How to sew a knitted sweater. How to wash a thing so that it sits
From time to time, every hostess arranges an audit of her wardrobe. Figure-conscious women may find that last season's jeans have gone big. Or beloved wool sweater after prolonged wear and numerous washes, it has stretched and seems unusable. Do not rush to write off such clothes. You can reduce a thing by a size or two at home by washing or drying. To do this, we will use such a property of the fabric as shrinkage - the reduction in the size of the fiber when it is exposed to heat or moisture.
The algorithm of actions to reduce the size of a thing will depend on the composition of the fabric. To do this, look at the label or tag on the clothing. Different fibers have varying degrees shrinkage. Therefore, make sure that all parts of the product have the same composition. For example, when washing hot water the details of the top and lining can shrink differently, which will lead to shape distortion, stretching, and wrinkling. If the product is homogeneous in composition, we can proceed to the process of its reduction. Cotton product. Estimate the size of a thing only after the first wash, since cotton after washing, even at a temperature of 40 ° C, may shrink slightly:- If the thing still needs to be reduced by a couple of centimeters, wash it in a washing machine at a temperature above + 40 ° C. For colored things, it is better to use a special washing powder so that the product does not shed.
- If a cotton garment needs to shrink a size or two, lower cotton thing into boiling water. Keep in boiling water for 10-20 minutes. The longer you keep the product in boiling water, the more you will shrink. Carefully (so as not to burn yourself) remove the product, rinse in cool water, air dry.
- Another way to shrink a cotton item is to dry it with hot air. It can be a tumble dryer or a dryer at a heater.
- To reduce the size of a woolen item, wash it in hot water at a temperature of 50-60 ° C, and then rinse it in cool. Avoid machine washing - you can get a very unexpected result. For example, reducing a thing not by one, but by three sizes, or its deformation. After washing, the product must be gently squeezed out, remove excess moisture with a terry towel.
- To bring a deformed woolen thing into original view prepare this solution. Add 2 tablespoons of mustard to 5 liters of warm water. Rinse the item in this solution without soap, then let it sit for 30 minutes and wash by hand at the temperature recommended on the tag special means for washing woolen clothes.
- Dry woolen unfolded on a horizontal surface. When unfolding, carefully smooth out the folds and give things necessary form and size.
Follow these tips and enjoy wearing the right size!
Alas, many of our things often deteriorate after careless washing. And it doesn't always depend on the quality of the clothes.
For example, you purchased nice sweater made of wool, and after the first wash, it stretched to a large extent, lost its shape and Got one or two sizes bigger. This happens sometimes.
There may be several reasons for this. First: the material of the sweater is not pure wool, but with an admixture of synthetics, not quite good quality, 2nd - it was dried in a suspended, not unfolded state, 3rd reason - hand-knitted. Mohair things are often knitted large and from here problems happen.
But such a product can still be saved using a few simple methods for restoring stretched clothing.
First, figure out what material your sweater is made of. It can be natural wool, it can be knitwear with the addition wool, or maybe it is generally made of synthetics. This is important, because it is the composition of the fabric that will determine your subsequentactions. Manufacturers usually indicate the proportions of fibers in the fabric on the label, which also shows recommendations on how to wash this thing.
If the sweater is made of synthetics (most often it is acrylic), then it is unlikely that anything can be done with it - acrylic stretches incredibly without visible reasons. But if it is wool or a mixture of fibers, then there are chances. From high temperature wool as if welded and reduced in length.
Suppose you know that your sweater is made up of natural wool possibly with the addition of other fibers. Soak it in very hot water for 10-15 minutes. The powder can be omitted, although it is sometimes used when soaking a product for woolen things (the best way suitable liquid agent). Wool shrinks very strongly in hot water, due to this and your sweater should definitely decrease in size.
Now gently wash it with your hands, but do not under any circumstances rub or wring out the sweater. Otherwise, it may sit unevenly. Then lower it into very cold water and hold it there for 15 to 20 minutes.
Now the final and most main stage. After the product has lain down a little in cold water take it out and let the water drain independently, without squeezing or twisting. Then place the sweater on a horizontal plane, placing an oilcloth, cleantowel or something like that. Straighten the product, giving it correct form. The sweater should remain in this position untilwill not dry completely. Then it will shrink evenly.
Please note, under no circumstances should you strongly squeeze or twist the products after washing! They are extremely strongly stretched. You just need to carefully squeeze the thing so that it no longer flows from it - and dry it. Under the product you need to puta towel, or a sheet, or something else to absorb water.
When drying in the washing machine, woolen items shrink very quickly. However washing machine must be used very carefully. The product may sit unevenly, in addition, the wool may deteriorate. The product may shrink to such a size that only children can wear it. In addition, colors can float from hot water.
Another option:
Put the sweater in very hot water (almost boiling water) for 5 minutes, then immediately - in very cold, you can even with pieces of ice and adding vinegar (you need enough vinegar so that the water tastes noticeably sour) for 10 minutes. Then you take out the sweater and squeeze it out, not twisting, but squeezing, and, wrapping it in clean towel, put on a wire rack to drain the water. When the water drains lay the sweater on a large towel or blanket and dry as described above.
If the sweater stretched not after washing, but during the period of wearing, then you can simply wash it again in warm water and dry it on a horizontal plane. The main thing is to be careful.
The sweater can be quickly dried on a hot battery, then it will definitely decrease in size. But even here it is better to lay it evenly so that it does not deform.
Another option.
Put the sweater in a mesh bag for washing, set the washing machine to wool (30 degrees and 400 revolutions). At the end of washing, lay the product on a towel, roll the towel together with the product neatly into a roll and wring it out as usual, twisting it. Then take a dry towel, spread the product on it and give it desired shape picking up the individual parts. It is necessary to pick up by placing the palms on the product and, pressing slightly, pull the palms towards each other along with the product. To keep the original shape of the product, Special attention seams need to be attached. First you need to pick up the seams, then move on to the fabric, starting with the collar and sleeves. After giving the product its final shape, leave it to dry at room temperature.
You can also try taking it to the dry cleaners.
In dry cleaners, things are reduced by heat treatment, steam or scrolled in a tumble dryer at high temperature. The product after such processing will look felted and it is necessary to comb it and slightly stretch it with your hands in the seams. The paint is most likely will suffer if it is of good quality. If the sweater did not stain anything when worn, then most likely when "cooking" withnothing will happen to them.
All this applies to things made of 100% wool, synthetic fibers different characteristics and how such a fiber behaves when heat treatment is hard to say. Such a sweater can be taken to a clothing repair shop and reduced there.
Any, even the most qualitative clothes, somewhat deformed in the process of wearing. Typically, deformation is accompanied by stretching of the fibers of the fabric, which leads to an increase in the size of the product. There are also situations when the item you just bought turns out to be too big for you.
However, in any case, remember - do not despair. The size of the existing clothes can be reduced. We will describe this using the example of a sweater, since such a wardrobe item is the most complex in terms of cut, and having learned to cope with it, you can fit any item to your size.
Downsize wool sweater
First you need to determine the type of material from which the jacket is sewn. There are materials that shrink significantly when washed. So it is enough to wash the thing, and not to take it in. These types of fabrics include wool, cashmere, fleece and some types of knitwear. If the fabric does not belong to this type, you can still try using a special washing method, ...
- To do this, soak the item in hot water for one hour, the time is approximate, not exact. Powder can not be added, although for wool you can use a product for woolen things (preferably a liquid product).
- Then wash it in the machine on a delicate cycle or by hand in water at a temperature of at least 60 degrees. Attention! If you try to correct the size of the sweater in the washing machine, it may not sit evenly, the wool may change its structure and general form can change.
- The automatic spin also contributes to the shrinkage of the fabric! Be careful with delicate fabrics. However, if the jacket is made of a particularly delicate fabric, then this should not be done so as not to damage it. To delicate fabrics include cashmere and angora wool.
- Do not hang the thing washed in this way on a dryer or a rope, but put the jacket on a fabric that perfectly absorbs moisture, straighten it and leave to dry.
After such actions, the jacket should decrease in size. Materials that do not shrink when washed will need to be sutured. This can be done in several ways. To reduce the sleeve part, you need to dissolve the seams in the place where you need to remove the excess, and then stitch again, but with a large margin.
You can also change the size of the sweater by adding recesses to it. This method is good if you also want to slightly change the style of the product. Usually darts are made in the waist area. On the wrong side of the jacket, the lines of future undercuts are outlined. A mark is made along these lines, after which the jacket must be tried on.
If the size has returned to normal, then the tuck lines can be laid machine stitch. In addition, you can narrow the waist area if you reduce the size of the sweater in the side seams. To do this, simply make a running line parallel to the existing seam.
Try on a jacket, and if everything suits you, lay a line on the machine. If sewing clothes is not your thing, then a stretched sweater can be worn with a belt. The main thing is to choose an accessory that really matches the model.
Downsize a cotton sweater
I want to say right away that this is the easiest task. After all, if you have never washed your cotton sweater, you can immediately load it into the washing machine. After that, you will need to set the temperature of hot water (60 °), add washing powder that preserves the color of the product.
At the end of the wash, you should set the normal spin cycle and then use the machine dry. Iron the thing washed in this way and you can safely try on favorite product, which without a doubt will fit you.
However, for cotton, just purchased things, there is another very effective method to reduce the size. To do this, you will need an iron that has a steam mode. You only need to carefully (every centimeter) smooth cotton product. In this way, your favorite cotton sweater will sit down much faster.
Changing the size of jeans
It is possible to achieve that the village even denim clothing. Surely you noticed that after washing jeans become smaller, but then wear out. To fix the effect of reducing the thing, wash the jeans in warm water. It should not be as high as possible, otherwise things will simply shed. Drying things out denim in the dryer, you can achieve the same effect.
What to do with things made of delicate silk?
You should be as careful as possible with things made of silk. As you know, silk is a delicate and whimsical fabric, and therefore you should not risk things. Machine wash It's definitely against such things. Thin delicate fibers will be instantly damaged. How to fit a silk dress or blouse in size? Wash the item in warm water by hand. You should also forget about the dryer. Silk items should be dried in the sun or in a well-ventilated area.
Things made of artificial fabrics, is it possible to reduce their size?
Things made of polyester should be reduced in cold water, but you can dry it in the machine or in the open air - as you wish. The same rule applies to nylon items.
The only fabrics that cannot be reduced by washing, ironing or drying are spandex, lycra and acrylic. Therefore, your favorite blouses, T-shirts, T-shirts - goodbye. You can put them in a closet if you like them as a keepsake. If you intend to complete the work you have begun, then you will have to turn to a seamstress, tailor, or simply give things to friends or relatives.
Thread, needle, sewing machine
The option is suitable for those who are not afraid to hold a thread with a needle in their hands and on “you” with a sewing machine
Measure your hips, waist and chest. Determine the size of the garment to be sewn - fold the item in half, measuring the half-girth of the hips, chest and waist, and multiply the resulting figures by 2. Then calculate the difference between your sizes and the sizes of the clothes. Please note that clothes should not be tight, so add 1 cm to each measurement of your figure, except for the waist circumference for trousers and skirts - in this case, things should sit tight.
Reducing the size of a straight skirt with a set-in belt- this is the easiest to do. First, we unfasten the belt by removing the hooks and buttons from it. Then unrip side seams skirts, smoothing all the elements of the product. We add 1 cm to the volume of your hips and divide it by 4, the circumference of the hips on the product is also divided by 4. Set aside the difference between these values from the previous seam to the middle of the skirt - there you will sew the product in a new way. We do the same with waist measurements, but do not add 1 cm to your size. By setting aside one more measurement from the old seam deep into the product, we can draw a line with chalk parallel to the old seam. After stitching the seams on a typewriter, you should cut off the excess fabric and turn over the edges of the material. You can also shorten the belt or simply rearrange the buttons, leaving the loops in the same place.
In the same way, you can reduce the volume of trousers and jeans.
Reducing the size of the dress. To do this, again, we rip the side seams and smooth the details of the product. Please note that the size of the armhole will change when the product is sewn, so first adjust this part of the dress on a mannequin or on your own figure with the help of an assistant. If the dress has sleeves, then it is also reduced with the help of the side seam: first, open the sleeves, then the side seams. Sew in the armhole and sleeves, then sew in a new seam. Cut off excess allowances, trim the edges and iron the product.
The size of the blouse and dress can be reduced due to darts, removing excess fabric in them. Reducing the product does not cost more than a couple of sizes, otherwise you will have to alter the whole thing, isn’t it easier then to sew a new one?
Well, if all these options seem unacceptable to you or for some reason they didn’t fit, but you don’t want to say goodbye to the thing, you should contact the atelier or the clothes repairman, there they will definitely adjust the thing to your figure.
Situations when it is necessary to reduce the size of a blouse or blouse occur quite often. For example, you lost weight, but did not think that you would have to update your wardrobe. Or your favorite knitted sweater has stretched out, so much so that it is simply indecent to wear it. Or best friend upset - gave a blouse that hangs on you like on a hanger. Don't rush to leave beautiful blouse. You can try reducing its size.
What is it made of?
Any task will be resolved faster if you determine exactly what can and should be done. AT this case your actions will largely depend on what your jacket is sewn or knitted from. It is quite possible that it will be enough just to wash it in water of a higher temperature than usual. And for cotton and linen, it often does not matter at all whether hot water in a basin or warm. These materials tend to shrink. So try it. It won't get any worse anyway. Even if you have to change the blouse, it must be clean.
Jacket from wool fabric or fleece can be washed at about 60°C. But if the blouse is knitted from high-quality pure wool, such as angora or cashmere, it should not be washed in hot water. You, of course, will be able to reduce it, but the wool can fall off and lose its appearance. If your item is crocheted, look at the seam cuts. It depends on their type how you will suture the product and whether it is possible at all.
Seams of products machine knitting can be overlocked. In this case, it will be possible to sew in a blouse, cut off the allowances and overcast them
Shrinking a knitted cardigan
You can slightly reduce a stretched cardigan or sweater by washing and proper drying. Gently wash the product, gently wring it out and lay it on a horizontal surface. It is best to lay a fabric under the product that absorbs water well. Give a sweater desired position. Align the bottom, take the sleeves to the sides so that they do not come into contact with the shelf and back. As it dries, the knit will shrink a little, and the jacket will get the size you need. Stretch knitwear possible in a similar way.
Knitwear should not be twisted, nor should it be wrung out in the washing machine.
Change style
Sometimes it is not possible to change the size without reworking. For example, if you want to significantly reduce a jacket with a placket, and wash desired effect not given. Well, you'll have to rip off the bar and tie a new one, narrower. It can be tied directly from the side "pigtails" or done separately and sewn on. In any case, pay attention to the fact that the loops are evenly spaced, and the collar does not bulge. The most suitable seam in this case is knitted.
When you can't do without a needle
Sometimes blouses still have to be sutured. You should not do this along the side seams - the sleeve will puff up, the armhole will have to be completely redrawn. In this way, you can only reduce the size of a one-piece product or a jacket with a raglan sleeve, and even then only a couple of centimeters.
Cotton, then take it in. Therefore, go in search of threads and needles, and it’s absolutely wonderful if you have sewing machine. Sew in depending on where it is large for you - in the sleeves, waist, or the length itself does not fit, just tuck it in the right place and sew (if you have a sewing machine, sew).
If you take in jacket alone for you - headache and extra problem, just take it to the nearest tailor shop. There are masters who will take measurements from you very quickly, explain everything to you and make your item the right size for you. This method is preferable for persons of the sex, as well as for all who do not believe that they are capable of needlework.
"Plant" jacket when washing. Almost every person once took out his own thing from the wash, which was the size of a cat, or even a mouse, but not a person. Remember your indignation at how much smaller it became then and use this experience in practice - wash your jacket in hot water and set the spin cycle to the highest speed. The only problem- this operation can cause your sweater to lose its shape, but without this risk, your sweater is or is unlikely to become smaller.
Use drying in a dryer. The temperature and the way it works is such that most fabrics (wool, cotton, viscose, and many others) shrink with this method of getting rid of water. So just wash your jacket as usual - and dry it until it is the size you need.
Wait for next winter. In winter, most people gain weight, and in addition, things in several layers. It may well turn out that by trying on your jacket in the cold season, you will find that it is not so great. In this case, you can be congratulated that without the slightest expense and effort, you and your thing have come to an understanding.
Sources:
- how to make a sweater out of a sweater
Unfortunately, many things we love quickly deteriorate after one or more washings. And it may not always depend on the quality of clothing. Let's say you bought a beautiful woolen pullover, and after the first wash it stretched a lot, became shapeless and one or two sizes larger. It happens. Perhaps they washed it incorrectly, did not pay attention to the temperature of the water, did not dry it properly, etc. But such a thing can still be saved, knowing a few simple ways to restore stretched clothes.
Instruction
First decide what material yours is from. It can be natural wool, with the addition of wool, or maybe it is generally made of synthetics. This is important, because it is the composition of the fabric that will determine your further actions. Typically, manufacturers indicate the ratio of fibers in the fabric by wrong side on the label, where recommendations are shown, this thing to which you most likely did not pay attention from the very beginning.
Let's say you know that your pullover consists of natural wool, well, or other, most importantly, natural fabrics. Now soak it in very hot water and leave for 10-15 minutes. In this case, you can not add the powder, although some use an agent for woolen things when soaking (a liquid agent is best).
