How to Make a T-Shirt Collar Smaller
A T-shirt is a casual article of clothing that wouldn't normally be classified as having a collar around its neck. The ribbing band around the neckline of a standard T-shirt, however, can be classified as a band collar. The T-shirt collar can sometimes be too large and uncomfortable to wear. Maybe the ribbing is starting to ravel and showing the age of the T-shirt while the rest of shirt is still in great condition. In these cases making the T-shirt collar smaller may be necessary. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- fabric scissors
- pen, pencil or fabric pencil
- straight pins
- tape measure
- steam iron
- needle and thread
Instructions
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Lay the T-shirt out on a flat clean surface. Place the shirt onto the table with the backside facing up, inside out. Fold the T-shirt from the middle so that both sides meet. Ensure that the sleeves meet exactly, indicating that the T-shirt is on the center- fold. Pin the seams of both T-shirt sleeves together to prevent the shirt from moving.
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Using the tape measure, measure the amount of the color that will be removed. Mark the collar with the pen or pencil indicating how much will be cut off. Pin the neckband across just below the area that was marked.
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Take the fabric shears and carefully cut away the desired amount of the ribbing collar. It is important to make sure that the shears that are being used are sharp as well as heavy duty enough to cut through several layers of fabric. Remember to never cut below the pinned area, which is the seam allowance, needed when sewing the new collar.
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Match the closest color thread to the T-shirt color, and then thread the needle. Prepare the T-shirt for sewing. Remove the straight pins from the T-shirt sleeves and the collar then unfold the T-shirt. Turn the T-shirt collar ribbing over to meet the seam where the T-shirt and the collar were stitched together. Hem the ribbing securely to the seam. Double stitch, if necessary, to secure the hem. When using a sewing machine keep the stitch as close to the original stitch line so that it looks like a seamless alteration. Press the new collar with a steam iron, to finish.
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Tips & Warnings
Wash the shirt before making any measurements.
Do not rush, take your time!
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
