How To Stretch Underwear Waistbands Best Recipes

How to Make the Jeans Waist Bigger

Tight jeans are uncomfortable and sometimes impossible to wear without ripping a hole or digging into your stomach. But, that’s no reason to buy new jeans.

Here’s how to make the jeans waist bigger and how to stretch out jeans, no matter how much space you add to your waistline or why your jeans no longer fit. It only takes a little time and effort and your jeans will fit you again.

Before stretching, ensure your jeans are clean. The way to wash ripped jeans and how to wash intact denim are basically the same. Spot cleaning is best with only periodic cleaning in the machine to maintain the integrity and longevity of the fabric.

Try Ways to Stretch the Waist of Jeans Naturally

Also known as “jean aerobics,” try this method to naturally stretch your jeans that nearly fit. It’s one of the easiest ways to stretch the waist of jeans.

Anyone who has ever worn skinny jeans before probably already uses a similar technique to get into their tight pants daily.

tb1234LungesSquatsKnee highsSplitstb1234

Put on your jeans. If you don’t quite fit, use your arms to stretch the band and pull the pants on as much as possible. Try to zip and button up the jeans. Laying down on a bed helps.

You may also try using a single foot to push the waistband toward the ground as you grasp it with both hands, pulling upward. Once the jeans are on, stretch.

Do a series of movements, like squats and lunges. Hug your knees into your chest, walk around, or do anything to move your body (and the denim).

Use Lukewarm Water and a Spray Bottle

If stretching doesn’t work, move on to using a spray bottle. This step is if the previous option didn’t work. Lukewarm water is the best way to stretch your pants when you’re in a pinch, and a spray bottle makes the process fast.

Put on your jeans. If you’re having trouble getting the pants to button or zip, try lying on the bed. Next, directly spray the waistband with lukewarm water until it feels damp.

Move around like the last technique, doing squats, lunges, and other movements to stretch the wet waistline until the pair of jeans fits.

Grab a Wooden Hanger

Did you know a wooden hanger makes a perfect waistband stretcher? Use the wooden hanger method if you can’t zip or button up the pants all the way. The hanger must be no smaller than half of the waist size.

tb1234Warm waterSpray bottleWooden hangertb1234

For this method, combine the previous two steps. Start by putting on your pants and dampening the waistband with a spray bottle of warm water. Thoroughly wet the pants and pull the jeans over both ends of a wooden hanger.

Allow the jeans to dry on the wooden hanger and try on your pants when they’re dry. If the waistband doesn’t stretch tightly across the rod or you still have trouble buttoning your jeans after drying them, repeat the process with a bigger hanger.

Turn On the Iron

Steam is excellent for stretching your jeans at the waist. For this technique, grab your iron. Turn it to the steam-setting or the highest temperature available. Use an ironing board or a wooden chair covered with a towel if you don’t own one.

tb1234IronIroning boardWatertb1234

Slide the jeans over your ironing board, stretching the waistline as much as you can before buttoning them into place. People without an ironing board can stretch the jeans over a wooden chair with a towel to protect the wood or a wooden cutting board.

Pull at the waist to extend it. Steam the waistline until the jeans feel damp. Then, stretch the waist as hard as you can with one hand while ironing the jeans with the other.

Continue the process until the jeans are dry. Move around the length of the waist continually. Never iron below the band, or your jeans may appear distorted.

This method works well for how to stretch rayon, too. Be careful not to pull too hard. Rayon is more delicate than denim.

Head to the Bathtub

If your goal is to stretch your entire pair of jeans, waistband and legs alike, take a warm bath. You may feel silly, but for this technique to work, fill the bathtub with warm water and get in wearing the jeans.

Pull the pants on as much as you can for the best stretch. Allow the pants to soak through the fabric before you get out of the tub.

When you get out, dry off the excess water and keep wearing the wet jeans until they’re nearly dry or around a half hour. Try doing squats and lunges as they dry for more stretching.

Heat the Jeans with a Hairdryer

Heat provides a moderate stretch. Use this option when stretching the thighs and waistband of your jeans.

tb1234HairdryerWaterSpray bottletb1234

Lay the jeans on a flat surface, like your bed, spreading them out front-side up. Plugin the hairdryer and evenly heat the waist jeans region on a medium setting.

Keep the hairdryer at least six inches away from the jeans and move it continuously. Pull the fabric with your hands, moving them in opposite directions.

Turn your pants over and repeat the process on the backside. Heat both sides of denim; they may stretch more if you do. You may also spray the jeans with water from a spray bottle before heating the denim.

Stretch Your Jeans after the Washing Machine

Because wetting your jeans provides the best stretch, a secure method is to stretch the waistband of any jeans immediately after removing them from the washing machine. No spray bottle is required.

Try laying your jeans on the floor after washing. Unbutton the pants and stretch the waistband, standing on the jeans as you pull them.

Wet denim dye may stain, so set down a plastic bag or towel for safety. Air-dry the jeans by hanging them on a clothesline or draping them on a chair overnight.

Avoid Running the Dryer on Hot

Unless your denim is 100% cotton, which becomes stretched out or baggy between wearings, running the dryer on hot only makes jeans feel tighter. Use the cool setting after washing them for a better fit. Avoid heat, or the problem may get worse.

Of course, if you need a surefire way to shrink jeans, put them in the dryer on a hot setting after washing. The material should draw up and be more form-fitting.

Remove the Waistband to Extend Jeans

Here is the most advanced of our ways to stretch the waist of jeans. Removing the waistband altogether allows you to resize or reuse an old pair of jeans. Only attempt this technique if you’re not afraid to get crafty and can handle the permanent change.

tb1234Extra fabric, denimThread, blueNeedleIronSewing machine (optional)tb1234

Start by trying on your jeans to measure how many inches to add. Head to your local fabric store for the perfect sized scrap. You can use denim or any other fabric type.

Cut the side seams about two to four inches down, then cut near the same area on the waistband to align with the seam rip. Cut either denim or leather material to match and pin it into place. Sew a section of fabric to fill the gap, and you have easily expanded the waist.

The filled gap should look like a triangle. To finish, fold the new fabric in half to match the waistband. Iron the extra fabric flat to align with the old jeans and topstitch the band closed.

Do I have to pay any cost for searching on Howtolinks to find How To Stretch A Waistband?

Nope, our site always gives all results of How To Stretch A Waistband for free. We allow you freedom searching to find How To Stretch A Waistband without payment, so you can have peace of mind, you will not lose any money on our site.

Video

Will 100 cotton jeans stretch?

100% cotton will always stretch. It is just the way cotton is. If you want them to shrink back to their original shape, dry them in the dryer for about a half hour on high heat.

Type of Denim Stretch

How To Shrink Elastic Waistband

If your elastic waistband is loose, you can quickly shrink it back to fit you. To do this rip open a stitch on your garment and pull out a few inches of the elastic. Fold it up and try your garment on to feel the new fit.

If it’s still too loose, pull out an extra inch of elastic then confirm that it fits. When it properly fits, cut off the excess elastic band and seal the seams you use to pull it out.

How to tighten waistband without sewing?

The most efficient ways to tighten a waistband without sewing is to use correct temperature on the iron. Iron provides steam and high heat at the same time to keep the elastic from burning too quickly, instead it is easy to control the shrinkage without damaging.

Heating Elastic waistband with iron at its highest heat setting Use your iron and set it to steam or the highest heat setting.Dampen a cloth, but do not wet it completely.Adjust into the desired waist opening by gathering together.Take the dampened cloth and place it over the elastic. Ensure the cloth to be covered totally along the stretch. Use 2 clothes if needed to provide better heat control for ultra thin fabrics.Now iron the damp cloth over the waistband on its highest setting.Iron for about ten seconds and let it sit for another 10 seconds.Repeat the process back and forth for 5 minutes.Check the opening against a body measurement and if more shrinkage is needed, then flip and repeat.

Heating elastic with a torch

Take a heating torch and flare up to flame.
Elastic is made of synthetic polymers and so they can be shrunk by applying heat using a torch.
Take your waistband and begin running your torch all along the waistband.
Ensure the flame is not run on any section for long as this can result in the waistband or fabric catching fire.
Do not let the flame touch the waistband but run it such a way the highest heat is running along the elastic.
Run it all along and on both sides of the band.
First, run along the front side and then flip and run along the backside.
Check for the shrinkage and if it is as per your measurements.
The shrinkage should not be too less and so run the torch all along with periodic checks of the width.
If there is no shrinkage, the elastic might not be having any stretch left in it.
Replacement is the best option if the elastic is worn out.

Heating elastic with a steam iron

Use a regular iron if it has a steam setting in it and follow the same steps as heating elastic with iron.
Take your steam iron and pour little water into it.
Gather your waistband or slide the waistband with ends holding with a clip as desired opening measurement.
Run your steam iron on high heat setting
Run it along the waistband on one side, then flip and repeat.
Check the shrinkage and repeat steam ironing if necessary.

About this article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 25 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 535,035 times. 127 votes – 76% Co-authors: 25 Updated: June 14, 2019 Views: 535,035

Article SummaryX

To stretch the waistline of pants that are only slightly too small, start by putting on the pants and zipping or buttoning them up all the way if possible. If you’re struggling to get the pants all the way on, try laying down while buttoning or zipping them up. Afterwards, try stretching the waistline by doing movements like squats and lunges. Alternatively, wet the waistband thoroughly with water before putting on the pants and doing the stretching movements. Then, continue wearing the pants until they’re dry so that the stretch will hold. For more advice, including how to stretch the waistline of your pants using an iron or a wooden hanger, keep reading.

Did this summary help you?

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 535,035 times.

2 Comments

cdaniels4

5 months ago

You are a lifesaver!!!!

craftclarity

7 years ago on Introduction

Yeah, that eat-what-you-want diet eventually catches up with everyone…..I’ve got a couple pairs of jeans I’m going to have to try this on.

How to insert a stretch waistband!