How to stretch a leather jacket by one size at home, how to return to its original shape

A leather jacket is always comfortable, fashionable and practical. Today, products made from genuine leather are in great demand, as they have a number of undeniable advantages and properties. One of these properties is their ability to stretch.

How to stretch a leather jacket if you like the item, but it’s a little tight or, having been sitting around after the winter season, it’s become too small for you? There are several ways to achieve the required size, which can easily be done at home.

How to stretch a faux leather jacket?

Hairdryer

Items made from genuine leather stretch much more easily than items made from artificial leather. The easiest way is to stretch eco-leather, since its properties are most similar to natural leather, practically in no way inferior to it in softness and elasticity. How to increase the size of a jacket with your own hands using heat? We determine the places where the product is pinching, then use a hairdryer to heat these areas. We put on two sweaters, then fasten the jacket on ourselves or ask a friend with a build smaller than yours to perform this procedure. For results to appear, wear the item for about an hour. To avoid damaging the material, do not repeat this method. If you are not satisfied with the result, it is better to try another option. Someone will definitely help you!

Warm steam in the bathroom

You can increase the size of your jacket using warm water, or rather steam. Hang the product carefully on a hanger. Stuff the jacket tightly with rags. To create steam in the bathroom, turn on a warm shower, but water should not get on the jacket material. Leave the bath for two hours. After this, we take out the stuffing and dry the jacket. There is a simpler option. Wear a jacket over a thick sweater and take a walk under an umbrella in rainy weather. The method is quite uncomfortable, but effective.

Alcohol

How to expand a jacket in a certain place, for example, if it only feels tight at the sides? Treat areas that need to be expanded with vodka or alcohol. If there is no lining inside, you can wipe the product from the wrong side. As in the previous methods, we put on a couple of sweaters under the jacket. It may be advisable to open the window to let in fresh air and not be too hot. The item will have to be worn until it dries. You will have to wait about two days until the smell of alcohol disappears. Then the clothes can be worn.

Never use alcohol-containing solutions for clothing made of genuine leather. Alcohol burns the fat contained in the natural material, as a result of which it becomes rough and it will not be easy to stretch the skin after this.

Household chemicals

The easiest way to correct the size of the product is by purchasing special products in the store. Now there is a large assortment of sprays or foams for this purpose. Treat the item with this product, put the jacket on a thick sweater and walk like this for about an hour and a half. If you did everything correctly, but it is still too small for you, it is permissible to repeat the procedure.

What to pay attention to

Before choosing the appropriate method, you need to make sure that your gloves or belt are actually made of genuine leather. The easiest way is to do a tactile test. You should put your hand on the product and wait a while. Natural leather will become warm from the warmth of a human hand. If it is leatherette, then the surface will remain cold.

Important! It is not recommended to stretch leatherette products; there is too much chance that they will not hold up and will tear.

How to stretch a genuine leather jacket?

Household chemicals

What to do if a genuine leather jacket shrinks, how to stretch it? This problem, as in paragraph 1.4, can be dealt with by special products purchased at a shoe store or other specialized store. Using this method, stretching a leather jacket at home in length or width is even easier than leatherette, since the natural material has greater elasticity. Foams are more effective in solving this problem than sprays.

Soap

Soap will help stretch the leather product. Take liquid laundry soap or any colorless soap, mix with warm water in a ratio of 1:4. Take a spray bottle and pour the solution into it. After washing, spray the solution evenly onto your damp leather jacket. When the product is absorbed, hang the jacket on a hanger, and after drying, stuff the item with soft rags. After a day, take out the rags and rinse off the soap.

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil will help stretch a leather jacket by 1 size. Warm it up and spread it on the front side of your clothes. Wearing a jacket over a thick sweater, walk like this for a couple of hours. Remove any remaining unabsorbed fat with a damp cloth or a rag soaked in soapy water.

Glycerol

Such a universal remedy as glycerin will effectively help stretch a leather jacket at home. Pour hot water into a basin and soak the product. Place it under the tap and turn on the water. Leave the product under low pressure for half an hour or an hour, depending on the hardness of the material. Stuff with rags and leave to dry on hangers. Let the product dry. After this, use a soft cloth soaked in glycerin to wipe the jacket several times. Wait another 15 hours. After this, take out the rags.

When to stretch?

Is it always possible to increase the size of leather or vinyl clothing? In many cases this is possible. Of course, there is no hope that it will be possible to turn a child’s jacket into an adult’s or at least a teenager’s one. But stretching a size 42 product to 44 or even 46 is quite possible.

There is nothing stopping you from trying to correct the situation if your jacket or coat has shrunk somewhat after being soaked in the rain and not dried properly. But in this case, you will have to take other measures - for example, the skin will need to be cleaned and softened. By the way, no less interesting is the question of how to stretch a vinyl jacket at home. The means used are almost the same, because vinyl is what is usually called leatherette.

Features of stretching a leather jacket at the shoulders

When leather clothing has become a little tight in some places, it makes no sense to completely stretch the item. To stretch a leather jacket in the shoulders and chest area, you need to act pointwise, that is, stretch a certain area. If the jacket has shoulder pads, then you need to get rid of them first, because they create a feeling of tightness.

If this does not help, heat the vegetable oil to a boil and apply it with a foam sponge to the area of the jacket that causes discomfort. We put on the item and stretch it for a couple of hours, periodically lubricating the areas that are tight. When the clothes become comfortable, lubricate them with glycerin to restore shine. Instead of vegetable oil, you can use a special foam or spray.

Special means

In any decent shoe store you will find a special leather spray. It is most often suitable for vinyl. It's very easy to use. Stretching a jacket is not much different from stretching shoes, so first you need to carefully read the instructions. The most important thing is indicated there: how long the process takes. Usually everything takes about a couple of hours. You also need a thick sweater - the thicker the better.

The sequence of actions itself will be something like this:

Lay the jacket on a horizontal surface - preferably on a table, face up.
Apply the spray to the outside.
Wear a thick sweater.
Put on your jacket.
Walk around in this form for as long as it is written in the instructions for the spray.

How to care for a leather jacket so that it does not shrink?

A high-quality leather jacket should neither shrink nor stretch over time. Violation of storage rules can lead to the fact that it will not be easy to return to its original form. To prevent expensive leather clothes from shrinking, you need to treat them with care. Of course, you can always buy new clothes in the right size, but you don’t want to part with your favorite jacket!

Treat the item you just purchased with an impregnation aerosol. Spray the aerosol at a distance of about half a meter from the surface of the product. You can significantly increase the service life of leather items if you carry out this procedure every two to three months.

Dry wet items according to the following rules:

Do not dry leather items on radiators or other heating devices.
Zip up clothing before drying to avoid warping
Empty your pockets of all items (keys, key fobs, etc.), otherwise the wet jacket will stretch and deform during the drying process.

Dry the jacket on hangers at room temperature, avoiding heat sources. Do not put it in the closet until the item is completely dry to avoid diaper rash, stains and unpleasant odors.

In some cases, leather clothing needs to be dry-cleaned if stains from fuel oil, gasoline, paint, etc. appear. It is almost impossible to deal with such stains at home. Washing most leather items in a washing machine is contraindicated! By doing this you can simply ruin them.

If you wear a jacket often, then you need to store it on wide hangers in the closet. If the item of clothing is seasonal and needs to be put away, for example for the winter, remove all items from pockets and fasten all zippers and buttons. Pack the product in a case made of natural fabric that will allow air to pass through. Do not store the jacket folded, as cracks and creases may appear.

If you follow these simple rules, then you will not need to look for ways to return the previous size of your favorite jacket.

We found out that it is quite possible to stretch a leather jacket by one or more sizes at home. But do not forget to treat your new item with care, take care of it from the moment of purchase. We remind you that the methods of stretching products made from artificial leather and genuine leather are slightly different; for example, it is unacceptable to use alcohol for natural material. Choose options for your situation. Let your favorite jacket serve you for as long as possible!

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Ways to increase the size of a dress or blouse

The pattern of these wardrobe items is done according to certain rules that must be taken into account when altering them. However, in some cases, you can get out of the situation using the simplest methods, using the simplest parts sewn into the sides, center front or back. The easiest way to expand wardrobe items is sleeveless. If the blouse is tight in the chest and armholes, it is ripped open at the sides, after which triangular inserts are sewn into the ripped places.

If clothing has become tight in the abdominal area, side elements that expand downwards are inserted. To ensure that the increase is uniform along the entire length, it is recommended to make a rectangular insert from the neck to the bottom. A more original way to expand the product is to cut it along the middle part of the back and connect it with two strips along the neckline and just below the armhole line. Ladies with curvy figures are advised to cover the incision with lace or airy material.

Useful tips

If suturing is being done for the first time, experts recommend pinning the excess part with needles during fitting. You can draw a stitching line using a piece of dry soap. It is carried out near the seam, outlining the planned shape of the product. If there are reliefs at the back of the down jacket, then the seams will have to be aligned.

The lining is ripped out, as are the side seams of the garment. Then it is folded right side out, and a stitch is made in the intended place. When gripping the lining, all stitches must converge. This will allow you to get excellent results. Now the down jacket can be turned inside out.

After finishing work, you should carefully inspect the product. There should be no pieces of fabric or thread sticking out there. If everything is in order, then the down jacket is ready for use. Children's down jackets are also sutured.

It is worth considering that down products have different thicknesses, and the down itself is enclosed in a capsule, and when it is damaged, the product becomes unusable. You should also choose the right threads and accessories. If you don’t have sewing skills, you shouldn’t risk it so as not to completely ruin the item.