Because of the economy and my husband's tendency to have favorite shirts, some are worse for the wear. Meaning the collars are completely worn out. Many years ago I learned from my grandmother how to "turn" collars.
Very carefully use a thread pick with a very sharp end to pick out all of the tiny stitches, turn the collar over and reattach it. Always check before starting this process to make sure you have the matching thread you will need for the shirt. The shirt will look very good and last a while longer. Good luck!
By Joyce Lambert from Nokomis, AL
This page contains the following solutions.
Betty's tip about cutting her husband's frayed cuffs off and making long sleeves into short, reminds me of how I have extended the life of some of my husband's nicer shirts that have frayed collars.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Is there a way to prevent the collars of shirts from fraying or at least slow the process? Many of my husband's shirts are in excellent condition apart from the collars which have started to fray along the fold. I've seen some posts about unpicking, turning the collar and sewing it back on but that's beyond my capabilities so I was hoping to prevent it in the future.
I wash the shirts using a washing machine as I don't have the time to hand wash. Thanks
Sweat and skin oils, direct wear, strong detergents, stain removers, and bleach all contribute to fabric breaking down. To help prevent this: wear a bandana or use hand wipes to clean one's neck when on break (feels good too!), purchase shirts made from more tightly woven/heavier fabric, and using more gentle laundering techniques and soaps (applying a pre-wash paste of baking soda & warm water might help lift the oils).
It's possible that some of this wear is due to the wearer having excess perspiration problems.
I have heard of people trying all sorts of things but I do not know if any of them truly worked. I'm not sure how many men will do these things or if they can even do them more often than in the morning before leaving home.
1.) using a deodorant/perspiration product on the back of the neck when finishing shower
2.) using baby powder (unscented) or cornstarch on the back of the neck as often as possible
3.) using hand wipes to clean the back of the neck as often as possible
4.) only wear shirts one time before laundering
5.) keep the back of neck shaved clear of hair all the time
How is a good way to launder clothes like this.
1.) use spot remover on stains at least 30 minutes before wash
2.) baking soda paste is a stain remover
3.) unbutton all buttons
4.) never use liquid chlorine bleach
5.) use no more than half (or less) detergent than recommended
6.) do not overload machine as this wears all clothes out quickly
7.) wash clothes like this on medium or gentle - never fast
8.) remove clothes from washer as soon as possible
9.) dry on medium (never hottest) and remove immediately when almost dry. Place a large dry towel in dryer with clothes to help them tumble safely and dry faster.
I'm not sure if any of this will actually slow down the wear but it will make all of your clothes last longer and in better repair.
I'm sure everyone has their own methods that work best for them so hopefully, someone will offer more solutions.
My shirt plackets and collars are fading or bleaching. Why is this happening and what can I do to stop it in the future?
Many things can cause this, from clothing interacting with detergents or styling products, to high sodium content sweat or water.
Since this is happening around the neck, is it possible that you are perspiring a lot, or that you have recently switched shampoo or aftershave and that this product is affecting your collars? When did you first notice?
It is clear that something that comes in contact with your neck or hair is partly to blame. creativehomemaking.com/
My husband has a tendency to wear out the collar on his dress shirts. Does anyone have a tip for repair or use for the shirt (other than quilt material)?
Before the collars are completely worn, carefully take them off and turn them around with the worn side down.(
Funny, I was just talking to someone about this very thing the other night! This person could sew and what she did was take the collar off and reverse it. Sounds like a plan!
When my children were little; I`d put the collarless shirts on them, buttoning down the back. Then I`d roll up the sleeves to a comfortable length for the children and button up the sleeves. Sometimes they were used for art work (or other messy kid-type activities.
Carefully pick out the collar from neckband, using a thread pick. Turn it over and reinsert it in the neckband, keeping everything even. Carefully resew it. I've done this a few times and it is not difficult.
You could also take the collar off and sew the neck back together for a mandarin collar. (This is good after you have used both sides of the collar.) He won't be able to wear it with ties anymore, but he can still wear it to go out, if he likes that sort of collar.
For shirts that have worn collars take them off and sew the rounded edge back up. You may have to replace that part with a new piece of material. A friend does this all the time with her husbands' shirts only she does it with the new ones. He likes the look of a western style shirt, but the costs are too high. so maybe this could be an option for those who still like the look of the shirt they have.
By RoseMary
Don't waste your time go to the pro at:
http://www.collarreplacement.com
Get a neckband shirt with detachable collars. You can get them at http://www.amazondrygoods.com
IM NO GOOD AT SEWING, SO I'D JUST BUY A NEW SHIRT !!
I DO HAVE A QUESTION THOUGH, WHAT CAUSES THE TIPS ON MY HUSBANDS SHIRTS TO GO WHITE AND FRAY, IS IT WEAR AND TEAR OR AM I DOING SOMETHING WRONG ?
I just do a zig-zag with my sewing machine over the worn part of the collar. Quick, easy and I have saved many, many of my family members' shirts this way.
Reading all these wonderful posts reminded me of how my mother would carefully remove the collar from my father's favorite shirt and repair it and then reverse it.Some of his shirts were his favorite and they were done this way until they could no longer be repaired......Cindy D........
I had the same problem. Why do it your self when you can have the pros do it for twenty dollars at
www.collarreplacement.com
Can someone explain to me why the tips of my collars turn white? The store where I bought them says it's moths. Something about moths liking the stiff part of the shirt. Under a magnifying glass, it appears that the outer dyed material has been removed revealing the white material underneath. I've also seen similar wear on the edge of the back of collars and cuffs. These are not old shirts either.
My husband's business shirts have frayed collars and cuffs. I don't sew, but I understand you can flip these worn ends and turn them around. How much should I pay? Would my dry cleaners or a tailor do this?
I think buying new ones would be less expensive.Seamstresses aren't cheap. I know, because I sometimes sew for people. If you can't afford all new shirts at once,buy one or two a payday. Judy in alabama
Don't do it. As another writer says, it's too expensive. Even if it were free, you end up with cuffs and collars that are worn thin. You'd be lucky to get a dozen wearings before it's frayed again.
Elaress
This is a good idea, but only if you can do the work yourself for free. Its easy. Just unpick the seam. Turn the collar over. Then resew. Try it. You have nothing to lose.
Best wishes always,
Well, these shirts are very expensive and I think I'd like to try and save them.
I just wanted to know if they still look good after the collars are flipped.
It will cost 20 to 30 dollars or more to have this done.It is also NOT that easy unless you have some experience. It is not difficult to do but it is time consuming to rip out all collar seams and topstitching--and then put them all back. And then getting it to lay right when pressed may be difficult, but it isn't impossible.
Don't waste your time and money. If you look in thrift shops you can find wonderful, all-cotton, high -thread- count designer dress shirts if you look hard- and probably pay only $4-5. My Goodwills have been distributing scratch off tickets the last couple of years- some give an additional 10 or 20% off your next purchase. Also you can find discount coupons in the local papers.
Cuffs (French, at least) are fairly easy and will generally look quite presentable; here in the UK I pay the equivalent of USD10-12 for this service. Collars are more problematic and I personally won't have mine done - I have the collars removed and the shirts converted to take detachable collars at USD 4-5 a time. If you do have the collars turned, you may find two problems - firstly, if the shirts have set-in stays, you may find that the shape of the stays is visible on the (now) top surface of the collar, and even that that surface is wrinkled through not having shrunk as much as the top surface, or having more spare fabric built-in. Secondly, if the shirt has removable stays, you will find that the stay pockets are visible on the (now) top surface of the collar. In either case I would recommend either getting the collar replaced entirely, or refaced with material from the shirt tail; I believe these surfaces would come in at around USD20-25+
Anthony.
I've done it for years with my father's shirts, my brothers', my own. The cuffs are easier -- you just unpick them turn them over and sew them onto the other sleeves. Soft collars are easy too, as are button downs. As another poster mentioned, they stays might show, so just look before you snip.
If you buy all one brand of shirt, you can save the good collar and cuffs from an otherwise destroyed shirt (say one that is badly stained) and use them as needed later.
Guest poster Anthony of 2008's experience in the UK is much like my own in the same place. English shirtmakers in Jermyn Street, between Piccadilly and Jermyn Street in central London, used to replace (but not turn) worn collars of their own make shirts. Often, they would do so only in white cotton, however, regardless of the shirt's pattern. To have such a shirt's collar and both its cuffs turned was fairly expensive but still worthwhile with a Jermyn Street shirt because of their legendary high quality and durability. However, the charge for this service (now only provided by Turnbull and Asser and Hilditch and Key) is now so much higher it is prohibitively uneconomical on one of their merely excellent readymade standard cotton business shirts. It is about £100.00, not much less than the winter sale price of such a shirt. (That price is around the same as is charged for very good Western US country casual shirts in London.) The last time I had a few done, H & K took several months because they'd sent them to their makers in Italy, and then in each case a few weeks more to correct mistakes. They did, however, impressively, this time use fabric identical to the original lustrous cream cotton and, although the newness shows in contrast with the more worn-in look of the frequently washed original fabric of the shirt as a whole, the outcome was still satisfactory. With T & A, one of the shirts was made from sea island quality cotton, which is significantly more expensive than even most Jermyn Street shirts made from less luxurious material. In its case it was thus economical to pay the high replacement charge to extend the superior shirt's life practically to eternity. T & A were also quicker, because their shirts are still made in England and the replacement work is done by their own highly skilled seamstresses. To add to the achievement of both T & A and H & K, as a laudatory bonus, the shirts I last had salvaged there were so old they no longer fitted me. Despite H & K's intial doubt, both they and T & A were able because of their superbly resourceful workrooms to fit replacement collars of a larger size, such that even on the original bands each shirt's collar now fits again and can thus be worn not only open-necked but alternatively comfortably with a tie.
These two shops may not appeal to visiting or mail order customer US citizens on tight budgets. They cater more to wealthy captains of industry and to others, like me, who are relatively impoverished but shirt quality obsessives. But their neighbours T M Lewin sell shirts of decent quality whose somewhat lower prices especially in quantity at sale times make them exceptionally good value items. They don't replace collars or cuffs but the wide range of collar styles and sleeve lengths add to their appeal even without a renovation service.
I agree with the thrift shop hunters. Ours tend to be charity shops. Their prices are no longer rock bottom but because they compete intensively the quality of the stock held in the better ones can be acceptably high. For example, within the last few months I bought a couple of Lewin shirts (one a blue/white gingham check, the other in pink) condition as good as new (no visible wear) in a charity shop (Cancer Research UK Islington?) for £7.50 each. They fit well. They are acceptably presentable. And if I outlast them I shall be a very lucky old man indeed!
But kudos to those of you with the skill, patience and loving-kindness to turn your families' shirts' collars at home. It's a dying art here, partly because of the snags so accurately described from experience in this thread, and partly from a lack of know-how, along with a throwaway mentality.
