Does Tucking Your Shirt Bring Out A Muffin Top Belly?
How you wear your clothes can say a lot about you. It definitely leaves an impression on others about your style, your size, your attention to detail and much more. For many of us who are body conscious, there seems to be a never ending list of questions we have about dressing to look our best. We often ask if a color looks good on us, how to tell if something fits right, what is the right length to wear, what matches what and more. For those with a few extra pounds in the tummy area, it is important to know whether tucking your T-shirt in your pants, jeans or skirt brings out a muffin top belly and what to do about it.
In addition to those extra pounds or not-so-rock-hard abs, clothing size and style largely determines whether or not you will have a muffin top belly. In fact, the muffin top belly was commonly associated with a look that was trendy a couple of years ago: low rise jeans worn with tiny, tight T-shirts that often exposed bare skin bulges. Simply wearing clothes that actually fit properly and avoiding this particular clothing combination will eliminate cases of muffin top for most people.
If you decide to tuck in your T-shirt, make sure that your pants, skirt or jeans fit properly. If they are too tight, you run the risk of producing a muffin top situation. If you notice that your bottoms are a little tight, keep your T-shirt outside the waistband. This will draw attention away from those few extra pounds. If your bottoms fit properly, feel free to tuck in your shirt. This will give a more pulled-together, neater look to your outfit. A tucked in shirt never looks sloppy and can make you look slimmer, rather than like you are trying to hide your shape.
Another trick to downplay the possibility of a muffin top belly is to wear dark colored T-shirts. Dark colors give the illusion of being slim. You can also wear a T-shirt that matches your pants, jeans or skirt in color. This will give you a sleek, seamless look that totally detracts from any extra weight you may be carrying.
When you are looking for T-shirts to de-emphasize a muffin top belly, custom-made T-shirts are the way to go. You can choose the color, cut, style and size that work best to flatter your figure. You can then customize the shirt in any way you choose. Your new T-shirts can show off your passions, heritage, accomplishments, hobbies and more. Custom T-shirts can tell that you are proud of someone, show support for a cause, educate others and do a variety of other things. You can even recreate a favorite T-shirt that no longer fits or one that emphasizes a muffin top belly a little too much.
Get new custom-made T-shirts that fit perfectly today and say good-bye to the muffin top belly forever.
Choosing Maternity T-Shirts: What to Look For
Whether you are expecting your first bundle of joy or your fifth, one thing is certain: you’re not going to fit into your current clothes for long! Luckily, the maternity clothes offered today are far superior to the choices our mothers and grandmothers had. Today’s maternity items also tend to be more comfortable, functional, and fashionable. One of the greatest additions to these clothing lines has been maternity t-shirts. Whether browsing online, or wandering the mall, the choices are vast. Here are some pointers to help guide you when choosing maternity t-shirts.
• Finally, Function!
Don’t waste your time pulling hubby’s large size t-shirts out of the drawer. You can do so much better than that. When choosing maternity t-shirts you will need to consider one very important question: are you currently nursing or do you intend to nurse this child? One of the sad secrets for first time moms is that you may continue to wear your maternity clothes for a month or two after the birth, until your body starts to resemble its actual shape again. If nursing is a factor, you will want to make sure your t-shirts are also nursing shirts. Nursing shirts usually are designed with discreet flaps that appear to be part of the t-shirt design, so no one will even know that you are wearing a multi-functional piece of apparel.
• Will It Fit Tomorrow?
Frankly, you will be asking yourself this question throughout the whole pregnancy. Everything from your hair to your shoe size is subject to change. When in doubt - size up!
Comfort should be an expectant mom’s number one concern. Most maternity t-shirts come sized in small, medium, large, and extra large. Bigger is definitely better since you’re dressing for two now. If a t-shirt feels the least bit snug, you are better to choose another style, or go up a size. The great thing about maternity t-shirts is that they are supposed to be casual and loose fitting- both great qualities for an expanding belly!
• Express Yourself
Choosing a maternity t-shirt as a way to express your individuality has become very popular. Whether you choose a pink t-shirt with the word “BABY” spelled out in crystals, or an unadorned soft cotton t-shirt with nursing flaps will be a very personal choice. T-shirts can be surprisingly feminine or typically casual depending on your taste and desires.
Listen, when you are pregnant your mind is going to be on a hundred important and exciting issues: decorating the nursery, choosing baby names, and baby-proofing your home. Just don’t forget to make sure you that you have the right tools to get all those things done. A pregnant woman needs to know she can quickly reach into a drawer and pull out an attractive, comfortable, and well-fitting piece of clothing that she can move in all day long. So when you are choosing maternity t-shirts keep in mind your personal needs, fit and sense of style. This will help you make sense of the wide array of choices and arm yourself with one basic component of a great maternity wardrobe.
How to Avoid Stretching Your T-Shirt
How do you find that perfect fit? You know a t-shirt that flatters your body in all the right places and just makes you more confident when you’re wearing it. Finding the perfect fit can be difficult and may take many hours of trying on one t-shirt after another until, by what you may believe is a miracle, you find it! Now that you’ve found your perfect fitting shirt, you have a new problem, how to keep it fitting just like the day you bought it. We’ve all had the experience of buying a clothing item that fits perfectly the first time you wear it. But after you wash it once, it’s never the same again. So what are you to do? How do you avoid stretching your perfect fitting t-shirt?
Proper clothing care is the first step in preventing stretching and hopefully preserving your perfect fit. As much as you may want to avoid it, you do eventually have to wash your perfect fitting t-shirt. When you take the plunge, wash it in cool water in your washing machine. Then either hang it to dry or tumble dry it on low in your dryer. So you can avoid hauling out the iron and ironing board, you may want use the dryer. However, make sure that you frequently check your shirt during the drying process. If you’re not careful, the evil twin of stretching, which is shrinking, may occur. Using these steps is the best offense for keeping your t-shirt from stretching by maintaining, as closely as possible, the clothing fibers in the same position as when you bought the t-shirt.
A perfect fitting t-shirt is one that hugs your body. For women, this style helps show off the curves of her silhouette. For men, it clings ever so slightly in the chest and arms to show off all the work he’s done at the gym on his pecs and biceps. Your t-shirt does just that and is perfect for you. When friends and family see how good your t-shirt looks on you, they may ask to borrow it or even just try it on. Beware! If you want to avoid stretching, you need to refrain from being your usual kind self. This shirt is a one of a kind work of art just for your body. All those hours spent shopping could be undone by a few extra pounds or the slightly different body shape of your friend or family member. If they suggest your t-shirt it can be shrunk if it is stretched out, don’t become weak and give into their request. Going down that road can open you up to a repeating cycle of shrinking and stretching as you try to get those clothing fibers back to that perfect position.
Finally, it is also important to carefully consider any layering you do with your t-shirt. Depending upon how closely the shirt hugs your body, even another thin t-shirt underneath could stretch it.
Although with a little care and extra work, you can keep your t-shirt from stretching, it is smart to always be on the lookout for another perfect fitting t-shirt. Owning a few of them can keep you from freaking out should stretching accidently happen just before an important date.
Top 3 Methods for Getting Stains Out Of Your T-Shirt
Isn’t it the most frustrating thing ever when you are wearing a perfectly clean, nice T-shirt and all of a sudden you look down and there is a stain? What’s worse is if you missed a stain and it’s gone through the washer and dryer and emerged with a stain that simply can’t be missed and is now set-in. Knowing how to fight a variety of T-shirt stains with success will save you money and frustration. Below are the top 3 methods for getting stains out of your T-shirt.
The Dish Detergent Method
This is the best way to get out those pesky greasy stains that show up especially well on colors. They are often the result of cooking splatters or getting a drop of something on your tee. After the wash, it looks like it’s gone, but once the shirt is dry the grease has remained, as large as life. The solution is in using regular liquid dishwashing detergent that you would use for washing dishes by hand. Choose a brand that brags about its grease-fighting formula. Squirt it directly on the stain and let it soak it. You can even give it a little scrub with a soft toothbrush for more stubborn stains. Then wash the T-shirt again in the hottest water that is safe for it, and presto the grease stain will be gone.
The Bleach for Unbleachables Method
So often we can’t use regular bleach on annoying stains, because of the color of the T-shirt, the washing instructions or for fear of damaging a print or design. The trick to getting rid of stubborn stains is to soak the item overnight in bleach for unbleachables. This product is designed to deal with stains without damaging colors and fabric, and given the right amount of time, it will do so.
The Laundry Booster Method
There are a variety of things you can add to your laundry detergent to aid in getting stains out. Some things are commercially sold as such, like the oxygen-based cleansers, while others may be intended for different use. Products that remove iron from water are great laundry boosters for yellow stains. Another great tip is to add borax to your laundry to help remove pesky stains from T-shirts. This natural product is great at helping laundry detergents do their job better. Remember that it is very toxic to people and animals and should be treated as such.
If you have tried these top 3 methods for removing stains from T-shirts and nothing has worked, I highly recommend the I give up method. You simply decide to use your stained T-shirt for messy jobs around the house or some other purpose and get a new one. You can recreate any favorite T-shirt by ordering a custom-made one to replace the one that you have given up on.
Order your custom-made T-shirt today for the perfect solution to stubborn stains that just won’t come out.
How To Organize Your T-Shirt Wardrobe
Organizing your T-shirt wardrobe is the easiest and quickest way to be able to put together a great look in no time flat. There are a variety of ways to efficiently organize your T-shirt collection and no one way is right or wrong. It is important however to organize them in a way that works for you to get maximum enjoyment and maximum wear from all your T-shirts. You simply need to choose the way that best fits your style and sense of organization and you’ll be on your way to simplifying the process of getting dressed time each day.
An obvious and very useful way to organize your T-shirts is to group them by color. By doing so you know exactly where to look for a particular T-shirt, and will be sure to find it quickly and easily. You can even organize them according to the range of colors, and have all pastels, darks, brights and whites each together in their own space.
You can also organize your T-shirt wardrobe in terms of the style of T-shirts you own. You may want to group T-shirts by whether they are dressy, everyday wear or old favorites. It will make it much easier when it comes to putting together an outfit for work, going shopping or if you’re just cleaning the house.
Some people swear by hanging T-shirts, while others prefer folding T-shirts and grouping them in piles. There are several things to remember when doing it either way. If you choose to hang T-shirts, be sure there is plenty of space in the closet or your shirts will wrinkle. If you have shirts that you wear very infrequently, like ones for specific holidays, you may want to take them out of the closet and store them folded. This will give you more closet space and prevent hanger bumps in the shoulders of your T-shirts.
If you prefer to fold T-shirts and store them flat in piles, it is important to do so neatly. If you carefully fold the T-shirts when they are fresh from the dryer or immediately after ironing, they will remain looking good. Another suggestion is to fold T-shirts following the same method retailers use. Lay the shirt face side down and fold sleeves inward from mid-shoulder. Then fold the shirt in half once. By doing it this way, you minimize wrinkling, make T-shirts easy to stack and the design on the front will be easily visible when you are searching through piles of shirts to find the right tee for your needs.
Organizing your T-shirt wardrobe seems like a lot of work, but it is really very simple and will save you a lot of time in the long run. By doing it this way, you will also be able to quickly see at a glance which color T-shirts you may need to buy and if you are running low on T-shirts for work or for everyday. You can even recreate old favorites by ordering custom-made T-shirts in any design you choose.
Is A T-Shirt Business Casual?
Ever since business casual became an accepted standard of dress in the workplace, employees have had endless questions about what actually constitutes business casual. In reality, the guidelines are different for each company. Generally speaking, business suits are much too formal to fit the style. Exercise clothes, short shorts, ripped jeans and tank tops are much too casual to be business casual. Apart from those rather extreme guidelines, everything else is based on interpretation.
For many businesses, business casual is very structured. It means that you wear dress pants, skirts, polo shirts, button down shirts and sweaters. Jeans, sneakers and flip-flops are a no-no. T-shirts are fine if they are under something or have nothing printed on them. Many of these businesses are helping employees avoid the expense of traditional business wear, but still want to maintain a very professional, serious tone at work. They may even allow clean, well-maintained jeans and T-shirts on casual Fridays. Some businesses like this will occasionally do a charity fundraiser, by charging their employees a small fee to partake in jeans and T-shirt days.
For many other businesses, T-shirts are perfectly fine for business casual wear, as long as they are clean and in good repair. Most businesses however, will enforce common sense rules about what can be printed on a T-shirt. Text on a business casual T-shirt should never be offensive, rude, contain bad language, be sexually explicit, be political or promote a competitor of the business you work for. There are very few workplaces where you can actually wear anything you choose.
So, in short, a T-shirt can be considered business casual, depending on the T-shirt and depending on what the company’s policies are. If you absolutely want to wear a T-shirt that does not meet your company’s guideline, layering is always a good solution. Put your favorite tee under another T-shirt, button down shirt or sweater for a neat layered look. You’ll have the satisfaction of wearing the shirt of your choice, without getting in trouble for it.
Custom-made T-shirts can be the solution to your problems if you find that your T-shirts are not suitable for business casual. Thanks to custom printing you can have a T-shirt made in the color, design and style you want, saying whatever you want it to say. You can still make a statement, have a unique look, but follow the business casual guidelines of your office with a custom-made T-shirt.
If your company is on the more relaxed spectrum of business casual or you know that you have a casual Friday coming up, you can have some fun with a customized T-shirt. You can have a line like one of these printed on a tee:
• This IS business casual
• I love business casual
• Business casual rocks
• Peace, Love, Business Casual
• I’ll take business casual any day
• Business casual works
• Casual Friday rocks
Get your T-shirt wardrobe up to par for business casual with brand new custom-made tees just for work!
How Do You Remove Sunblock From A T-Shirt
Sunblock stains on T-shirts are common summertime laundry problems and they can be difficult to deal with. Often sunblock stains do not even show up right away, but may turn up as yellow or orange stains with time. If you are on top of sunblock stains, watch for them and know what to do about them, you can keep your favorite T-shirts looking great.
The best way to prevent stains is to carefully wash T-shirts in an enzyme-based detergent if they have been in contact with sunblock. Be sure to check the tee before putting it in the dryer, as heat will aid in setting the stain, making it even harder to get rid of. If you find that a T-shirt has made it through the washer and has a sunblock stain on it, you need to pre-treat it, let is soak and then rewash it.
Since sunblock is an oil-based product and is often waterproof, care must be taken in removing such stains from a T-shirt or your shirt may be permanently stained. Treat your T-shirt as you would for any item of clothing that came into contact with a greasy mess. You can use dish detergent that has grease-fighting properties as a pre-treatment. You can also apply a protein-based stain treatment that is good at dealing with oily stains. If the laundry detergent you use is protein-based, you can also pre-treat with it. After applying the pre-treatment, let it sit for at least a half hour, although overnight is best. Rub it in gently to make sure it gets into the fibers of the clothes. Then wash the T-shirt in the hottest water that is safe for it.
If you do get to the point of seeing those unsightly yellowish stains appear on your T-shirt, there is still hope. Bleach and vinegar are often helpful with small or light colored stains. For bigger or darker ones, there are bathroom cleaners on the market that advertise that they remove rust and hard water stains. You may use those in your laundry to remove those impossible sunblock stains that nothing else will work for. Just be sure to not mix those cleaners with other detergents or bleach. Wash once with the bathroom cleaners and then a second time with laundry detergent for the clean scent and soft feel.
A great solution to sunblock stains is to opt for T-shirts that are darker in color and will not show the discoloration from such stains. You can also try to prevent the stains by putting on your T-shirt only after your sunblock has dried. You can also try having a little fun with the idea of sunblock stains and having a T-shirt custom-printed with something like:
• Official Sunblock Stain T-shirt
• Yes, I wear sunblock. See the stains!
• My sunblock did this (arrows pointing to collar and sleeves)
If your favorite T-shirt gets ruined by sunblock, don’t despair. Thanks to custom-made T-shirts, you can now recreate your favorite T-shirt exactly. In fact, you can even get a couple of them in case it happens again.
Get your custom-made sunblock T-shirt today and enjoy the sun safely.
The Fastest Way to Dry a Shirt Without Using a Dryer
People use dryers because they are so fast and convenient. While drying clothes used to take up a lot of time for people before dryers were commonly available, today it takes one to two hours for a load to become dry in a clothes dryer. However, there are a number of times when people don’t wish to use a dryer. For some fabrics, it isn’t an option because of the risk of damaging the item of clothing. For t-shirts, there are many times when you need one dried as quickly as possible and you don’t have a drier available. That’s when you have to try and recreate some of what makes the drier work- heat and the movement of air.
There are a number of ways to dry clothes without using a dryer, though none will be as fast as using one. Perhaps the fastest way to dry a shirt without a dryer is to hang up the t-shirt and to allow it to be blown by a fan. Something that is blowing air across the shirt will dry it far faster than simply hanging the t-shirt up to dry and letting it drip dry on its own. Some people lay their shirt on a radiator, but the heat alone won’t dry it quickly. If you can point a fan at the radiator, the t-shirt will get both the air and the heat it needs to dry quickly.
The movement of air can be utilized in other ways as well if a fan is not available. An air register can be used in place of a fan, or the shirt may even be hung on a ceiling fan. Many people use outdoor wind power to dry their clothes. If you have a clothes line or a place to hang an item of clothing outdoors, this will be the fastest way to dry the clothing if it is a sunny day with a breeze. If the day is overcast or it is late in the evening, it will take considerably longer to dry the shirt with this method.
Even without a windy day, direct sunlight will be a quick way to dry the clothing. The sun will dry a shirt almost as quickly as a fan or an air register. If you are still wearing the shirt and it would be difficult to take it off to dry it, try keeping it on and staying out in the sunlight. If you remain in direct sunlight, you will be able to dry the shirt much more quickly than if you laid the shirt flat to dry or hung it up to drip dry. Many people find sun-drying to be the easiest quick method, even if it isn’t quite as fast as using a fan.
If you have a fan outdoors, you can keep the shirt in the sunlight while allowing it to be blown by the fan. This gives the t-shirt the best of all the fast-drying methods- sunlight, heat and moving air.
The Brassiere That Disappears: How to Choose the Perfect Bra for T-Shirts
These days, it seems as though there’s a bra out there for every kind of outfit imaginable. From the classic underwire bra to those that look as though you’d need an engineering degree in order to wear it, there have never been more options in finding bras that best suit your perfect wardrobe. After all, every woman knows that the right bra can not only accentuate and enhance feminine curves – it can actually make you feel more comfortable and sexy at the same time!
Yet did you know that there’s a certain type of bra that you should wear with fashion’s greatest wardrobe staple – the t-shirt?
That’s right. Even classic and low-maintenance t-shirts require a certain type of bra in order for you to look your best. Depending on the fit of the shirt – especially if it’s a tighter fit than your average gym t-shirt – wearing the wrong bra can make you look lumpy and awkward, which is definitely not a look that any woman should go for!
The best bra for a fitted t-shirt is one that is made from seamless material and as little underwire as possible. This helps to create and enhance a smoother bustline, as the seamless material of the bra blends in with the fabric of the t-shirt. A perfect t-shirt bra will never be visible from underneath the fabric of your t-shirt, so avoid bras that have raised patterns on them, as these designs will often appear through the thin fabric of your t-shirt. If you have a bigger bustline and need the support of underwire, look for a bra with material that completely camouflages the underwire - you can find these at your local department or lingerie store. When shopping for your perfect bra, make sure to wear a shirt made of thin material, so you’ll be able to see how effective your bra is at blending in with your t-shirt.
Of course, no t-shirt bra, no matter how sophisticated, can do its job properly if it’s ill-fitted. While this may seem to be a logical conclusion, fashion experts have recently claimed that eight out of ten America women are guilty of wearing the wrong bra size. Yes, that’s right – eight out of ten! So if you have even the slightest doubt that you may not be wearing the correct bra size – heck, even if you’re 100% sure that you’ve got the right size on – get yourself measured next time you go on a lingerie shopping excursion. You’ll be amazed at the difference you’ll feel when wearing the right bra – especially with your t-shirt on over it!
Despite the overabundance of choices you may have when lingerie shopping, choosing the perfect t-shirt bra doesn’t have to be a complicated experience. Just be sure to bring along a t-shirt to wear over each bra that you try on and bring a few of your best girlfriend along for the journey – after all, they’ll be able to tell you which bra looks best under your t-shirt when you’re not sure.
What Causes T-Shirts to Shrink?
T-shirts are generally made from cotton because of its many positive qualities. Cotton is inexpensive, it is a natural fiber that breathes well and allows moisture to escape instead of stay on the skin. It is also incredibly soft to the touch. Many consider it to be the most comfortable fabric in the world. The use of cotton in t-shirts, however, means that they will shrink slightly if there is a high percentage of cotton in the shirt.
Cotton shrinks when it is exposed to heat for any length of time. The way that many people wash their clothes will usually expose the clothing to a great deal of heat. The clothes are often washed in warm or hot water, exposing t-shirts and other items to hot water for a prolonged period of time. When washing t-shirts, they can be kept from shrinking during the washing stage by washing them in cold water instead.
The second part of the laundry cycle, drying the clothes, is another source of heat exposure. The heat from dryer cycles is what causes a great deal of cotton shrinkage. This happens because the heat of a dryer is intense and prolonged. A complete dryer cycle may take an hour or longer, exposing the t-shirt and other items to a very long period of heat. This can be avoided if needed by using a different dryer cycle. Most dryers have a tumble dry cycle that dries clothes without heat. The tumble dry setting does just what the name implies- it tumbles the clothes over and over again, keeping them moving through the air in the dryer. This dries the clothes without the use of heat, though it may take longer for the clothing to become thoroughly dry.
There are other occasions when a t-shirt can become hot while not being washed or dried. There are many people who wear a t-shirt swimming or doing other outdoor activities that cause the shirt to become wet. This can include washing the car, watering plants, etc. Staying outdoors to warm yourself in the sun is a quick way to dry off, but it can also cause the t-shirt to heat up, causing it to shrink. To avoid this type of shrinkage, go indoors when you want to dry the shirt. It can be taken off and placed on a flat surface to dry. This will keep it cool and avoid any heat that will shrink it.
Line drying clothes is a good way to cut down on electricity and to give clothes a fresh, natural smell. However, line drying clothes on a hot day can also cause cotton clothing to shrink. The heat from the sun will act on the water in the shirt, heating it up and causing the natural shrinking of cotton. To avoid this reaction, laundry can be dried indoors in a bathroom. Simply hang the clothing over a shower curtain rod or lay the items flat in a bathtub. Or, wait for cool, overcast days to line-dry the shirt.