It’s possible that your jeans have shrunk after washing, or that getting into brand new pants has become your daily torment, but this is not a reason to give up skinny jeans.
In this article we will tell you how to return the original size to jeans that have shrunk after washing, 5 effective ways to stretch denim at home, and what to do to prevent jeans from shrinking in the future.
Do jeans stretch?
High-quality jeans can be stretched by 1-2 sizes.
Jeans are sewn from denim . This is a durable fabric, but has little elasticity. To make the material elastic, various synthetic threads are added to it. This material stretches, and after it has been washed, it narrows, so you can stretch it by about 1-2 sizes.
You can stretch your jeans in the following ways:
- Soak in water, twist and then stretch by hand
- Stretch wet jeans with a special expander
- Spray with water and iron with a hot iron
Jeans stretch well in width, but in length they stretch less.
How to make jeans one size larger: ways
Jeans can be stretched by 1 size in several ways.
You can stretch jeans by 1 size using method 1 :
- Get your jeans wet.
- Place on a flat surface.
- Cover with damp gauze.
- Stretch the wet ones with your hands in different directions.
- Iron with a hot iron.
In this way, jeans are stretched 2-4 cm in length and 1-2 cm in width.
Method 2 . If your jeans are too small in the hips, you can stretch them like this:
- Unscrew the item soaked in hot water.
- Immediately place it on a glass jar and let the trousers dry.
- After the procedure, the jeans will stretch.
Method 3 . If the jeans are tight in the waist and everywhere else, we will stretch them lengthwise and widthwise using our hands. This can be done by one or two people.
Method 4 . You can stretch it like this:
- Jeans soaked in cold water are wrung out.
- Thread a tight lace or rope into the waistband of your jeans and pull it at the waist.
- Tie the rope to a stable object.
- While the jeans are drying, stretch them lengthwise and widthwise by the legs from time to time.
- Once dry, the jeans should stretch.
We stretch denim shorts at the hips and waist
The situation when denim shorts become too small is familiar to many.
There are 2 reasons for this: the denim fabric, consisting of cotton, has undergone significant shrinkage during washing; the acquired extra kilo or two makes itself felt. Or it happens that excellent shorts, bought without trying on, or ordered from an online store, please everyone: style, color, finishing, but turn out to be too tight in the hips and waist. You can save and “bring back to life” your favorite item, as well as adapt new shorts you like to your size. There are several effective ways to stretch and enlarge denim.
Jeans have shrunk and become too small: what to do, how to take them in?
You can stretch your jeans if you do physical exercise.
To stretch out jeans that have shrunk after improper drying, we pull them on ourselves, fasten the button with a zipper, and do various exercises: squats, “riding a bicycle” in the air, “splits.”
At first, your tight jeans will not allow you to exercise freely. Then the movements will become easier to do.
We exercise until our jeans stretch and we feel comfortable.
An elastic band will come to the rescue
You can widen your trousers using an elastic band. An elastic band will come to the rescue in all cases when you need to increase the volume at the waist, when the trousers have become too small with a zipper on the side. Let's look at how to increase volume with a side zipper correctly.
- Steam out the zipper and remove the hard belt.
- Sew the side seam where the zipper was to the stitching done with an overlocker. If this volume is not enough, then insert a wedge of the required size and sew it in.
- Sew fabric to the waistband to fit two or three rows of elastic.
- Sew on a new belt, make two or three lines, insert an elastic band.
How can you stretch jeans at the waist with an iron?
Jeans can be stretched if you iron them with a wet iron.
Jeans that are too small will stretch at the waist if you iron them while still wet with a hot iron. And if you put on warm jeans, the fabric will be fixed in this position, and the jeans will take on the outline of your figure.
The waistband of the jeans will also increase slightly if you alter the button closer to the edge.
How to stretch short jeans at home to length using a weight?
Short jeans can be stretched
If the jeans become short after drying, they can be stretched as follows:
- We throw the wet jeans over the horizontal bar and hang on them with all our weight as much as possible.
- We stretch the jeans (wet) on the floor, press the upper part with our feet, and pull the legs up.
How to stretch jeans with vodka?
Cotton jeans will stretch better if they are soaked in a solution.
solution will help stretch shrunken fabrics made from natural fibers (cotton, wool) :
- To 5 liters of water at room temperature add 3 tbsp. spoons of ammonia, 1 tbsp. spoon of vodka and turpentine.
- Soak the fabric in the solution for 30-40 minutes.
- We take out the item, carefully twist it out, and hang it out to dry.
This solution softens the fabric of jeans if they are made entirely of cotton, or close to 100%. The elastic fabric will then be easier to stretch.
Ways to stretch denim
The easiest way to return your pants to their previous size is to put them on and do squats. Buttons and zippers must be closed, even if it is very tight. The method is suitable only for cases when the item has slightly shrunk.
An alternative is to do lunges. These physical exercises allow you to stretch your shorts on your buttocks, calves, and thighs. If the jeans no longer fit so tightly to the body, but are still uncomfortable, then you will have to resort to other methods.
Common stretching methods:
| Method | Pure cotton products | Stretch, with the addition of other synthetic fibers |
| waistband extender | Can | allowed |
| water | Can | It is not recommended to use hot water |
| evaporator | Yes | Yes |
The more often you wear your jeans, the faster they will stretch and become softer. There is no need to wash them too often; the recommended period is after 7-10 days of active wear.
Mechanical impact
How to stretch jeans at the waist is a question that sometimes arises among the fairer sex after the end of the winter season. This problem can be solved using a universal extender or “waistband extender”. The step-by-step procedure is carried out:
- fasten all locks, fasteners, buttons;
- The trouser waistband area must be thoroughly wetted;
- stretch to the desired size until the narrow belt stretches to the desired level;
- Jeans should be dried using an expander.
Important! Before you start stretching your pants, you need to measure your volume to get the right size.
Using an iron or steamer
To return your jeans to their original size, you can use a steamer. It is much more efficient than an iron. But, if you don’t have it at hand, you can correct the situation using an iron with a steam function, or even a hairdryer. The steam from the iron must be applied to all problem areas, put them on quickly before the jeans cool down, so that the effect takes hold. Don't take off your jeans for 2 hours.
Spray bottle to help
Water helps restore it to its original size. To do this, you should determine the area on your jeans or jacket that requires stretching, treat it with water from a spray bottle and gently stretch it. Stretch products stretch much faster when using this method.
Advice! To quickly stretch denim using moisture from a spray bottle, it is better to use hot water.
This method is also suitable for stretching jeans lengthwise. To do this, you need to process the vertical seams and slowly stretch them. You can put your trousers on the floor, put your feet on the pockets and gradually pull out the legs. The main thing is that the fabric at the seams is well moistened with water. The technique is not suitable for trousers that have designer holes or slits.
Author:
Zakharova Nina Afanasyevna
I hope you like my article! If you find any shortcomings, just write to me about it! I am always ready for a conversation and will answer any questions you have, ask them!
