A sheet material including a strainable network formed in the surface of the sheet material. The strainable network includes first network areas and second network areas, the first network areas substantially surrounding the second network areas. The second network areas include geometrically deformable elements, and the first network areas define substantially unformed portions of the sheet material surrounding the second network areas. The deformable elements are geometrically deformable in plural directions generally parallel to the plane of the sheet material to provide the sheet material with a stretchable elastic-like characteristic in response to elongation forces applied to the sheet material in plural directions.
