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shirt sleeve shrinking

wizards11

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one of my favorite shirt shrinks on the sleeves area after someone washed it for me... it is about half inch shorter than it used to me..

is there any way to unshrink it? would a dry cleaner help on this?
 

patrickBOOTH

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Get it wet and pull on it, then when it is damp iron as you stretch the cloth.
 

Ataturk

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Yeah, just make sure you pull on the sleeve itself. Don't pull on the body or the cuff--pull inside the seams.
 

kohelet

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Originally Posted by wizards11
one of my favorite shirt shrinks on the sleeves area after someone washed it for me... it is about half inch shorter than it used to me..

is there any way to unshrink it? would a dry cleaner help on this?



IF that doesn't work since I am not sure what type of fabric your shirt is. Then don't throw it away. During spring, summer and casual times, you can neatly roll it up. Have a loosened tie, or just an open collar, and rock it like casanova.
 

Shirtmaven

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all shirts shrink.
was this the first washing?
or did it end up in a hot dryer?
there is a trick to lengthen a sleeve from the shoulder but your local tailor may not know how to do it.
 

kohelet

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Originally Posted by Shirtmaven
all shirts shrink.
was this the first washing?
or did it end up in a hot dryer?
there is a trick to lengthen a sleeve from the shoulder but your local tailor may not know how to do it.


Hey Shirtmaven, what is the trick? Does it require a machine? Or is it something you can do at home with proper technique?
 

Ataturk

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It's inevitable with cotton--there's no trick to it. The dryer might make it happen faster, but it's going to happen eventually.
 

Ataturk

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Oh, sorry. You meant how do you lengthen a shirt from the sleevehead. There's usually about 3/4" or so folded under in the seam. I imagine you would just sew an extension onto the sleeve cap or just make the shoulder seam narrower. Not easy to do unless you make shirts, however.
 

Shirtmaven

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Originally Posted by Ataturk
Oh, sorry. You meant how do you lengthen a shirt from the sleevehead. There's usually about 3/4" or so folded under in the seam. I imagine you would just sew an extension onto the sleeve cap or just make the shoulder seam narrower. Not easy to do unless you make shirts, however.

yes, a piece of fabric is attached to the sleeve head
 

kohelet

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Originally Posted by Shirtmaven
yes, a piece of fabric is attached to the sleeve head


..... you said you had a "Trick" not a technique.... -_- was thinking you had this innovative way of stretching that none of us knew about....
 

patrickBOOTH

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Originally Posted by kohelet
..... you said you had a "Trick" not a technique.... -_- was thinking you had this innovative way of stretching that none of us knew about....

One must have technique to perform tricks!
teacha.gif
 

bowtielover

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Get the sleeves wet again and Iron them out making sure to pull out the fabric as much as possiable. Once the shirt is dry weight the sleeves down in place for a few hours helping it hold it's shape, that should do the trick and never wash it again.
 

Ataturk

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Originally Posted by kohelet
Thanks for the intersting article. I always thought as a designer that you would shrink your cloth before sewing, not the opposite and stretch it out to save on fabric. Wonder which brands do that...

Nobody. It's absurd. If clothes shrink too much, people bring them back. That costs money.
 

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