Mending a Man’s Shirt.
CUFFS FOR ATTACHING TO WHITE SHIRTS.
One of the many expensive necessaries in these expensive days is a man’s white shirt. In many cases the finished article is treble the price it was in 1914. This is partly due, of course, to the increase in the cost of labour, as there is a considerable amount of skilled work entailed in the cutting out and putting together of a man’s white shirt. And the high price is partly to be accounted for by the increased cost of materials.
But with all the care in the world, shirts will still wear out, and must somehow be replaced. Fortunately this difficulty is not such a serious one as it at first appears; a shirt can quite easily be renovated—and without having that amateurish look that so often just spoils things.
Repairing Shirt Tails.
The first parts to go, very often, in a man’s shirt are the tails. Well, the simplest way to deal with this is to cut them off right across, above the weak places. This is really far more satisfactory than patching. A piece of calico or longcloth from another discarded article is not difficult to get. Measure the same size as the portion cut off. Hem round three sides. Run and fell the fourth side to the shirt itself.
Perhaps you did not know, as I did not myself until recently, that many of the essential details which go to make up the shirt, can be purchased separately. In this way a weak front or collar, or the cuffs can be removed, a new one substituted, and you have a new shirt without its cost.
TWO KINDS OF COLLAR BANDS.
Cuffs are parts that soon show signs of wear, and frayed cuffs gives the shirt—and the man—a weary look. In this case, unpick the cuffs if possible, if not, cut them off close up. The new cuffs can be bought into which the sleeve is inserted, and the shirt regains its sprightly appearance. At the time of writing, the price of these cuffs is 6½d. and 8½d. per pair, and the result is well worth this small expenditure.
A FRONT FOR A SHIRT FASTENING AT THE BACK.
Another method of repairing the cuffs is to cut off the frayed cuff, and put on a narrow band. In this case, separate cuffs would be worn. You do not even need to make these bands yourself. They can be bought ready for use.
About Collar Bands.
Most women have, at one time or another, struggled with the shirt collar-bands of their menfolk. When it is your first one, you start off quite happily. After all, you say, it is a simple matter to cut such a band, and will only require a small piece of material. But you soon find out that it is not so simple as it looks, and, being shaped, needs more material than you had thought for. And when you have finished it, you have neither satisfied yourself, nor the owner of the shirt. Men often assume a superior indifference to clothes, but there are certain things about which no indifference is visible, one being the collar band of their shirt. Collar-bands are cut in a scientific manner, and even experienced workers, knowing that they are not very easy to make, will probably be as thankful as less advanced workers, to buy them shaped and stitched, ready for applying to the shirt. These collar-bands can be bought singly or in half dozens, and can be supplied opening at the front or back, according to the fastening of the shirt for which they are needed. The present price of these collar-bands is 3d. each. They are made in white calico, also in sateen for coloured shirts.
Fronts that you can Buy.
When Buttonholes are Torn.
“But,” says someone, “buttonholes are my trouble. You can’t, surely, buy new buttonholes to replace the broken ones?” True, but the case is by no means hopeless. If this is your difficulty two courses are open to you. Either refront the shirt, or else an additional front can be worn outside the white shirt. This latter plan would perhaps be too warm in the summer, though an extra front is a useful addition in the winter. The use of separate fronts and cuffs help to solve the ever-present laundry problem, as these can be sent to the laundry for stiffening and polishing, while the unstiffened shirts can be washed at home, thus effecting a very considerable saving in expense.
A FRONT FOR A SHIRT FASTENING IN FRONT.
If, however, the separate front is objected to, you can buy fronts for letting into worn shirts. There are two kinds, the front in one piece for shirts fastening at the back, and the dividing front for shirts fastening in front. These are supplied square, as shown in the illustration. There are two qualities, price 9½d. and 1/-.
To apply the new front, first tack it on to the old front, then cut it to the shape required, allowing sufficient margin to turn in a fell. Then cut away the unnecessary material at the back from the shirt, leaving here sufficient to turn in a fell. In this way you have practically a new shirt again.
These are the portions that are most likely to show signs of stress and wear. Should any rents occur elsewhere, a little patch must be added.
A Patch may be Necessary.
It is hardly necessary to remind you that it is better to mend and patch with material that is not quite new. Very often a pillow-case that is worn in one part will supply a sufficient amount of sound material for re-tailing a shirt.
In looking through the shirts of your menfolk, you will probably find one wants a new collar-band, another new cuffs, another a front, and so on. They will not all need repairing in every direction. But even if they did, and you had to get several new portions for one shirt, it would be well worth your while, as the cost of these portions is very slight.