Shirts

[marcmagus]

I have been informed there are people who can iron a men's dress shirt by hand in significantly less than the 15-20 minutes it takes me. I hate these people. Laundry day, particularly when cleaning up from a dress event, is extremely tedious. I do seem to be getting quicker at it, though; I guess I can hope that some day in the distant future I will achieve the kind of economy of motion which allows me to properly press a shirt in 10 minutes.

Also, I really need to suck it up and start trying to make some shirts for myself. I'm completely sick of faking period shirts using modern shirts with the collar turned up. I suppose it's a decent half-assed fakery, but it still looks and feels kind of silly, and I've already ruined a shirt to the combination of playing that trick and nicking myself with my razor. I'm hoping if I just dive in and make one to throw away I'll get the hang of it and it'll stop being so scary. I also have a lot of other tailoring I want to do for myself.

Anybody know if there's a way to get blood stains out of white cotton after it's been washed and dried a few times? Anybody got any hints for noticing so I don't wash stained shirts before I treat them? Also, any hints for getting grey stains out of the turn in the cuff of a double-cuffed shirt? Is this the same as the famous "ring around the collar"?