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Beauty & Fashion

My pants are too short!

Valerie Emmerich

11 years ago

I have two pairs of pants that are 97% cotton and 3% spandex. (They feel sort of like corduroy.) I don't know if I accidentally put them in the dryer or what, but they're both a little too short now - just enough to look funny. Does anyone know of a way to stretch them out, back to their original length? I read of one woman who recommended "weighting" them with cans of paint, or something equally heavy. I wonder if that would work. Maybe I could also just stretch them out with my hands before hanging them up to dry (or laying them flat on a towel on the floor.) Thanks! - any ideas would be appreciated!

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Comments (6)

erinsean
11 years ago
Do they have a hem? Take out the hem and you can use facing on the back of the hems to make them as long as possible. A pressing with an iron should take the crease out. You could try washing them again in cold water, and stretch them as they dry to see if that helps.
Valerie Emmerich
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks! - I never thought of just taking down the hem!
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susanjf_gw
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what I do for my sweats (that always seem to shrink) is hang them up by the bottoms wet out of the washer...it seems to help...
asm198 - Zone 6a (MO)
11 years ago
If taking out the hem isn't possible, I would suggest getting them totally wet (running them through the washer with/without soap), then stretching them. What I've done is grab them by the knees and hem and pull tightly, let them sit for 20 minutes or so, and repeat until they've air dried.

And never put perfectly lengthed heavy cotton pants in a hot dryer. I buy all pants a bit too longer than I want to accommodate shrinkage.
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