A towel having a plurality of attachment points provided along reinforced edges and/or corners of a towel base. Each attachment point may include a first cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends stitched or otherwise connected to the towel base. Second cords may also be stitched to the towel base edge, either on top of or next to each of the first cords. The first and second cords may have different stretch characteristics.
1 . A towel or blanket comprising:
a base sheet of flexible textile material having a first, a second, a third and a fourth generally linear reinforced outermost edge each formed by attaching a folded over portion of the base sheet of flexible textile material to an adjacent portion of the base sheet of flexible textile material or by attaching a strip of textile material to the base sheet of flexible textile material, wherein the first and second reinforced outermost edges meet at a first corner, the second and third reinforced outermost edges meet at a second corner, the third and fourth reinforced outermost edges meet at a third corner, and the first and fourth reinforced outermost edges meet at a fourth corner;
a first cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said first cord first end connected to the first reinforced outermost edge near the first corner, and said first cord second end connected to the second reinforced outermost edge near the first corner;
a second cord adjacent to the first cord, said second cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said second cord first end connected to the first reinforced outermost edge near the first corner, and said second cord second end connected to the second reinforced outermost edge near the first corner;
a third cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said third cord first end connected to the second reinforced outermost edge near the second corner, and said third cord second end connected to the third reinforced outermost edge near the second corner;
a fourth cord adjacent to the third cord, said fourth cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said fourth cord first end connected to the second reinforced outermost edge near the second corner, and said fourth cord second end connected to the third reinforced outermost edge near the second corner;
a fifth cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said fifth cord first end connected to the third reinforced outermost edge near the third corner, and said fifth cord second end connected to the fourth reinforced outermost edge near the third corner;
a sixth cord adjacent to the fifth cord, said sixth cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said sixth cord first end connected to the third reinforced outermost edge near the third corner, and said sixth cord second end connected to the fourth reinforced outermost edge near the third corner;
a seventh cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said seventh cord first end connected to the fourth reinforced outermost edge near the fourth corner, and said seventh cord second end connected to the first reinforced outermost edge near the fourth corner; and
an eighth cord adjacent to the seventh cord, said eighth cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said eighth cord first end connected to the fourth reinforced outermost edge near the fourth corner, and said eighth cord second end connected to the first reinforced outermost edge near the fourth corner,
wherein the reinforced outermost edge of textile material at the first corner is a most distal portion of the base sheet spaced away from the reinforced outermost edge of textile material at the third corner when the base sheet of flexible textile material is fully spread out on a planar surface.
2 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 wherein the first and second cords have different stretch characteristics.
3 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 wherein the first, third, fifth and seventh cords are paracord, and the second, fourth, sixth and eighth cords are shock cord.
4 . The towel or blanket of claim 3 wherein the first, third, fifth and seventh cords are flat paracord webbing.
5 . The towel or blanket of claim 4 wherein the second, fourth, sixth and eighth cords are flat shock cord.
6 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 wherein the first, third, fifth and seventh cords are configured to stretch less than five percent along the longitudinal axis, and the second, fourth, sixth and eighth cords are configured to stretch in the range of fifty to one hundred percent along the longitudinal axis.
7 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 wherein the first and second cord longitudinal axis are oriented at approximately a forty-five degree angle relative to the first and second linear reinforced outermost edges.
8 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 wherein the first and second ends of the first cord are approximately equidistant from the first corner, and the first and second ends of the second cord are approximately equidistant from the first corner.
9 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 wherein the first and second cords are laterally adjacent to each other relative to the base sheet of flexible textile material as fully spread out on a planar surface.
10 . The towel or blanket of claim 9 wherein the first, third, fifth and seventh cords are paracord, and the second, fourth, sixth and eighth cords are shock cord.
11 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 wherein the second cord overlies the first cord relative to the base sheet of flexible textile material as fully spread out on a planar surface.
12 . The towel or blanket of claim 11 wherein the first, third, fifth and seventh cords are paracord, and the second, fourth, sixth and eighth cords are shock cord.
13 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 wherein the first and second cords are configured to lie generally flat against the base sheet of flexible textile material as fully spread out on a planar surface.
14 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth cords are in the range of 1 to 5 inches in length taken along the longitudinal axis.
15 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth cords are in the range of 1.5 to 3 inches in length taken along the longitudinal axis.
16 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 further comprising:
a ninth cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said ninth cord first and second ends connected to the second reinforced outermost edge or the base sheet of flexible textile material near a midpoint of the second reinforced outermost edge, wherein the ninth cord is configured to lie generally flat against the base sheet of flexible textile material as fully spread out on a planar surface; and
a tenth cord adjacent to the ninth cord, said tenth cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said tenth cord first and second ends connected to the second reinforced outermost edge or the base sheet of flexible textile material near a midpoint of the second reinforced outermost edge, wherein the tenth cord is configured to lie generally flat against the base sheet of flexible textile material as fully spread out on a planar surface;
wherein the ninth and tenth cords have different stretch characteristics.
17 . The towel or blanket of claim 16 wherein the ninth and tenth cords are in the range of 1 to 3 inches in length taken along the longitudinal axis.
18 . The towel or blanket of claim 16 wherein the ninth cord is paracord, and the tenth cord is shock cord.
19 . The towel or blanket of claim 1 wherein said first cord first end is connected to the first reinforced outermost edge using stitching, said first cord second end is connected to the second reinforced outermost edge using stitching, said second cord first end is connected to the first reinforced outermost edge using stitching, and said second cord second end is connected to the second reinforced outermost edge using stitching.
20 . A towel or blanket comprising:
a towel or blanket base having four outermost reinforced edges meeting at four corners;
a first cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends connected to a first and second of the four reinforced edges near a first of the four corners;
a second cord adjacent to the first cord, said second cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends connected to the first and second of the four reinforced edges near the first corner;
a third cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said third cord first and second ends connected to one of the four reinforced outermost edges near a midpoint between two of the four corners taken along the one of the four outermost edges, wherein the third cord is configured to lie generally flat against the towel or blanket base as fully spread out on a planar surface; and
a fourth cord having a longitudinal axis extending between first and second ends, said fourth cord first and second ends connected to the one of the four reinforced outermost edges near the midpoint between the two of the four corners taken along the one of the four outermost edges, wherein the fourth cord is adjacent to the third cord and is configured to lie generally flat against the towel or blanket base as fully spread out on a planar surface,
wherein the first and second cords have different stretch characteristics and the third and fourth cords have different stretch characteristics.