Long-sleeved shirts cut to short-sleeve: Impractical?

[Espee]

In the low-end places where I shop, I keep running into shirts which have what I consider "a great pattern for a summer-outing SHORT-sleeved shirt" (stripes, fairly bright colors) and then I realize I'm looking at a long-sleeved shirt. I tend to run a little on the warm side...
Is there always going to be a width problem with the upper part of a long sleeve, that will make it impossible to convert? The times I've held long- and short-sleeved shirts up to each other, it always looks like trouble.

 

[Tomasso]

No worries. It's perfectly doable.

 

[scottyrocks]

Yes, I would think that the local tailor could do a simple cut, fold, and stitch. The best part of a project like this is that you can determine the exact sleeve length for yourself.

 

[kools]

I'm doing the same thing with my tailor right now. One of my favorite 1940s shirts shrunk in the sleeves...it will soon be a short sleeve shirt. Easy job.

 

[Espee]

That's great... I had just about talked myself out of it.
In the meantime, I had imagined a Harold Lloyd-type scene of returning to the tailor just before leaving for the big summer picnic, and finding the sleeves have been shortened, but with the cuffs and buttons retained and moved up above the elbow!

 

[Phineas Lamour]

My brother just brought a shirt to my wife for the same treatment. He chopped it himself and asked her to hem it for him. He wanted his sleeves slightly longer than the standard short sleeve shirt.

 

[emileyjoe]

It was a cool idea from all of you guys. I love it. I have couples of such shirts that are needed to be short sleeved. But rather taking this tension what If I tell you a website where you can buy so low priced short sleeved shirts with higher quality? I think it is a better way to utilize money than giving to the tailor and it will cost less as compared to the tailor's wage.

 

[Shangas]

During the Depression when money was tight and clothes were short, I understand it was a common practice to use a single shirt over and over and over again. When the sleeves and cuffs became all ratty and muggled, you just chopped them off, stitched a new hem and turned it into a short-sleeved shirt. Then repeat until the whole thing finally just falls apart.

 

[Tomasso]

During the Depression when money was tight and clothes were short, I understand it was a common practice to use a single shirt over and over and over again.

Yes, it was not uncommon to flip a shirt collar back in the day. Though today most collars are tailored to accomadate stays, which precludes the option.

 

[Shangas]

Hi Tomasso.

What do you mean by that? Flipping a shirt collar back? I'm not familiar with that term.

Collar stays are nice things, but I was under the impression that on (most) shirts, they're removable?

 

[Tomasso]

What do you mean by that? Flipping a shirt collar back?

The leaf is removed from the stand and flipped so that the unworn backside is the new collar. But collars made with pockets to accommodated stays defeat the effort. It was a very common alteration back in the day.

 

[Shangas]

That only works with detatchable collars, right? *Feels newbish*

 

[Tomasso]

No, it was something done with attached collars. As I think about it, the more commonly used term was probably turn, though I've heard both. Of course a flipped or turned collar means something totally different these days. [huh]

 

[Travis Lee Johnston]

Yes it should work. I take most of my stuff to a tailor cause I hate the way a lot of clothes fit(or don't fit rather). As someone mentioned you get to select the length as well. Short sleeves on modern clothes tend to be too long and unflattering esp. on bigger guys like myself. Who wants their shirt sleeve bunching up or tickling the inside of their elbow?

 

[Tomasso]

Short sleeves on modern clothes tend to be too long

Actually, today's fashion is for a shorter sleeve. Traditionally they broke at the elbow but currently they're several inches higher.

 

[Travis Lee Johnston]

Well for fat guys the sleeves are typically past the elbow somehow(I don't have short arms or anything). When I've gotten older stuff from thrift shops the sleeves are shorter. That's all I know about.

 

[WideBrimm]

My folks grew up during the Depression. Growing up during the fifties and sixties we'd wear long sleeve shirts until we wore holes in them at the elbows :eeek:, and then we'd make them into short sleeve shirts. It's how I learned to sew with a sewing machine . Very easy to do. Decide how long to leave the sleeve, and then leave a little extra to fold over and sew. When cutting the sleeve, it sometimes helps to follow the pattern, especially easy to do with plaids. Ironing the end of the sleeve before sewing also helps to keep it all tidy and in place. Convert several shirts, and it soon becomes an easy thing to do