With all the store-bought T-shirts I have - no matter what brand - the neck is way too high at the front. At least too high by the width of the ribbing. When I wear them, the base of the ribbing (where it is overlocked to the body of the shirt) folds directly upright against my neck.
I'm wondering if every man has this problem or it's just me...
Allan.
Allan,
Have you tried v-neck T-shirts? That's the style my DH prefers, although he doesn't have the fitting problem you describe.
Doreen in Alabama
Also, some folk find that their neck is set on their shoulders rather more forward than the standard fit allows for. They need the neck cut higher at the back and lower at the front.
If the back of the neckline rides away from the back of your neck as the front of the neckline rises up to choke you, you need more room in the back shoulders of your t-shirt, just like my DH. The neckline crawls back as movement makes the back try to steal fabric from the front. Wanna learn to sew? It's not that tough.
If it's just that the neckline is too small, that's also remediable with some sewing lessons and a supply of ribbing.
Kay
maybe your neck starts too low on the chest? :-)
Dear Allan,
Your neck problem is easily fixed. Put on an old t-shirt that does this, and have your wife (or someone) snip straight down the center front neck until it's comfortable. Ideally, a man's shirt should fit at the base of the neck all the way around.
Once it's snipped, curve out the front neck from the bottom of the snip to the shoulder seam, and add a seam allowance, and make this correction on the sewing pattern. The back can be altered up or down the same way on the same t-shirt.
When one buys a shirt, the neck is measured around where the collar is worn; however, when making a shirt, one needs to know the actual measurement at the base of the neck.
Teri
way too > high at the front. At least too high by the width of the ribbing. When I wear them,
folds directly > upright against my neck.
I'll start taking a poll!
Seriously, I have the same problem. My fix:
--Remove topstitching that holds the seam allowance and the neck & shoulder stay tape in place. (I usually cut the tape so that the shoulders are preserved.) Usually this is a chain stitch.
--Remove tags
--With shirt inside out, start at back neck. (I use a serger for one swell foop, but you could use a straight stitcher.) Using the neck band as a guide, zip (or sew) off a desired amount. I usually reduce a 1" wide neckband down to 3/8".
This also enlarges the neck hole. Using the existing band ensures that everything still matches (I do this to all my tees, even tie-dyes) and is easier than picking off the old one, cutting the neck down, and sewing a new one on.
--With a straight stitch machine, trim the excess off the new seam allowance, then zig zag over the new cut edge.
--You could re-do the top stitching. I don't.
Start with a rag bag shirt so you'll know how far to go.
Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy to find the magic starting point on the chain, and you know exactly how much of the shoulder/collar stay to cut off.
HTH
--Karen D. no turtlenecks here!
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