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How To Fold a T-Shirt the Easiest Way
T-shirts are made for dependable comfort, so there’s no reason why they should cause so much clutter in our lives. And yet still, T-shirts seem to be the most common garment that piles up in the corners of our bedrooms and dressers.
At Andar, we believe in quality material that lasts. Part of preserving what we love about our clothes and accessories is learning how to safely organize and store them. When your shirts are folded and your clothes neatly put in place, you feel better, navigating your daily styles seamlessly and keeping your threads in fresh condition.
So without further ado, let’s jump into it. Here’s how to fold a T-shirt the easiest way.
Folding a Classic, Short-Sleeved T-Shirt
When we say T-shirt, the first thing that comes into most people's minds is the short-sleeved version. This is the most common shirt we deal with every day, as an undershirt in the cold seasons and a classic top for the summer months.
It’s also the easiest type of shirt to fold, with the fewest amount of steps. Still, there are many methods to go by. Some clothing stores even use box molds to help employees create perfect folds.
Our method is slightly less involved than that but with just as much attention to a clean, even fold. The ideal product is a square fold with the sleeves tucked in between.
The Step-by-Step
With all that said, we’re gonna break down the process of folding a T-shirt into three easy steps:
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Put your T-shirt on a flat surface, with the back facing up.
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Next, fold the sleeves inward so that they lay slanted across the back. They should be folded in along the lines of their seams, making a straight edge with the sides of the shirt.
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Finally, take the top half of your shirt, along with those sleeves, and simply fold it in half. The front of the T-shirt should now face up.
Now, your shirt should be neatly folded!
Practice Makes Perfect
Of course, it may take some time to get that perfect square shape. It helps to practice folding your T-shirt so that the edges are neatly aligned, creating those sharp, tight angles.
As you practice, you’ll also become a more natural folder, and soon you can ditch the flat surface. Many people fold this way while standing up, folding the shirt against their chest.
You can also practice your T-shirt folding with one of our classy, 100% US-grown cotton T-shirts. Our Cactus Badge Tee is a particular favorite, with a striking, simple cactus logo. If that’s not for you or you need something to pair with it, check out the other great designs on our merch table.
Folding Long-Sleeve T-Shirts
Of course, folding the long-sleeve T-shirt is a slightly different process. Believe it or not, those loose, dangling sleeves can become quite cumbersome. Luckily, they’re easy enough to put back into place.
To make this as easy as possible, we’re going to break this down into steps once again:
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Place your long-sleeve T-shirt on a flat surface, with the back facing up, like before.
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Fold your sleeves inward, across the back, following the edge of the seam like last time. The long sleeves should lay across the back at a slanted angle if you follow the seam correctly.
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Now, take those sleeves and fold them again, near the elbow, this time toward the edges of the shirt. The crease of this fold should look slanted on the sleeve, but make the sleeve itself sit parallel to the sides of the shirt.
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Finally, with your sleeves properly tucked in, fold the top half of your shirt down again until the front is facing up. Voila!
Congratulations: Now you’ve mastered the long-sleeve fold in four easy steps. This fold also works well for dress shirts, sweaters, and other long sleeves.
Folding for Tight Storage
Folding becomes a whole different ball game when it comes to packing for a trip. More than in your closets and dressers, space becomes essential here as you squish your shirts in with all the pants, jackets, hats, gadgets, and so forth.
You don’t want to open your suitcase to find it springing full of wrinkled clothes. Luckily, that can all be prevented with careful packing.
Roll Your Clothes!
Believe it or not, rolling up your clothes is an effective way to pack tightly and prevent wrinkles.
As some travel guides would put it, packing is much like a puzzle or a game of Tetris, in which every space must be filled. That means stuffing every corner but also making your shirts as compact as possible.
In order to pull this off, simply fold your shirt as you would before, then roll your folded shirt into a tube shape. This compact shape will protect the fabric, keeping it neatly packed.
By rolling up your clothes, you can prevent wrinkles from forming. If the shirt’s surface was left flat in your suitcase, it could be pressed, twisted, and bent into a wrinkled mess before you even reach your destination.
Folding Laundry Helps Boost Your Mood and Lower Stress
Doing the laundry might be just another chore, but folding itself has been proven to have some positive mental health benefits, according to researchers and psychologists. The routine act of folding itself can have a meditative effect, allowing the brain to take a break from its usual stress to focus on simple, satisfying organization.
As the mind drifts into the task ahead, the stress of the chore is lightened, along with many other agitations that may have come with the day.
Most of all, folding laundry can give you a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction, having done away with one chore and proactively prevented the stress of letting that clean laundry pile up.
By folding and organizing your laundry, you give yourself a real sense of agency over your environment: the power to make it a little less chaotic and a little more harmonious.
Fold Your Shirts. Spruce Up Your Routine.
We hope that these short tutorials have been useful to you as you learn how to fold. Folding your T-shirts is essential to keep them fresh while saving space in your closet.
Of course, there are many ways to fold a shirt, and some of those ways may feel more natural to you. In fact, folding is such a constant part of everyone’s routine that even engineering students have started theorizing about it, drawing up formulas to create the tightest, smallest squares possible.
In this more complicated process, the shirt is folded vertically, with both sides meeting in the center like a book. This thinner shape is then folded in halves until it reaches the perfect square.
It goes to show that you can get as creative as you want with your folds. Many people get a kick out of folding towels and other garments into ducks, hearts, and other fun shapes. Folding can be an art form, or it can be a science, but that’s all up to you!
Care for Your Threads
If you found this guide useful to you for your endeavors in organization, we recommend checking out our other articles. There we discuss things like everyday carries, ways to treat your leather and take care of your clothes, advice on fashion, and many more style-related topics.
Of course, you can always trust Andar to create products with durable, reliable materials like full-grain leather for cases and bags or the 100% cotton you’ll find in our T-shirts.
We hope you’ve gained something from our guide, and we look forward to talking more about everything from everyday carries to the fine art of leather-making soon.
Sources:
How to Pack a Suitcase | The New York Times
Laundry is tedious. But it could improve your mental health? | Houston Chronicle
6 Clothes-Folding Techniques That Save Closet and Drawer Space | Spruce
