Ironing confidence

T-shirts, polo shirts, jog pants are now ‘day at the office’. Is this due to a lack of confidence in ironing a shirt cuff?

Okay, I find the hardest part of a shirt to get right is the ‘gauntlet’ or ‘sleeve placket’ of the sleeve; the thicker strip near the cuff which will have one or two buttons. I used to solve this by using a ‘sleeve board’. But I have found a new way of ironing a shirt cuff. Try these steps:

  1. Place the sleeve on the board to create a crease on the lower edge of the gauntlet. You probably need to fold the cuff too. Do not button the gauntlet. Press along the gauntlet.
  2. Now straighten out the fold of the sleeve. There may be more than one. Press one or both, as required.
  3. Lift the sleeve and find the seam from shoulder to cuff. Fold the sleeve to create a crease under the seam. Press from shoulder to cuff.
  4. Do not iron across to the other side of the sleeve. Go half way across the sleeve and let step 5 take care of the other side.
  5. Find the mid-point on the shoulder yoke and pinch that. Find the ironed pleat beneath the cuff, pinch that, and place the sleeve on the board. Press along the line from pleat to shoulder yoke mid-point.
Sleeve pleat

The image on the far right best illustrates the desired appearance. The pleats are sharp, and open as the forearm moves.

Steviemac

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