If you rolled your sleeves up in your dream, is a forthcoming task looming large in waking life, or are you in danger of going bankrupt and ‘losing the shirt off your back’? A dream that features a shirt may be associated with gambling—putting one’s shirt—on a horse.
If you were choked by a tight collar, scarf or tie in your dream, your unconscious may have been drawing attention to feelings of restriction, maybe in relation to your work, as collars and neckties tend to be worn by professionals. A tie is sometimes a sexual symbol, but it also represents something that can choke feelings.
If the tie is colorful, this might represent a creative new approach. To dream of stitching a shirt or item of clothing suggests that repairs are needed in some areas of your life.
If you find yourself sewing a patch on your shirt, was your unconscious speaking in puns? Is there something in your life that needs patching up? Or have you been trying to hide something about yourself from others, such as the big heart you used to wear on your sleeve? [1]