Is your T-shirt twisted?
No metaphor here. You bought a new shirt, wear it, throw it in the wash… when it’s all clean and dried... WTF! One of the seams is twisted to the front... 😐
Most of us have experienced this (mild) annoyance and have struggled (for few seconds) with the thought ‘Why does this happen? It’s another shirt I have to retire to the ever-growing pajama pile.’
Well, your seconds of annoyance matter to me, and I’m here to answer some of your questions.
You: Why is this happening to my shirt?
Me: Because your shirt disapproves of you. 😐 Lol Just kidding! 😆 The short answer is that the shirt wasn't cut correctly.
Longer answer: Because of how the fabric is made. Typically when you pull on fabric diagonally, it will elongate more than if you pull it in the vertical or horizontal direction. So if a shirt pattern piece doesn’t get cut parallel to the fabric edges (vertically or horizontally), the fabric might stretch diagonally after washing, causing the seam to twist.
You: Why can't they just cut the shirt straight?
Me: 3 major reasons
Mass production: Modern fast fashion production stacks pieces of fabric on top of each other for fast cutting (10s or 100s per stack), there will always be some shifting in the fabric pieces even if you line them straight at first.
Saving fabrics: Fitting as many pieces of the shirt pattern on the fabric will reduce wastage. But to fit, sometimes you have to slightly angle some pieces.
You have curves: Some more than others (good for you 😈). Since humans are not square shaped, our clothes are designed to fit our curvy-ness. With some designs, it's almost impossible to cut the seam straight.
You: Is it possible to find tees that doesn’t twist at all?
Me: Yep! 😆 Totally possible! Just search the keyword...
You: Do you want a drink?
Me: Yes, do you have any water?
You: No, but we have beer…
Me: I’ll take that… ok...so what was I saying? Oh right, keyword. ‘Seamless Tee’ These are tee shirts made on a circular knitting machine. Picture a giant tube, they cut, add sleeves, no seam, no twisting.
You can also go for asymmetrical shirts, then it will not matter if it twists or not.
You: What can I do with my twisted shirts other than wearing them as pajamas or donating?
Me: There are so many DIY ideas on YouTube! Here is one from 5 minutes craft
For a lot of those ideas, all you need is a pair of scissors.
You: why sometimes tee shirts have little holes after washing?
Me: Danggg…. I said SOME of your questions, not all of them!! 😆
Bunny Yan - Fashion voice with eco twist
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