..mend a frayed shirt collar?

[ellie12022]

Hi

I am not very clued up on sewing, but am trying to expand my horizons.

OH has a shirt where the collar is fraying, while the rest of the shirt is fine. Any ideas on what to do with it?

[grahamhobbs]

Not my department, but a good woman (you know the type that used to darn your socks) would be able to unstitch the collar from the shirt, reverse it so the frayed bit is on the inside and re-stitch it to the shirt. The amazing thing was they did that, brought up ten kids, had steak and kidney pudding. potatoes and two veg on the table when you came in, scrubbed the laundry by hand, blacked the fire, washed the pavement........

[crowsashes]

Strange to think of it but as she was born in 1887 I was brought up by a Victorian! and I'm not that old!

wow that is something id be proud of! so many of those basic skills are alien to people today!

[grahamhobbs]

Yes my gran did all those things in a terraced house without electricity, one gas light, no bathroom and toilet that was a bucket under a hole in a wooden seat that was emptied once a week by the council (when we stayed there by the end of the week, oh did it get perilously close to the top!) and it was like that until the 70's. But it was such a warm and peaceful home, no radio or tv, just the ticking of the clock and the hiss of the gas lamp, toys made from crab apples and match sticks, candles to go to bed with. Why have people been seduced by consumerism and bling?

[crowsashes]

Why have people been seduced by consumerism and bling?

advertising, the impact of television, cheap goods from china, celebrity ( or lack of!!) etc etc....

[grahamhobbs]

Yes television is the opium of the masses (me included).

I've seen it in myself and most particularly in a french family I know. Up until about 5 years ago they had no television, evenings were spent sat around the table, with friends, neighbours, family, talking, joking, sometimes singing or playing practical jokes, drinking and finally eating. It was wonderfully social. Since the televison all that has stopped and with it the cohesion of the family and the local community.

[JillStephens7]

Hello, I came across this:

http://unboughtdelicacies.blogspot.com/ ... ollar.html

Which might help

[Silver Ether]

Not my department, but a good woman (you know the type that used to darn your socks) would be able to unstitch the collar from the shirt, reverse it so the frayed bit is on the inside and re-stitch it to the shirt. The amazing thing was they did that, brought up ten kids, had steak and kidney pudding. potatoes and two veg on the table when you came in, scrubbed the laundry by hand, blacked the fire, washed the pavement........

Yea but they didn't have to work full time away from the home...

[ellie12022]

just wrote a reply & then lost it grrr

thank you all for the replies, and for the link Jill. Graham,.you made me laugh - is that your ideal woman - 10 kids??

Where I live, there are a lot of people who can do all kinds of things, so that is inspiring. also, i think being married is starting to domesticate me (slowly ). There is something that makes me want to do this, not out of duty but out of love.

I am challenging my own hang ups about sewing too. I started with sewing up some trouser pockets, then a hole in the seam of the duvet, now my next challenge.

So I am going to have a go at this collar thing and see how I get on.

Just seen your post silver ether - that is a very good point - I am actually starting to feel that women do generally belong at home. I think it's appalling that now if you have a child who's 7, you have to look for full time work.

[snapdragon]

depends how the shirt was made. Is it a traditional shirt with stitched on collar? Are there stiffeners stitched into it?
If there are no stiffeners then you should be able to turn it direct
unstitch it, undo all the collar pieces, and press. trim the interlining back to avoid too much thickness on the seams turn the fabric inside to outs if you find it looks better. Then pin the pieces back together, stitch it back up within the 'good' area of fabric but taking care to make the side seams on the previously stitched line (or it won't fit the shirt) and re-attach to the shirt
Voylarr ;)

If it has stiffeners then there'll be stitch lines where they lay on the underside of the original so it's sometimes less trouble to remake the collar the same way as it came off just a little smaller - Or even make a new collar out of the shirt tail if there is one.

errm am I showing my age? I was born in the 20th century honest!

[ellie12022]

i don't think there's stiffeners in the collar, snapdragon (not sure what they are, but i presume they make the collar stiff??).

I'm afraid i'm very ignorant - i don't know what interlining is, either

[snapdragon]

i don't think there's stiffeners in the collar, snapdragon (not sure what they are, but i presume they make the collar stiff??).

I'm afraid i'm very ignorant - i don't know what interlining is, either

not ignorant - just haven't experienced it yet
stiffeners are little plastic laths that keep the collar corners 'stiff' and stop them curling up, there'll be extra stitching lines on the underside if they are there. Interlining is usually a non woven fabric that you'll find inside, between the upper and lower collar fabric when you take it off - and in the cuffs too, it also works as a stiffener

[tizzy]

I wish I could show you this, it's so hard to describe but it's dead easy to do.
Unpick the stitching and remove the whole collar. They call it 'turning a collar' because that's exactly what you do. If it has a two piece collar, which most mens shirts have [the kind you wear a tie with] don't mess with the top part, just unpick the collar stand, the bit that is attached to the neck opening.
Simply sew the collar on the opposite way round and the frayed part will be hidden when the collar is turned down. The easiest and neatest way is to machine stitch one seam and sew the other side down by hand.
I'm assuming the frayed bit is where his neck rubs because if not then all that won't do you much good.

[bonniethomas06]

But it was such a warm and peaceful home, no radio or tv, just the ticking of the clock and the hiss of the gas lamp, toys made from crab apples and match sticks, candles to go to bed with. Why have people been seduced by consumerism and bling?

I agree Graham, I try to do all of these things (grow my own food, make bread by hand, do crafty stuff etc) and work full time. The truth is, although I won't stop, I am increasingly feeling knackered and just like I have no time whatsoever to relax.

[tizzy]

It is a very labour intensive lifestyle isn't it.
I wonder if one of the reasons it was manageable to our ancestors was that their expectations were lower. If you could strip your life and assets down to just the things you need to get by, it would be less work to maintain/sustain day to day life. We had an interesting six and a half years in a 22 ft caravan which was a good lesson in downsizing.
I have some pretty high tech equipment now, but I know how to tailor garments by hand if I had to, it would just take a very long time to stitch them. It's nice to know you have the means to speed up a job but are not reliant upon it.
When we watch things like the Victorian farm on TV, it's enlightening. They didn't wash garments if they could just sponge down and re-press, or just wash the collars and cuffs. They could preserve clothes with some amazingly skilled repairs that couldn't be seen if done by a good darner. Many people don't value those things because we've been such a throw away society for too long.