Thurlow Weed wrote:
WOW!!! Rather impressive how nimbly she does it!. I got a folded
T-shirt out of my dresser so I could try this. After a couple of
tries (trying to find the midway down point on the shirt), I got the
hang of it.
I wonder if there's a similar snappy method for packing long-sleeve
button down shirts for travel...
Thurlow
Lancaster, Ohio
Hi, all, I'm de-lurking for this one -- I actually know about this! :-D
Many, many years ago, I was taught the French valet method of folding
men's shirts, especially the long-sleeved ones. Sorry, it's not as
snappy, but it actually takes only a little more time than the Korean
way -- and, at least, it works for all kinds of shirts. These
instructions sound involved and fussy, but it's really quick and simple
once you've figured it out.
1-- Button at least three of the shirt's front buttons. Button the
collar if it's a button-down.
2-- Lay out your shirt neatly and flat, and front-down. Imagine a line
running down the center-back, from the neckline/collar to the hem.
3-- Fold one side seam toward the center of the shirt, so it lies
parallel to the imaginary center-back line, almost as far as that line
but not quite. You'll be dragging the sleeve along, but don't worry
about that yet. DO worry about crinkles in the fabric along all folds --
smooth or tug them out, or they'll be as good as ironed in to your
shirt, once you reach your destination. The folded edge should be a
straight line parallel to the center-back line, unless the shirt's
very fitted.
4-- Straighten out the sleeve so it lies flat: now it's going in the
same direction as the other sleeve and parallel to it.
5-- Now, pinch or hold down the (upper) sleeve along its center crease,
just down from the shoulder seam. Then fold the sleeve so it now lies
over and parallel to the side seam (where it sits after the first fold,
Step 3). You'll have a fold in the upper third-or-so of the sleeve that
lies at (very roughly) a 45-degree angle to the newest sleeve
direction. The newly-folded sleeve will probably cover the side seam
(first folded over in Step 3).
6-- Repeat Steps 3-5 in mirror-image, with the other side of the shirt.
The two side seams should be almost touching each other, with the first
sleeve in between.
7-- Now, fold the shirt in half on the waistline (or a little above it,
parallel to it). If the shirt is very long, fold a small section up
from the hem, the fold parallel to the waistline, but only 4-8 inches up
from the hem. Then fold that fold up to just barely cover the top of the
shirt's collar.
8-- Turn the shirt over, adjust the collar to lie as flat as possible,
and you're ready to pack it.
This is also the way men's dress shirts are often still packaged in the
garment industry, but for sale, they add in all those collar-stiffeners
and cardboard bits that hold the shape. I always use it on my own
shirts, and it works amazingly well, even on some of my things with
large or asymmetrical collars, or fairly full sleeves. It can even work
on business jackets, though not so reliably -- personally, I hate all
the buttoning and unbuttoning involved.
Done right, this method is meant to minimize the need to iron the shirt,
even if you have to wear it right out of your luggage. The creases that
*are* pressed in are symmetrical, and generally vertical, so that even
they look neat.
I hope this helps -- sorry the directions are so involved -- I may have
over-engineered them a little. :-D
Cheers,
Beth Schoenberg
--- in beautiful downtown Kambah, Canberra (Australia!), where gorgeous
warm weather has inspired the irises to bloom vigorously in spite of the
continuing drought.
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