How to increase the size of a wool sweater

What to do if the jacket is the wrong size?

During your next shopping trip, you visited a million boutiques, open islands and other delights for shoppers. We bought a bunch of things, tried them on and tried them on, but we bought the last jacket just to somehow fit it on ourselves. However, you liked it so much that, trusting your keen eye, you decided to buy it just like that at random. You pay at the checkout, and in joyful euphoria, satisfied with your purchase, tired but happy, you return home.

And already at home, having sorted through the enormous bags of things, and carrying out a control fitting for your relatives, you realize that the knitted blouse, purchased last almost at the exit, turned out to be almost half the size smaller than you expected. And here’s the problem: attempts to find the receipt were unsuccessful, which means you won’t be able to either exchange it or return it. You would be happy to sell it to someone and maybe even give it as a gift, but you like it so much. Confused, you don't know what to do. But people know a few tips on how to stretch out a sweater and fit it neatly on your figure.

What can you try to stretch out the jacket?

First of all, try soaking the jacket in warm water for 30 minutes. Place the jacket in the basin until it is completely submerged, and then remove it, gently squeezing out the excess water. But do not twist the product to protect it from losing its shape. Also, water should not drain. To remove excess water, you can place the jacket on a rack in the bathroom, if available. You can also carefully roll your purchase into a ball, wrap it in gauze, and then hang it in the bathroom for about half an hour.

To stretch the jacket, you can also wet it, and then lay the wet item evenly on a terry towel. Together with a towel, roll the jacket and leave this bundle to lie there for about 10 minutes so that a little excess moisture is absorbed, but the jacket should remain a little damp.

After this, unroll the towel and transfer the jacket to the ironing board. Heat the iron well and steam the product until completely dry, carefully pulling the sweater in the direction you need.

To ensure that the jacket dries thoroughly, while maintaining the shape you set, lay it flat on a dry terry towel and leave it to dry horizontally in the open air naturally, while avoiding direct sunlight.

If your new purchase turns out to be a tough nut to crack and you can’t pull the jacket out, soak it with the usual conditioner you use for your hair. Leave the product to lie like this for a few minutes. Then try to stretch those places of the jacket in which it is difficult to deform. Then carefully rinse off the conditioner with warm water and stretch the jacket again. Repeat the previously suggested manipulation: wrap it in a terry towel to absorb excess moisture, and then continue steaming the product on the ironing board.

Knitted inserts

The first thing that fashionistas suggest is to do handicrafts. Experienced craftswomen independently cut the sweaters on the sides, and at the same time arrange the “shelf” and center of the sweater. They sew strips of knitwear into the cutout areas. All that remains is to bait them and stitch them on a typewriter.

The main art here is to choose a good knitwear that matches the wool. The color palette also plays a big role. Pastel colors are either diluted with bright ones or matched with each other. Muted blue color looks great with coffee or lavender, and dusty mint color wins in combination with cold beige. Brave ladies insert lace inserts, leather and suede. The thing takes on a special chic. Of course, this method is suitable for those who don’t really mind sweaters, who love DIY alterations and are not afraid of bold experiments.

How to return a jacket to its original size

Before work, carefully study the tag , which can tell you what material the item is made of.

Some methods for restoring the original size are universal, while others are suitable for a specific type of fabric.

Therefore, it is necessary to carefully approach this issue so as not to further harm the knitted product.

How to stretch a wool sweater in length and width

For items made of wool, the following several methods for returning to size are ideal.

First way

Fill a basin with warm water and soak the shrunken woolen jacket in it for half an hour.
After that, take it out and gently squeeze it out with your hands.
Try not to twist to avoid distorting the fibers of the fabric.
It is also undesirable for liquid to drain from clothing along one edge. Therefore, it is better to carefully lay out the knitted sweater in the bathroom on a wire rack, if there is one.
Otherwise, roll it up, wrap it with a piece of gauze and hang it to dry for half an hour.

Rinse in peroxide

If you rinse a sweater in water with hydrogen peroxide (proportion: 2 tablespoons per 4 liters of water), leave it to “sit” in the solution for 30-40 minutes, it will certainly become a little larger. The main thing is to pull the wet sweater in different directions during the spin cycle, pulling at the sleeves and bottom. After washing, rinse and lay out to dry.

Remember to periodically tug the wool while drying to ensure results. The method is simple, but it requires some perseverance from the housewife. Don't forget that peroxide has oxidizing properties. It makes the dye appear paler, which means your sweater will look slightly faded.

How to stretch something with baby shampoo

This simple method will allow you to stretch any clothing - from a T-shirt to sweatpants. To do this, you need to prepare a bowl, baby shampoo and two large towels.

Fill the bowl with water, pour in baby shampoo, shake until a light foam appears, soak the clothes, while kneading them slightly with your hands so that the solution can penetrate between the fibers.
Then we take it out and squeeze it, but lightly, and under no circumstances rinse or twist it.

Now we take a dry large towel, straighten it, put the soaked clothes on top and roll it up, while pressing well on it. This will remove excess moisture.
Then we put it on the second large dry towel and begin to pull it in all directions. It won't take much time.
Let the clothes dry naturally.

The next time you wash already stretched clothes, you cannot use automatic drying, otherwise the item will not only return to its previous size, but will also become even smaller.

Soak in turpentine

A solution of 5 liters of water, 3 tbsp. l ammonia, 1 tbsp. l vodka, 1 tbsp. Some housewives call l turpentine a magical stretcher for woolen items. The ingredients are mixed, a sweater is placed in the liquid and soaked there for 30-40 minutes. Turpentine reacts with vodka and ammonia, the hot mixture makes wool fibers elastic.

All that remains is to properly pull the item to the sides while rinsing and dry it on a flat surface. Everything would be fine, but the mixture smells peculiar, and getting rid of the smell of turpentine is not so easy.

But how can you increase the size of a wool sweater without radical alterations or home remedies with specific scents? The good old way remains. Just wet the sweater, iron it through cheesecloth at low temperatures, periodically pulling the fabric in different directions. It may be a labor-intensive task, but the wool will not lose quality and will look a little better. The secret is that steam noticeably softens the fibers.

Useful tips for stretching knitted sweaters

A very interesting option is to put the product on yourself after preliminary soaking. After putting on a wet item, you can stretch it a little with your hands, moving from the stomach to the sides. This method is not very unpleasant, but it gives quite decent results for products made of any material. Ideally, a mannequin would be suitable to make stretching more convenient. You can also ask someone who wears clothes a couple sizes larger to wear a wet sweater.
To stretch in length, additional weight is often used during the drying process. The main thing is not to overdo it, so as not to overtighten the product. To preserve the design or print, it is advisable to iron the area before soaking.
It is best to carefully study the tags on things immediately after purchase. It lists all the actions that can be performed with them without the risk of losing their previous size. After all, it’s easier to prevent shrinkage than to suffer with restoration later!

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Jeans, trousers, shorts

To lengthen the shorts, you can sew lace, wide braid or contrasting fabric along the bottom. Both lace and contrasting fabric can be sewn onto the bottom of the trousers. The fabric can be made into several layers. The end result will be a kind of ruffle.

You can also sew fabric to match the jeans and sew on buttons or rivets. You will get an original continuation of the trouser leg. For sports style lovers, a good option would be an elastic band that goes along the bottom of the trousers.

If you want to decorate your jeans and give them a special stylish look, then you need to cut the legs diagonally and sew a beautiful lace insert in the middle. It looks very original and stylish.

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How to stretch a shrunken shirt

It often happens that after the next wash, the item becomes too small for you and the first thing that comes to your mind is that you have gained excess weight. But don’t rush to make hasty conclusions; perhaps you simply selected the wrong program in the automatic machine, or made other mistakes.

Let's try to figure out what to do if your shirt shrinks after washing:

Your first action is to re-wash the product without adding detergents. It is very important to choose the right temperature; it should not exceed 30 degrees. Leave it in the basin for about twenty minutes, then take it out and let the excess liquid drain. It is very important not to squeeze, but to let it drain on its own.

Then spread a thick blanket on a flat surface; it should be light in color. Otherwise, color change will be added to this problem. Lay out the product and stretch it a little in all directions. To maintain its shape, secure the shirt with pins or special sewing needles.

It is very important to turn the product over from time to time, otherwise it may suffocate and acquire an extremely unpleasant aroma. It also matters where exactly you lay it out to dry; the room should be well ventilated. The most suitable place is a balcony.

Stretching on your own body. You need to wet the item in warm water and put it on. This method works well, but it cannot always be used; if in the summer it will be more or less comfortable to walk in wet clothes, then in the winter you risk catching a cold; in general, it’s up to you to decide how suitable this method is for you.
Stretching using peroxide. Suitable only for white clothes; colored items may fade. Pour a couple of liters of cool water into a small bowl, then add 15 ml of peroxide and stir. Place the item there and leave it for an hour and a half. Afterwards, squeeze it a little and lay it out to dry; you need to periodically stretch it to give it the desired size.
Soaking in an alcohol solution.
For five liters you will need 30 ml of ammonia, 10 ml of vodka or alcohol and the same amount of turpentine. Mix everything thoroughly and soak the item for half an hour. Afterwards, you need to rinse and send to dry in order to stretch better; when drying, lay the shirt on a towel and fix it. The combination of these components gives the product stretch characteristics, and due to this, it is more pliable.
Soaking in milk at room temperature for an hour and a half. The method is a little dubious, since after milk you will have to rinse for a long time, and the clothes may also acquire an unpleasant odor.
Steaming.
Wet the clothes with a spray bottle, then lay them out on an ironing board and place damp gauze on top. Heat the iron, set the temperature appropriate for the type of fabric. While ironing, stretch the product and fix everything with an iron. If the fabric is dry, spray it again and continue the procedure until the expected result is achieved.
If individual elements have shrunk, for example, sleeves, wet them and hang them on a clothesline to dry, securing them with clothespins. And attach weights to the sleeves, their weight should be the same. They will pull back the fabric, thereby increasing the length.
Using a hair rinse or conditioner. Such products help make the fabric softer and more stretchable. You just need to soak the shirt for half an hour in cool water, then wring it out and stretch it.
Using table vinegar, you need to dissolve four tablespoons of vinegar in ten liters of liquid. Then place the product there for an hour, then allow excess moisture to drain. Lay out to dry on a horizontal surface, stretching occasionally. Remember to turn over so the clothes don't suffocate.

Coats, cardigans, sweaters

If the coat becomes small, then it can be expanded by inserting elastic bands or beautiful ornamental details on the sides. The same goes for sweaters and cardigans. You can sew fabric or lace along the bottom of a sweater or cardigan.

It all depends on your own preferences. You can add inserts in the middle of a sweater, coat or cardigan, just like with a dress.

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Stretching a T-shirt: simple and safe ways

It is better not to try to restore damaged wardrobe items made from expensive fabrics to the desired condition with your own hands. Modern dry cleaners provide such services at the proper level and with minimal risks to products.

You can try to restore all other things yourself. If one treatment option does not help, you need to try another. Just don’t try to combine techniques or change the recommended parameters. The processing will be too aggressive and will lead to damage to the material.

Most wool items shrink at least a little after washing. Even following basic recommendations will not protect you from this. Experts recommend initially purchasing such items a size larger than needed, taking into account the upcoming shrinkage. Wool fibers do not stretch well, so you must be extremely careful when working with them.

Shrunken fur can be stretched in one of the following ways:

Place the item in a basin and fill it with cool water, wait 10 minutes. Pull it out and lightly squeeze out excess moisture without twisting the material. Place clothes on a laid out towel. Stretch, maintaining the symmetry of the outlines and cover with another towel. Clamp the structure in several places with clothespins and leave until dry. The sleeves of a woolen coat are stretched well with the help of oblong balloons. It is convenient to dry the hats in glass jars of a suitable size.
Pour 5 liters of cool water into a basin, add 3 tablespoons of ammonia, a tablespoon each of vodka and turpentine. Soak the wool in the solution for 40 minutes. Rinse the product, squeeze lightly, stretch and dry.
Rinse a light wool item in a solution of 10 liters of water and a tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide. During the rinsing process, the product should be slightly stretched. To achieve maximum results, clothes should be soaked in the composition for 1.5 hours. Then squeeze it slightly and place it on a flat surface, stretching it to the sides.
Take wool washing powder, dilute it according to the instructions and soak the clothes in the mixture for 20 minutes. Rinse and wring out the product thoroughly. Fold, wrap in a bag and put in the freezer for a day. Take out the workpiece, lay it on a towel, let it melt and dry naturally.

If a wool product contains impurities such as viscose or cotton, the likelihood of their restoration to the desired size increases several times. Very often wool is mixed with polyester. It does not shrink under any conditions, which allows you to maintain the original state of the item.

The listed methods are available and effective, but you should not abuse them. Regular physical or chemical exposure to fabric leads to changes in the texture of the fibers. They wear out, causing clothing items to lose their aesthetic appearance. The material quickly becomes thinner and even a relatively new product can tear.

Shrinkage of your favorite T-shirt usually happens after washing when it is not washed correctly. This situation can happen to anyone.

Don't panic, throw away or give away the item. There are many ways to stretch a T-shirt a size larger. All of them are time-tested and safe.

We put it on ourselves

Wash clothes that need to be increased in size in cold water, without adding detergent. Then squeeze out the water and put the item on yourself.

Stretch items made from cotton or other fabrics while drying. You can also ask someone who wears a size larger to wear the product.

Iron

This method is universal. With its help you can stretch a shrunken T-shirt made of any material.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with How to stretch a stretch dress in width. How to stretch a dress made of viscose and knitwear

To carry out the procedure you will need a basin, cotton cloth, an iron and 2 clothespins. All this can be found at home, you don’t even have to buy anything.

How to stretch T-shirts - algorithm of actions:

Pour some water into the basin so that it covers the clothes. The temperature should be 30–40 degrees. If you add hot water, the T-shirt may shrink even more.
Leave to soak for a quarter of an hour.
After the time allotted for the procedure has expired, remove the item from the liquid. Squeeze gently, no need to twist, just squeeze with your hands to remove excess water. Twisting is contraindicated because the T-shirt will stretch unevenly. Also, you shouldn’t squeeze it like that if there is a print or inscription on the item.
Lay out the previously soaked T-shirt on a flat surface. Place one piece of cotton fabric under the bottom, the second on top of the sweater.
Turn on the steam function on the iron and go over the product on both sides. During the process, carefully stretch the item in the right places, just make sure that the stretching is uniform. Otherwise, the item will seem deformed and will ultimately not fit your body beautifully.
Then the tank top or T-shirt needs to be hung on the clothesline. How to do it correctly: each item is hemmed at the bottom, tuck it along this line and secure it with clothespins. The neckline will pull the fabric. Under no circumstances should you hook clothespins on the sides by the ends so that the inside flaps freely. The product may not stretch properly. As a result, the middle will remain the same, but it will stretch along the side seams.

This method is absolutely safe, budget-friendly (you don’t have to pay for anything) and effective. If the technique is carried out correctly, you can stretch a cotton T-shirt one size larger.

Hydrogen peroxide

Silk and woolen fabrics can be drawn out using peroxide.

Pour enough water into a bowl of water so that the T-shirt is completely covered. Add 2 tbsp to the liquid. l. hydrogen peroxide.

Soaking lasts 2 hours. There is no need to wring out silk and wool items. Just squeeze out the excess water lightly so it doesn't trickle out.

Then place the T-shirt on a clean cloth and shape it into the desired shape by stretching it slightly with your hands and straightening out all the wrinkles.

This soaking is suitable for woolen and cashmere sweaters and dresses.

If the item shrinks after washing, this method is ideal for restoring it to its original size, but be careful with it.

Synthetic shirts should not be soaked in boric acid or vinegar. Because of this, the fabric may deteriorate and your favorite item will have to be discarded or completely thrown away.

How to stretch:

Seal your bathroom sink with a stopper or use a basin. Fill a container with 1 liter of water. Liquid temperature – up to 40 degrees. You can pour cold water, this is even better, especially for wool.
Then one of the following products is added to the water per 1 liter of water: boric acid - 1-2 tbsp. l., white wine vinegar 500 ml. White wine vinegar is preferable to distilled vinegar, but if you don't have either at home, you can use regular table vinegar.
Place the product in a container with the prepared solution. Soak clothes for about 25 minutes. What to do if the item shrinks a lot? After 25 minutes, take the product out, stretch it a little in length and width, and soak again. Leave the product to soak in the solution for another 25 minutes.
Remove clothing from the solution and remove excess moisture. There is no need to rinse the item. The solution should continue to actively weaken the fibers.
Button up your shirt or jacket, take dry, non-fading towels and stuff the jacket with them until it reaches the desired size. If there is a mannequin or a suitable object, then pull the T-shirt over them. The structure should be even, it is better to roll the towels into rolls and then stuff them, so the item will stretch evenly.
After 30 minutes, remove the towels (remove the item from the mannequin) and put them on hangers. Leave the jacket to dry.

Repeat this procedure endlessly until the product reaches the desired size.

In length

Often, after washing, T-shirts and T-shirts become short. What can I do to return it to the original size?

First, they are soaked in cold water for 25-30 minutes. Then excess moisture is removed and laid out on an ironing board.

The cotton is then stretched to the required length and secured at the sides with pins. Usually the top surface of the ironing board is soft and pinning the shirt will be easy. In this form, the T-shirt is left to dry.

There is another way to stretch a shrunken item if it is a little short - using a small weight to stretch it lengthwise.

Only in practice it turns out that where the load is attached the thing will stretch more. This method is not suitable for increasing the length of a T-shirt. Do not use it if you do not want to completely damage the product.

Width

Increasing the width of a shirt is not difficult if you follow the procedure.

Algorithm of actions:

As in previous methods, it is first soaked in cool liquid for half an hour.
Then squeeze out excess moisture and lay it out on a horizontal surface.
Fasten all buttons or zippers.
The bottom of the T-shirt and the top must be fixed in one position so that the item does not shorten. And the inner part must be carefully stretched with your hands.
You can also put the wet product on a mannequin or the back of a chair, just first measure the circumference of the area on the body where the width stretch is required, and then the width of the back of the chair.

This method is suitable for stretching cotton and woolen items.

Machine washable

A synthetic product can be restored by washing it in the washing machine again. The main thing is to set the temperature correctly the second time so as not to make things worse.

How to stretch:

Place the item in the drum of an automatic washing machine.
Set the wash cycle to delicate. The water should be cold or slightly warm. There is no need to use washing powder. There is no need to tumble dry, but it is advisable to rinse and squeeze out the water.
When the cycle is complete, hang the T-shirt on a hanger or clothesline and leave it upright to dry.

While the item is hanging on the hanger, periodically come up and stretch it in the right areas. Just remember that you need to pull it out symmetrically on both sides.

When you first encounter the problem of your favorite T-shirt shrinking after washing, it won’t hurt to also read the information on how to prevent this in the future.

Always study the tag before you start washing and separate items not only by color, but also by temperature. Of course, this is problematic if the family is large and there are a lot of dirty things. But this is better than running later to buy a new thing or looking for how to stretch a T-shirt.
Use appropriate cleaning products. If you buy regular powder for wool, it will cause the threads to stick together, causing the item to become one size smaller.
When washing an item by hand, first remove dirt, then wash. Here, too, temperature control is required.

How to plant cotton

Not a plant, but an overly voluminous or stretched item made of cotton fabric. This is done in three stages:

First, let's get acquainted with the tag on things. The temperature at which the fabric does not shrink will also be indicated here. But you need to do the opposite. So, if the temperature is indicated at approximately 30-40 degrees, wash at 60. But this is suitable for dark or light fabrics. Colors will fade and may fade. As for the spin cycle, about 150 more revolutions should be added to the speed recommended on the tag (200 is possible);
At the same time, we prepare the planting solution. The container is filled with covered boiling water (from 5 to 7 liters), and clothes conditioner (1 cap) is also poured into it. We take our product out of the machine and lower it into the container. Cover the top with plastic, wait about 7 minutes. The item should shrink by one size, if you need more than one size, you can hold it for about 15 minutes.
Now we take out the item and immediately put it in the machine to dry. In the dryer it will shrink another half size. If there is no dryer, simply place the item on the table (or any other flat surface made of wood), blot it with a towel (also made of cotton) and leave it to dry in the sun.

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