On one occasion I flew from the UK to Singapore for a fancy dress party. First, the agony of wondering if the fancy dress would arrive in the UK before we departed. Then the clothes took up all our suitcase space and luggage weight allowance.
In the UK a hotel weekend away announced a fancy dress party. We had no fancy dress with us. The Americans had come with fancy dress. Unfortunately, the airline lost their luggage, which was delivered next day, after the opening night dinner.
It costs a fortune to hire fancy dress or a smart suit for a party overseas, and to transport it you need space and a weight allowance. What if you could just re-purpose an old garment?
Collar, containing a stay. Photo author Minaert, in wikipedia under collar.
You keep your old shirts for hiking. Then you get invited to a grand dinner and your shirts or blouses are fraying.
In the UK I found companies which would replace collars with new white ones. This involved me in posting off the garment, and spending more than it would cost to buy an up to date new item.
Tailors can also reverse the collar, or make a new lining by cutting off part of the shirt tail.
A DIY version is to re-use part of a table cloth or table napkin.
For years I have been wanting to find a way to rescue shirt which have worn creases around the collar (and/or cuffs). I have a wonderful shirt by a top brand, fabulous fabric, but my family wanted to throw it out.
Several solutions spring to mind.
Ribbon / Bias binding
First, sew a ribbon over the worn part. If you can't find ribbon the right colour or width, use bias binding.
Mandarin Collar from Wikipedia. Photo author Mandoclothing.
Mandarin Collar
Second, cut off the worn seam above the seam to create a Mandarin collar.
Look at the collar above and you can see that by cutting off the collar you are left with a strip with semicircular ends forming a Mandarin collar.
You can use it to look at one with with local people, less obtrusive and cumbersome collar, smart casual, or fancy dress for a party. (A similar version is the Nehru collar.)
Third, fold the collar inside out and sew it down.
If it is too stiff, you may need to cut a v shape or two, or sew down a V shape or two, or make a tiny cut. Slide out the collar corner stays, also called collar stiffeners.
If you were going to throw away the shirt of blouse anyway, you have nothing to lose. Practise on a short or blouse which is less valuable.
Fourthly, cut off the sleeves and collar and make a sleeveless vest.
Fifthly, cut out the front and back panels as cloth for patching or making pockets on other garments or quilting.
Sixthly, in a collar, after cutting off the worn part, you can insert a piece of fabric at the front (cut from the part which you cut off) to make a standing collar, as worn by the US military.
Add a contrast white patch at the front instead, and you have a fancy dress clergyman's dog collar.
I associate mandarin collars with China and Singapore. However, as you see, your old shirt of blouse could be adapted to a costume for Sweden, Italy, or India.
Useful Websites
https://www.loveyourclothes.org.uk/videos/fast-fix-how-mend-worn-shirt-collars-and-cuffs
https://putthison.com/q-and-answer-can-i-repair-frayed-shirt-collars/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collar_stay
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Author of How To Get Out of the Mess You're In.
In the UK a hotel weekend away announced a fancy dress party. We had no fancy dress with us. The Americans had come with fancy dress. Unfortunately, the airline lost their luggage, which was delivered next day, after the opening night dinner.
It costs a fortune to hire fancy dress or a smart suit for a party overseas, and to transport it you need space and a weight allowance. What if you could just re-purpose an old garment?
Collar, containing a stay. Photo author Minaert, in wikipedia under collar.
You keep your old shirts for hiking. Then you get invited to a grand dinner and your shirts or blouses are fraying.
In the UK I found companies which would replace collars with new white ones. This involved me in posting off the garment, and spending more than it would cost to buy an up to date new item.
Tailors can also reverse the collar, or make a new lining by cutting off part of the shirt tail.
A DIY version is to re-use part of a table cloth or table napkin.
For years I have been wanting to find a way to rescue shirt which have worn creases around the collar (and/or cuffs). I have a wonderful shirt by a top brand, fabulous fabric, but my family wanted to throw it out.
Several solutions spring to mind.
Ribbon / Bias binding
First, sew a ribbon over the worn part. If you can't find ribbon the right colour or width, use bias binding.
Mandarin Collar from Wikipedia. Photo author Mandoclothing.
Mandarin Collar
Second, cut off the worn seam above the seam to create a Mandarin collar.
Look at the collar above and you can see that by cutting off the collar you are left with a strip with semicircular ends forming a Mandarin collar.
You can use it to look at one with with local people, less obtrusive and cumbersome collar, smart casual, or fancy dress for a party. (A similar version is the Nehru collar.)
Third, fold the collar inside out and sew it down.
If it is too stiff, you may need to cut a v shape or two, or sew down a V shape or two, or make a tiny cut. Slide out the collar corner stays, also called collar stiffeners.
If you were going to throw away the shirt of blouse anyway, you have nothing to lose. Practise on a short or blouse which is less valuable.
Fourthly, cut off the sleeves and collar and make a sleeveless vest.
Fifthly, cut out the front and back panels as cloth for patching or making pockets on other garments or quilting.
Sixthly, in a collar, after cutting off the worn part, you can insert a piece of fabric at the front (cut from the part which you cut off) to make a standing collar, as worn by the US military.
Photo of US soldier with standing collar. Photo in public domain from wikipedia on Mandarin collar.
Add a contrast white patch at the front instead, and you have a fancy dress clergyman's dog collar.
Clerical collar. Public domain. Photo by Ugaburr. From Wikipedia, clergy dog collar. Church of Sweden tab collar.
I associate mandarin collars with China and Singapore. However, as you see, your old shirt of blouse could be adapted to a costume for Sweden, Italy, or India.
Useful Websites
https://www.loveyourclothes.org.uk/videos/fast-fix-how-mend-worn-shirt-collars-and-cuffs
https://putthison.com/q-and-answer-can-i-repair-frayed-shirt-collars/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collar_stay
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Author of How To Get Out of the Mess You're In.
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