How to stretch a sheepskin coat to size at home

As a rule, sales of winter items are held in the summer or late autumn, when we are still lightly dressed and wear T-shirts or thin sweaters. This is the most attractive time to buy an expensive wardrobe item. However, having tried on a new thing in winter, we sadly discover that it is too small for us. And it’s not just about extra pounds, the problem may lie in warm sweaters. Therefore, many are interested in the question of how to stretch a sheepskin coat by at least one size.

Material

As we all know very well, not all things sold in stores are made from natural fabrics; the same is true with sheepskin coats. Many are made of genuine leather, and some are made of artificial leather. However, you can distinguish them without much effort: a natural leather wardrobe item is heavier in weight and much more expensive in cost.

Why is it necessary to be able to distinguish between them?

Natural sheepskin coat is much warmer.
If you plan to stretch an artificial item one or two sizes, it may not withstand the methods used.

Therefore, it is important for every housewife to know what material her item is made of. But if the sheepskin coat is made from real leather, you also need to be able to understand it, because the methods for changing the size may also differ. Let's talk about its types.

Artificial and natural

Today on sale you can find a wide selection of sheepskin coats made from artificial and natural materials. Before you start stretching something that is too small, make sure that it is made of genuine leather. Such products are heavier than artificial ones, they are noticeably warmer and more durable, which accordingly affects their cost.

An artificial sheepskin coat cannot be stretched - the thin material may burst, since its texture does not allow for deformation. With natural leather everything is different, but there are a number of restrictions for such products - it is important to pay attention to the type of leather, its thickness, type of coating, color.

Types of sheepskin coats

There are quite a lot of materials from which a warm wardrobe item is sewn. Here are some of them that are most popular among buyers.

Astrakhan

Astrakhan sheepskin coats differ in cost from sheepskin. The fact is that the above-mentioned type is made from lamb skins, and accordingly, sewing the product takes more time and raw material.

Another distinctive feature is that astrakhan skin is very thin and is used mainly for making fashion items, as it has a rather interesting texture. Based on this, we can conclude that this kind of product should never be stretched at home, as you can damage the skin and ruin the item.

Advice: if you need to stretch a karakul item, it is better to contact specialized studios that can give the wardrobe item the required size without harming its appearance.

Sheepskin

It is generally accepted that a good sheepskin coat is one made from sheepskin. Unlike karakul, it is denser and has a more durable structure. Sheepskin as a material is divided into several types:

If you have seen warm clothes with lush and beautiful collars in stores, you should know that this is Tuscany - a special breed of sheep that has very long and thick wool. Such things are quite expensive because they are considered the warmest among others.
Merino – this type of sheep has very thick wool, due to which even the thinnest wardrobe items made from this material remain warm. However, this type of fur also has its drawbacks. Since the wool is quite short, it wears out quickly, which makes the sheepskin coat not durable in use.
Interfino. This type will warm you worse than the other two due to the fact that the fur is less thick. However, the advantage of this type is its wear resistance. A thing made from this kind of sheepskin will serve you for a long time.

To understand what type of sheepskin coat you have, you just need to feel it, determining the length of the hair and its thickness. Then, already in the store, you will be able to understand how long the purchased item will serve you and how warm it will be.

Advice from Mobile Tailor

Do not try to use a regular sewing machine to alter a sheepskin coat. This can lead to both its breakdown and the product being damaged. If you do not have the appropriate equipment or lack the skills to carry out your plans, please contact our studio. We will help you realize your ideas. If there are no ideas yet or there are too many of them, come: let’s think about it and choose an idea together.

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Types of sheepskin coat coverings

There are several types of coating that will also play a role in further increasing the size.

Crack – gives the surface a “scaly” texture. It is based on an oil solution, after application of which the surface of the product becomes water-repellent.
Nappalan - this type of coating makes the surface of the item indistinguishable from real leather.
Pull-up - used to create the effect of skin under tension. This piece of clothing looks shiny and as if varnished.

If the coating of your sheepskin coat is glossy, you should not stretch it at home, as you can damage the structure of the product and ruin its appearance.

It is also worth paying attention to the color. It is more difficult to stretch a warm item made of light leather, since careless use of chemicals may leave streaks and stains on the white material, which can ruin the appearance.

Fresh ideas

It is clear that fashion is a fickle phenomenon. In pursuit of fresh images and new silhouettes, designers and fashion designers resort to various tricks. The location of the pockets, the size of the collar, the number of raised seams, the design of the sleeve cap, the cuff, the length of the product and other elements paint the image of the product, its style and appearance. Proper placement of parts, fasteners, and a correctly constructed pattern that follows the curves of the body are the key to a perfect fit. And even if the second thing didn’t fit the figure very well, it can be improved. But is it possible to alter a sheepskin coat on your own, and most importantly, how? Fashionable and stylish solutions will come in handy. It is worth looking around or leafing through outerwear fashion magazines to determine the most suitable option for yourself.

Methods for increasing size

In fact, there are not so many ways to change the size of a sheepskin coat. However, this does not make them less effective, although it allows you to stretch your favorite item by 1-2 sizes, but no more.

Special product

The simplest method is to buy a leather stretching product and apply it to the places where you want to stretch your item. Then put it on and fasten it.

If your sheepskin coat does not have an inner lining, then apply the same product to the inside in the same places.

Liquid soap

If for some reason it is not possible to purchase a special product, then you can use improvised materials such as liquid soap. You should make a special solution in proportions of one to four with water (1 - soap, 4 - water) and spray it over the entire outer surface of the sheepskin coat. Then put it on yourself and wear it for one to two hours.

To distribute the soap solution more evenly, take a spray bottle that is used for watering flowers at home.

Additional buttons

If folk remedies don’t help, but you really want to wear a warm piece of clothing, then you can change its size using ordinary buttons. Moreover, this way you can give it a new look. For this:

Step back one or two centimeters from the edge of the sheepskin coat.
Mark the future buttons.
Sew the second row parallel to the first.

Due to this, you can reduce the distance from the fastener to the buttons and thereby increase the size to the required size. But if your item has a zipper, you won’t be able to use this method.

Advice: be careful when marking a new row of buttons, since leather is not fabric, and if you pierce it once, you can leave marks that cannot be pulled back with anything later.

It is worth remembering that in any case, even with the most “gentle” stretching of leather products, their structure will change and will not be the same. Moreover, the material of the sheepskin coat becomes thinner, which makes it less wear-resistant. Therefore, if you are planning to stretch a product at home, be very careful and remember that the maximum result is one or two sizes, but in no case more.

Stretch technology

If the sheepskin coat becomes small during use or the wrong size was initially chosen, it is stretched using special equipment or home remedies. The choice of technologies is limited; they are mainly aimed at making the item wider, while it may be necessary to increase the length of the sleeves if they have become small.

Special means for stretching.

The store sells specialized products designed for stretching leather products. They are gentle on the material. Buy products from well-known brands to protect your item from permanent stains after using special products.

The composition is a spray that is evenly sprayed onto the surface of the product. If the sheepskin coat does not have a lining, it is also processed on the inside. Then you need to put on the item and wear it for several hours, waiting for the composition to dry completely. It is recommended to move quite actively so that the product fits your figure.

If necessary, you can stretch specific areas of the product, then process it and put it on, wearing the sheepskin coat for at least an hour. If the sleeves are shorter than the required length, a special agent is applied to them and pulled out using mechanical forces. It is important to stretch the sleeves carefully and evenly to prevent the skin from bursting.

Liquid soap.

If it is not possible to purchase a specialized composition for stretching leather products, you can make a soap solution, which will also help the material become softer and more elastic. To prepare the solution, it is allowed to use only colorless liquid soap, as dyes will leave stains.

Work progress:

liquid soap and warm water are mixed in a suitable container in a ratio of 1:4;
the prepared solution is poured into a sprayer;
the composition is applied to the outer surface of the product (in the absence of a lining, also to the inner surface);
the treated sheepskin coat is put on and worn for two hours or more.

Buttons.

If it is not possible to change the size of the sheepskin coat by treating it with products to increase the elasticity of the skin, use this trick: sew another row of buttons parallel to the existing buttons, retreating 1-2 cm closer to the edge, and wear the sheepskin coat buttoned on them for several days. When the item stretches a little to fit your figure, you can fasten it with the original buttons. This advice is not suitable for sheepskin coats with a zipper.

Steam treatment.

Leather outerwear that has become too small is recommended to be treated with steam. To do this, use an iron with a steam generator, a specialized clothing steamer, or a household steam generator. As a result, the skin will become elastic and pliable.

To increase volume in certain areas, they are carefully stretched by hand. If you need to stretch the entire sheepskin coat to size, put it on immediately after steam treatment and wear it for a couple of hours.

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Sometimes, after purchasing an expensive product, the question arises: how to stretch a sheepskin coat at home? It arises due to the fact that most often winter things are bought out of season and tried on light T-shirts or tank tops, so when the time comes for warm sweaters, it turns out that the product is too small.

You can stretch a sheepskin coat by several measurements, and below you will learn how to do this.

Ideas for female models

For several seasons in a row, fashionistas have been shining in original fur vests. Of course, this looks like a very warm product, but considering that girls have to wear the thing over a spring jacket or a warm knitted sweater, one can only assume that such clothes are not particularly warm, especially when the thermometer is creeping down. But if you modify such a thing, you will get a completely cozy fur coat. And here you should consider options for how to alter a sheepskin coat. Fashionable and stylish solutions with fur fronts and reversed leather back and sleeves are a great solution!

For such a product, you can either take a piece of artificial fur like a mink or an arctic fox, or use your favorite fur coat, which is quite worn out and even frayed in places. This way you can kill two birds with one stone and have a great item for the winter cold.

Another stylish option is a striped coat made of sheepskin and fur. Here you will need to rip open the sheepskin coat and cut all the parts, evenly removing 10 cm strips, in place of which sew identical pieces of fur.

What do altered sheepskin coats look like before and after? The answer to such a question lies in the professionalism of the master. Of course, such a project cannot be completed by a person who has never operated a sewing machine or cut things on his own, because the basics of sewing and cutting are required for such an alteration. However, you definitely need to dream up the future style of the item before sending it to the workshop.

Ideas for male models

Men are less capricious in their choice of clothes and often wear purchased items, as they say, to the nines. And if a man’s sheepskin coat needs to be altered, it is most likely because it has completely lost its appearance. And there are few options here. It is clear that inserts made of artificial or natural fur are not an option for respectable outerwear of the stronger sex. But still, the appearance of a sheepskin coat can be transformed if you sew a cover for it in the form of a thin windbreaker made of raincoat fabric or denim. In the case of the latter material, you can even achieve the result in the form of a parka that is popular this season. Patch pockets with snap buttons, a cord inserted into the inner drawstring at the waist and along the bottom, a hood with fur interior trim - and the updated jacket is ready to wear. And so that the top layer does not move, it must be secured in the armholes and neckline.

Thus, you will get a warm jacket with fur inside and a fabric base on the outside, which, even if it gets wet, it will be imperceptible, since the product has its own secret, which outsiders do not need to know about. And to do such a thing, you just need to choose the most acceptable option for how to alter a sheepskin coat.

Fashionable and stylish solutions for children

In the case of children's sheepskin coats, you can also work on them, especially if they are made of natural material. As a rule, a child wears such things for a couple of years, and then grows up, and as if by magic, the sleeves become small, and the sheepskin coat itself looks more like a jacket. But due to the fact that according to the standards used in factories, things are usually sewn quite wide, this fact can be very useful.

If the item is the right width and is only a little short, why not complement it with mink fur? Even if artificial, if you make a frill of fur only 10 cm wide around the cuffs, hem and hood, then the child will be able to show off in a beautiful fur coat for another couple of years. Of course, this option is more acceptable for girls, but for boys you can try the option with a parka jacket.

How to stretch a sheepskin coat How to stretch a sheepskin coat to the required size and is it even possible? This question may arise when you gain weight or if you got your sheepskin coat from someone else’s shoulder. Of course, when the leather things we love become too small, the question arises of increasing them by at least one size. There are several available ways to stretch a sheepskin coat without ruining its appearance. You can turn to professionals to solve this problem, but if you know how to stretch a sheepskin coat at home, you can avoid wasting money. For this procedure, you will need warm water, liquid soap or a chemical product for stretching leather products (for example, from a shoe store). It is worth knowing what specific leather your sheepskin coat is made of. Because some products made from artificial material cannot be stretched and can cause irreparable harm. Pay attention also to the quality of the material. Keep in mind that low-quality material can deteriorate and lose its decent appearance. If tanned leather has very thin places or minor damage (see photo), then after stretching the leather in these places may burst. But, if your sheepskin coat is made of good quality leather, then after such a procedure it will not be in any danger. In general, stretching leather (including tanned leather) occurs as follows - the wet product must be stretched in all directions with the same force and allowed to dry completely in this position (see photo). However, we will not be able to carry out such stretching of an already sewn product. How to stretch a sheepskin coat at home? To stretch a sheepskin coat, you need to purchase a special product designed for stretching leather and products made from it. After treating the entire surface of the sheepskin coat with this product, put it on and fasten it. Please note that if there is no lining on the sheepskin coat, then the inner side is also treated with a stretching agent for better effect. You need to walk in a sheepskin coat that you have treated with a stretching agent for several hours. If you are not satisfied with the result and the sheepskin coat has not stretched to the required size, then you can take a risk and repeat the procedure again and again, but do not forget to monitor the condition of the skin so that in the most tense places it does not burst and spread. If you don’t have a stretching agent at hand and you can’t buy it, then liquid soap will come to the rescue. How to stretch a sheepskin coat using liquid soap? Very simple. Prepare a soap solution from colorless liquid soap and warm water, in a ratio of 1 to 4, and spray, using a spray bottle, the soap solution on the entire outer surface of the sheepskin coat, and if there is no lining, on the inner surface. After waiting for some time until the solution is absorbed a little, put on the sheepskin coat for several hours. This homemade method of stretching a leather sheepskin coat is quite effective and popular. Did you like the advice? Did you like the group ╰დ╮MY COZY HOME ╭დ╯? Join and invite your friends!

Rework options

First, you need to look at the model of the sheepskin coat and determine which elements can be updated. This could be new cuffs or hood trim. You can also consider options that involve completely ripping out the item at the seams with subsequent inserts made of natural or leather insulated with padding polyester.

An equally interesting option is to use sheepskin coat material as interior decoration. In this case, you will need to select a fabric for the top. Considering that the sheepskin coat is quite dense, the base should be made of thin material. For this purpose, you can use raincoat fabric or thin leather. In both cases, the result will look original.

At first glance, it may seem that changing the style of outerwear yourself is not the best idea. But if you figure out how to alter a sheepskin coat at home, it turns out that this process is not so complicated. And if you try and make every effort, the result will be quite decent.

Difficulties and overcoming them

The level of difficulty of the work depends on the material of the sheepskin coat. Naturally, to sew genuine leather you will need. Of course, such a unit is rare in everyday life. Therefore, to remake such a product, all seams will have to be laid manually. At the same time, they must be in small increments and strong enough not to diverge. But a household sewing machine can handle artificial material quite well, which greatly facilitates the work. Not every craftswoman can alter an old sheepskin coat made of natural material, and it is better to entrust such painstaking work to specially trained craftsmen with the appropriate equipment. But minor alterations, which involve modifying small parts, can be done independently.