If all of the awesome Christmas baking you did this year is, well, um…causing your jeans to feel a little snug, there’s no need to run out and buy new. With pretty minimal effort, you can stretch them. The best part is that no one needs to know, it will be our little secret. No need to explain new jeans away, and best of all, you can put away the Crisco, because you’ll be able to slide right into your pants without its help :).
In the interest of being a good sharer, I should probably disclose that I originally planned to use these jean stretching tactics if I couldn’t reach my goal of fitting into my jeans from 8 years ago {one of 2014’s goals}. Luckily, I found the It Works Ultimate Body Applicator {a weight loss body wrap that I did twice} AND I put in a little sweat equity in our remodel after the move, and the muffin top shrunk a bit. Still, who knows if it will stay off, so I may resort to this anyway.
- Okay, this is going to seem kind of ridiculous, but it’s phase one of project make your pants fit. Lightly spray your jeans with watered down fabric softener. Then squeeze into them as best you can and start working off those holiday lbs. Do lunges, stretches, squats, etc. The fabric softener will weaken the fibers a bit, while you move, the jeans will stretch. And hey, if you get in a little workout in the process consider an added bonus.
- For a little more aggressive tactic, draw a warm bath, get the jeans on, and slip into the tub. The warm water will help the jeans relax, and your form in them will help the fibers to know exactly what form to take. P.S. Sliding out of the jeans after they are all wet from the bath will be miserable and messy. Remember to hang them to dry.
- If the first two methods don’t work, you may have to get serious and purchase a waist band stretcher. It will cost about the same as a pair of reasonably priced jeans, but if you have several pairs to stretch, it will pay off in the long run.
- And last but not least, you can always loop a stretchy ponytail holder between the button and the hole. {I did this when I was pregnant} This won’t stretch your jeans, but at least you’ll still be able to wear them. You’ll just want to make sure your zipper is in good shape and won’t slide down. Because HELLO, how embarrassing would that be? Eeeek!
Look at this whole process as “stretching” your dollar, not your jeans. And, here’s to the possibility of elastic-waisted pants becoming all the rage this upcoming year. 🙂
~Mavis
Dena says
When ever I wash jeans I never, ever throw them in the dryer. 100% cotton (or less) + heat = shrinkage. I have always hung jeans up to air dry & found they will last for years. Throwing clothes in the dryer shrinks them over time, so I have an indoor drying rack for winter (outdoor line for summer – great smells!) for shirts, jeans, pants, anything I don’t want to shrink. With the most manufactured washers (top or front load), they have no lint pump (manufacture money saving plan), so now the dryers are the machines that collect all that lint. My air dried clothes go into the dryer on ‘air’ for about 5 minutes, & all lint goes to the clean out screen. A bit more work, but WAY easier than having to go out, trying on stuff on & buy new clothes!
CathyB says
Yeah, what is that with the change in washing machines and lint filters? Our old washer with the big ol’ post in the middle used to have a lint filter that was great! Especially if you had animals – it caught all the animal hair in the wash. When we got new machines a few years back I remember looking for a lint filter but not being able to find anything. All the salespeople just looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to explain it. Anyway, I love not having the post in the middle on my new machine but totally miss the lint catcher!
Kristina says
One really simple thing that also works (not that I have any personal experience in this area…ahem) is to simply hang dry your jeans, instead of tossing them into the dryer. 🙂
sk says
This has got to be a joke. Sit in your jeans in the tub?! With actual water in it, not just to visit???
Mavis Butterfield says
Ha! How is your guest soap supply doing? I cannot pass a bar of soap now and not think of you.