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Pajamas & Robes: Generally monograms are placed on the left breast
pocket or on the left side if there no pocket.
Men’s Dress Shirts: Monograms have many possibilities for a man’s shirt.
Traditionally, monograms on shirt cuffs are placed on the left cuff,
2 ½” beyond the buttonhole and ¼ - ½” above the topstitching. These are
small monograms, generally ¾” tall. Monograms can also be placed ½” above
the pocket or on the pocket cuff or flap. These monograms can be centered or
placed to the left pocket edge. A monogram may also be placed on the inside
placket between the second and third button or just below the last button on
the top placket.
Turtlenecks: A monogram on a turtleneck can be placed in the center on the
portion that folds over or it can be placed between the center front and the left
shoulder, ½ - ¾” above the lower edge. The width of the turtleneck will dictate
the height of the letters.
T-shirts & Blouses: There are notions that you can purchase for helping
you place monograms on blouses and T-shirts. These will help you position
a monogram the correct distance from the left shoulder and from the center
front.
Conventions for Monogram Letters
Monograms can be one, two, three, or four-letter monograms. The size of a
single letter monogram is often larger than a multiple-letter monogram. In
the 1930’s 14” tall appliqué letters were a popular size. Traditionally a single
letter initial is the first initial of the first name for a woman, but the first initial of
the surname for a man. When one initial is used on linens, it is generally the
first letter of the family’s surname. Single letter monograms can be combined
with other designs easily.
A two-letter monogram often uses the first name initial followed by the last
name initial and generally these letters are the same size or the last name ini-
tial can be slightly larger. If the two-letter monogram is for a married couple,
the letters are usually the same size and the monogram is the first initial of his
name followed by the first initial of her name. Two letter monograms can also
be used with the first initial of both last names for couples who have different
last names.
Three-letter monograms for an individual include the first initial of the first
name in the left position, the first initial of the middle name in the middle posi-
tion, and the first initial of the last name in the last position if all the letters are
the same size. When the middle letter is larger, then it is the first initial of the
last name and the middle name initial is switched to the far right position.
For a married couple, traditionally the husband’s first name initial appears in
first position, followed by the first initial of his name with the wife’s first initial
in third position; however, some monogramming etiquette information has
these positions reversed for monogrammed linens so that the wife’s initial is
in first position.