A method of pleating a fabric, the method comprising pleating the fabric with a first pleating process to create a first set of pleats in the fabric along a first axis; pleating the fabric with a second pleating process to create a second set of pleats in the fabric along a second axis different to the first axis, wherein the second set of pleats are pleated over the first set of pleats, and wherein the first set of pleats is a set of in-plane pleats lying substantially in the plane of the fabric and the second set of pleats is a set of out-of-plane pleats which stand out of the plane of the fabric.

A quilt binding press for folding and creasing a strip of binding fabric in a continuous engagement with a heated iron. The binding press has an iron engagement support platform with a pair of upstanding spaced parallel binding guides provides a folding and guide path for a strip of binding material be folded and pulled there across the support platform for engagement with a heated iron there between the guides in a continuous manner.

An automated method is provided for forming pleats in a textile product in a production line. The method includes conveying a web of the textile product on a conveyor in the production line. The web is folded using a folding board at a folding station in the production line. The method includes removing heat from the folding board. The automated method can allow for high speed folding of the textile product without damaging the textile product from heat caused by friction between the web of textile product and the folding board.

An automated method is provided for forming pleats in a textile product in a production line. The method includes conveying a web of the textile product on a conveyor in the production line. The web is folded using a folding board at a folding station in the production line. The method includes removing heat from the folding board. The automated method can allow for high speed folding of the textile product without damaging the textile product from heat caused by friction between the web of textile product and the folding board.

An absorbent article having a lateral direction, a vertical direction, and a front-rear direction that are orthogonal to each other is provided. The absorbent article includes: a first sheet-like member; a second sheet-like member; elastic members that are inserted along the lateral direction between a pair of mutually-opposing facing surfaces of the first sheet-like member and that are spaced apart in the vertical direction; joining portions that join the pair of mutually-opposing facing surfaces and that are spaced part in the lateral direction and in the vertical direction; and side-seal sections disposed at each lateral end portion of the absorbent article. The joining portions are formed on two sides of the elastic members in the vertical direction so that the elastic members are sandwiched and pressed between the joining portions on the two sides.

A creasing method includes: a gripping and rotating step of bunching and gripping a continuously drawn long fiber non-woven fabric and rotating the gripped part so that the long fiber non-woven fabric is twisted and a first folding line is formed; a heating step of heating the twisted long fiber non-woven fabric to fix the first folding line; and a widening step of releasing the long fiber non-woven fabric having the first folding line formed thereon.

A creasing method includes: a gripping and rotating step of bunching and gripping a continuously drawn long fiber non-woven fabric and rotating the gripped part so that the long fiber non-woven fabric is twisted and a first folding line is formed; a heating step of heating the twisted long fiber non-woven fabric to fix the first folding line; and a widening step of releasing the long fiber non-woven fabric having the first folding line formed thereon.

A quilt binding press for folding and creasing a strip of binding fabric in a continuous engagement with a heated iron. The binding press has an iron engagement support platform with a pair of upstanding spaced parallel binding guides provides a folding and guide path for a strip of binding material be folded and pulled there across the support platform for engagement with a heated iron there between the guides in a continuous manner.

A creasing method includes: a gripping and rotating step of bunching and gripping a continuously drawn long fiber non-woven fabric and rotating the gripped part so that the long fiber non-woven fabric is twisted and a first folding line is formed; a heating step of heating the twisted long fiber non-woven fabric to fix the first folding line; and a widening step of releasing the long fiber non-woven fabric having the first folding line formed thereon.

A creasing method includes: a gripping and rotating step of bunching and gripping a continuously drawn long fiber non-woven fabric and rotating the gripped part so that the long fiber non-woven fabric is twisted and a first folding line is formed; a heating step of heating the twisted long fiber non-woven fabric to fix the first folding line; and a widening step of releasing the long fiber non-woven fabric having the first folding line formed thereon.