Usually you can find more than one pair of denim pants in a fashionista's closet, but among them there is always one favorite. If suddenly after washing or as a result of some other factors this favorite pair becomes small, the housewife has a question: how to stretch jeans at home? This will be discussed today on this page of the women’s website “Beautiful and Successful”.
Types of jeans
Over the decades of its existence, denim fabric has changed, and currently has several varieties. Jean is a classic look, perhaps the most budget-friendly option for lightweight fabric, which may include polyester or viscose.
The density of the material is small, it stretches well, but after washing the cotton shrinks. Denim is quite durable, resistant to mechanical stress and abrasion, and is valued for its high quality and wear resistance.
Products of the stretch variety stretch well without fear of excessive shrinkage, and broken twill holds its shape well and is practically not deformed.
Rules for the first wash
To keep your jeans soft, wash them immediately after purchase. Clean according to the following instructions:
- Turn your pants inside out.
- Fill the washing machine with cold water, preferably make a half load and set the cotton wash cycle. When the water is full, immerse your jeans in it. When loading frontally, it is impossible to draw water, so just put the clothes in the drum.
- Pour in the softener and mix it with water. The use of powders is not recommended for the first wash. When front loading, add softener to the powder container so it can work on the jeans during the wash process.
- Wait until the pants are completely saturated with water. Then close the lid and turn on the wash.
- If the fabric is very hard, stop the machine immediately after the cleaning process (before draining the water). Add another portion of softener and repeat washing 3-4 times. For moderately hard fabrics, allow the machine to complete the entire wash cycle.
You need to dry clothes inside out at a low temperature; set the mode for delicate fabrics. Also add rubber or wool balls that will hit the fabric and make it softer. These products are sold in hardware stores and are inexpensive.
Roll the dried jeans from the bottom to the waist. Weigh down the clothing with some weight. You can unfold it only after the fabric has cooled.
Jeans are tight in the hips
The most common way to increase the size is to dry a damp product in natural conditions, while wearing it on yourself, at room temperature.
There are 2 options for drying jeans on yourself:
- Wet the product and put it on.
- Put on a dry item and then wet it, for example, take a shower in clothes.
The wet fabric stretches and shrinks to your figure during the drying process.
But wet clothes are unpleasant to wear, and the knees of completely wet jeans will also stretch out. It is not at all necessary to wet all the clothes - just applying it to the problem areas is enough. The liquid can be poured into a spray bottle and periodically moisten the fabric in those places where the clothes are tight.
How to widen a jeans waistband
The wet material also stretches around the waist. To do this, you need to unfasten the button, carefully lay the product, for example, on the floor and use a spray bottle to spray warm water onto the tight area.
- You need to moisten it generously, the fabric should get wet through. Then you should step on the side part (in the pocket area) with your foot, and pull the opposite side of the belt with your hands, applying some force, but so as not to tear off the fittings.
- To expand the belt, you can take a bath while wearing a tight product. But first prepare a place for drying - spread a towel or oilcloth on the floor. The bath should be filled with warm water, it should be taken for about 15 minutes, periodically gently stretching the material around the waist.
- Drain the water and sit in the bath for a while to let most of the water drain out. To speed up the process, you can stand up, move around, and do a few squats.
- Then go to a towel spread on the floor, do some exercises (squats, swinging your legs to the sides, forward and backward), gradually stretching the clothes until they dry on your body.
For final drying, jeans can be removed, but not dried on heating devices or in the sun.
Sandpaper
The method below is not suitable for thin fabrics as they are prone to holes.
To soften the material, turn the garment inside out and place it on a smooth, flat surface. Sand over the entire surface of the jeans using a back-and-forth motion. Almost immediately you will notice the formation of clumps of cotton fibers. Don't worry, this is a normal process.
After treatment, shake the clothes well. Instead of sandpaper, a pumice stone or razor will do. Carry out manipulations carefully to prevent holes from appearing.
Using an iron
If after washing your jeans have shrunk and are uncomfortable to walk in, you can stretch the material using an iron set to steam mode.
The fabric will expand under the influence of hot steam, and to consolidate the result, you need to put on a still warm thing and walk around the apartment for a while, doing squats and other stretching exercises.
If for some reason the iron is missing, then it can be successfully replaced with a water bath, for which you need to bring water to a boil in a wide saucepan and hold the trousers over the steam.
Stretch jeans that have shrunk in the wash
Your favorite pants won't fit after washing... A standard problem with modern washing machines. High temperatures and intensive washing and drying greatly shrink fabrics with a high cotton content. Is it possible to stretch jeans? Here we apply the method of similarity, we fight the consequences in the ways that led to them. To stretch, we use high temperature, water and intense physical impact. If the jeans were worn normally before they were washed, then stretching them to their original size is quite possible.
Special extenders
Manufacturers produce special devices designed to stretch clothes.
The trousers need to be fastened, moistened in the problem area (waist, hips), insert the expander inside and, using a screw mechanism, gradually increase the distance of the device to obtain the required size of the item. The product can be worn after it has completely dried; if necessary, the procedure can be repeated.
How to widen pants at home
If the jeans do not stretch over the body, then they can be put on while lying down - in a horizontal position, the stomach falls in and the process is easier.
To enhance the stretching effect, you can first put on thick tights, and only then pull on the trousers. They wear out gradually, so walk around the house, do your usual activities or do physical exercise. It will be better if you periodically moisten problem areas with warm water from a spray bottle.
- A very good method of steaming is when the damp fabric is ironed or the effect occurs in the steaming mode, and then the still warm product is worn on oneself, preferably until it dries completely.
- If you do not have a special expander, then you can use any available means - you can insert a strong board or hanger into your trousers, they can be pulled over the back of a chair or a suitable box or canister.
- To stretch the product in length, it must be wetted with hot water, and then tightly wound around a cylindrical vessel (bucket, jar) and left taut until completely dry.
Attention! To increase your pant size, you don't have to wet them or take a bath in them. It is enough to take a textile product (scarf, towel), moisten it, put it on your waist while wet (wrap it), and put on trousers on top, walk in them until completely dry, move, bend over and squat.
In what cases can a product be stretched?
First you need to find out whether in your case it is even possible to stretch your jeans to the desired size. This is not difficult to do: you just need to try on the product. If you can pull your pants up over your hips, but feel discomfort in your thighs or can barely button them, you may be able to cope with the problem.
If it turns out that tight jeans don’t fit on your hips, and you can’t put them on all the way, let alone button them, stretching is out of the question. You will not achieve the desired result, but will only spoil the purchased item. In this case, it is advisable to immediately return the product to the store or give it to one of your friends or relatives for whom it will fit in size.
Using extra fabric
This method is suitable for those craftswomen who have a sewing machine and have some skills in working with it.
Step-by-step instruction.
- Choose a suitable fabric that harmonizes in color or, conversely, a different color, bright and rich.
- Take a measuring tape and measure your waist, as well as the waist of your jeans. By simple subtraction, find out the difference between the two numbers, thereby calculating the size of the insert, allowing for a seam allowance of approximately 1-1.5 cm on each edge. The insert will be triangular in shape.
- At the back of the trousers, you need to rip off the belt with the back loop, make a triangular cut of the required size (to “grow” the jeans to the actual waist size).
- The shape of the patch is sometimes completed on a prepared piece of textile, guided by the cutout on the trousers.
- Secure the insert with pins, or better yet, sew it on by hand, taking into account the seam allowances, and try on whether the patch is the right size and whether it will be comfortable with a piece of fabric of this size.
- Sew the seams using a sewing machine, finish the edges with an overlock, zigzag or by hand, and gently iron.
- Sew the waistband and back loop.
After such an insertion, the clothes will be looser, without causing discomfort when worn.
Using a sewing machine
In situations where there is no result using the listed methods, it is worth moving on to drastic measures using sewing skills. This will help make skinny jeans look bigger and further decorate the pants.
Reducing allowances
The proposed method will help to increase the product only by a centimeter; the method is suitable when the jeans are too tightly woven, which does not allow them to be expanded using physical manipulation. Sewing kit is being prepared:
- steamer or sharp razor;
- scissors;
- a needle and thread, preferably specifically for denim material;
- a piece of soap;
- ruler;
- pins.
Pants that are turned inside out are ripped at the side seams. If the jeans are small in the hips, the seam opens up to knee level. The folded fabric is unrolled and the new stitch location is pinned. The line of stitches is carefully drawn, after which the trousers are sewn again.
Decorating with stripes
An effective way to increase a product by 2 sizes is to use a fabric insert on the sides of the pants. If you choose the right fabric for stripes, the product will sparkle with new colors and will delight you for a long time. Before the process, you should familiarize yourself with existing jeans models that use a similar decoration method to better understand the combination of different textures and color shades of fabrics. A cut for work will be required with a width of no more than 50 cm.
- The jeans are ripped at the side seams; it is better if the existing seam is completely removed. The work requires accuracy!
- The pants are put on and a piece of fabric attached to the inside is secured with pins.
- The jeans are removed and sewn together with running stitch.
- To be on the safe side, another fitting is recommended.
- Having folded the edges of the denim fabric, the design is sewn together on a sewing machine (the edges do not need to be folded if the design decision requires it, for example, the presence of fringe made from denim fibers).
In addition to regular fabric, fashionistas use a strip of lace, or sew the edges with colored thick threads with an indent. It all depends on imagination and skills. When you only need to enlarge the waist area, you can rip out the waistband and side seam, and sew thick fabric or elastic in the shape of a triangle. Such an insert will not be noticeable under a jacket.
Add length
You can also stretch your pants to length without resorting to stretching. It is enough to loosen the seam allowances along the bottom of the trouser leg, either using the stripe method with the addition of fringe or a piece of other fabric.
You can sew stripes
Skinny trousers can be expanded by 1-2 sizes using stripes. Such details elegantly solve the problem, performing an additional decorative function.
- You need to try on the product and determine the expected size of the insert.
- Then you should carefully open the side seams and iron them.
- Attach additional fabric (future stripes) to the side seams with pins.
- Try on clothes, adjust the size of the inserts if necessary. It is better to measure 7 times, so carry out a sufficient number of fittings and adjustments until you feel that the size of the stripes is calculated accurately.
- Sew the stripes, finish the edges, iron the product.
Stripes can be made from denim of a similar shade, or they can be made from a bright strip of fabric in a contrasting color.
Sometimes, instead of a strip of textile, stripes are made of decorative elastic.
What to do if your jeans shrink
If you suddenly find that your jeans have shrunk after washing, or the model you purchased is too short, there is no need to worry. You can also stretch it without outside help. You need to act like this:
- First, the jeans will need to be wet. It is best to do this with a spray bottle.
- Then you will need to take the inseam of the pant leg and gently pull it, first from the shin to the knee, and then from the knee to the thigh. You will need to do this trick with the second leg.
- After this, you will need to try on the product. If the first time you were unable to give it the desired length, you will have to repeat this procedure.
Important:
If you choose this particular method of breaking in jeans, be very careful. Do not stretch items that have holes or very thin, worn areas of fabric this way - this can cause them to tear.
Reducing allowances
Products made from tight fabric can be expanded by reducing the allowances on the side seams.
- Initially turn the product inside out.
- Carefully open the waistband, open the side seams in problem areas, for example, from the hip to the knee, and iron. If you need to widen the product in the hip area, then you can leave the belt alone and rip out the inner seams rather than the outer ones.
- Use chalk or a bar of soap to mark a new stitch, reducing the hem of the side seams to make the garment looser.
- Sew new seams along the marked line.
The finished product should be ironed, paying special attention to new seams.
To prevent your favorite jeans from shrinking, you need to wash them correctly, following the recommendations indicated on the label. If the markings are no longer visible, then simply do not wash the products at temperatures above 40 degrees.
Bleach and regular powders are not recommended; it is better to use special liquid formulations. Compliance with the rules of care and storage, as well as delicate ways to increase the size will help you use your favorite jeans for a long period of time.
How to prevent jeans from shrinking
To prevent jeans from shrinking again, you should follow certain rules when washing them:
- The water temperature should be no more than 40 degrees, and preferably 30.
- You should not dry your trousers in a machine, on a radiator or in direct sunlight.
- You should not take your item to the dry cleaner - you may get back a perfectly clean but shriveled item.
- For white jeans, it is not advisable to use bleach - it is better to soak the product for half an hour in warm water with liquid detergent.
And lastly: when trying on trousers in a store, pay attention not only to how you look in them, but also to how you feel. If you are not comfortable in jeans, they are tight in the waistband or calves, you should avoid this product.
It is impossible to predict in advance how much trousers will stretch at home, and wearing clothes that are too tight is harmful to health, as it leads to poor circulation.
