backing a block piece of textile material.
Automatic machines have been developed, such as that disclosed in the English Pat. No. 2,001,238A, which provide for positioning and sewing the backing block piece on the pantyhose. To this end, the pantyhose must be turned inside out and laid on a supporting body.
Machines are also known, such as that disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,681, issued Apr. 8, 1980, to Giovanni Chietti, having supports on which an operator places the opening or inlet portion of a tubular element, after which machine then transfer the element while turning it inside out onto the supporting body of a machine carrying out a subsequent processing or operation.
The above mentioned operative steps are difficult and time consuming. Each pair of pantyhose, after being sewn, must be removed from the forming machine and then manually inserted on the machine support for transfer to the block piece applying machine.