How do I get a military crease?

Question

I am going into a correctional academy, and was told my pants and shirt need a military crease. How do I do this with an iron, and make it stay? Do I need starch? I have never ironed before in my life, and going to the cleaners every day would be outragous.

Thanks

Answer 1

You will need spray starch and an iron. Note that what will help you most here is preventive medicine: when the uniform shirt and trousers are issued to you, they will be creased, and it's my contention that if you can maintain the factory crease you will never go wrong.

Taking into account the ironing advice given by my compatriots, I would only add the following:

Iron the shirt in the following order: Right sleeve, done by laying out the sleeve so that both the front and back are perfectly aligned and wrinkle-free. (Taking them slightly damp from the dryer will help you here. I recommend not allowing your uniform to sit overnight in the dryer as the wrinkles will set if you do.)

Press the wrinkles out of the sleeve, and then make sure that you neatly crease, only once, the side that goes along the dorsal- or "top"-- side of your arm. You will need to take a special pass to do this, after getting the wrinkles out of the rest of the sleeve. Do the right sleeve, the right "body", the left "body", and the left sleeve, in that order. (The left-handed may find it more convenient to reverse these directions. ) You will want to ensure that the "top" of the shoulder gets a perfect crease as well. (You've seen a shirt still fresh from the dry cleaner, right? This is the look you're going for.)

As for the trousers: The easiest thing to do is hold the two legs together, upside down, and let gravity pull them downward as you hold them. You will be able to see where the crease goes, so lay them with the creases at front and back , press out any wrinkling, and then again take a special pass at the front and back creases, leaning heavily on the iron and using plenty of steam (to relax the fibers back to their original factory shapes) and starch, to maintain the shape you've just pressed into them.

Now, about that starch: You don't think the dry cleaners use that spray stuff in a can, do you? Hah. That's not how they get that crisp, papery wealthy-stockbroker look to a dress shirt. Their secret? Lots of heat, lots of pressure, and liquid starch. If your only hope is to use spray starch, go ahead, but your results will be much, much crisper if you use a liquid starch, like Sta-Flo. This will require a spray bottle to dissolve and apply, and more care to keep the shirt from sticking to the iron, but I am certain that you'll be happier with the result if you use liquid starch.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your stay at the academy.

Answer 2

Military Creases

Answer 3

You need to work out where the crease should go for starters. Is it pants or a shirt, what type of shirt?

To get the crease start just ironing all the wrinkles out.
Next, get the spot that need the crease, use a little spray of water (a pot plant spray bottle is good for this) along the crease that should be started from just getting wrinkles out.
Iron along the crease making sure you don't put in any new bumps or 'train tracks'. (Where you have 2 creases next to each other)
You can use starch if you like but especially if they're a light colour use it sparingly, it can over time discolour the item. After a little bit of practice you shouldn't need any though. After a few irons, the item should start retaining the crease so it'll only be a 5 minute ironing job.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do I get a military crease?
I am going into a correctional academy, and was told my pants and shirt need a military crease. How do I do this with an iron, and make it stay? Do I need starch? I have never ironed before in my life, and going to the cleaners every day would be outragous.

Thanks

Answer 5

You might want to get one of those irons that have a special hinge to help you do creases, especially if you have to do it daily. I bought one at Target for about $20. Starch will help it hold the crease longer, but it does make your clothes stiff. What you really want to be careful about is the heat setting on the iron. Polyester and synthetic materials burn at the higher settings, and will get shiny if the iron is too hot. There is no way to get the shine out once it's there - the material is ruined. Cotton, on the other hand, does not iron that well on the lower settings - it has to be high heat and lots of steam. Cotton blends are medium heat. Be sure to read the clothing labels and the recommended heat setting on the iron. They are numbered from about 1 to 7, and most irons tell you right on it what fabrics you can iron on each setting.

Answer 6

you definately need spray starch, spray and iron, don't move it till it's cooled

Answer 7

Spit and proceed