How do I prevent the wrist part of the sleeve from stretching on long sleeve shirts?
December 18, 2010 11:52 AM Subscribe
How do I prevent the wrist part of the sleeve from stretching on long sleeve shirts?
I seem to have a number of winter sweaters and such that are perfectly OK except for the sleeves. The part around the wrist stops being elastic and stretches out, so instead of sitting snugly around your wrist it hangs down and has a 1-2 inch gap. What causes this and is there anything I can to do prevent or repair it? Is the wash cycle at fault and should I wash them less? Or is it more my occasional habit of pulling the sleeves up my forearm? Or is it just a low quality clothing?
I seem to have a number of winter sweaters and such that are perfectly OK except for the sleeves. The part around the wrist stops being elastic and stretches out, so instead of sitting snugly around your wrist it hangs down and has a 1-2 inch gap. What causes this and is there anything I can to do prevent or repair it? Is the wash cycle at fault and should I wash them less? Or is it more my occasional habit of pulling the sleeves up my forearm? Or is it just a low quality clothing?
is your problem with long sleeved sweaters, or long sleeve shirts?
because most sweaters will have a knit cuff that is tighter knit and smaller than the rest of the sleeve, whereas long sleeved t shirts and stuff will just have a sewn hem that is no stretchier or more elastic than the rest of the sleeve. These shirts, if you have bigger forearms I would suggest not sliding them up your arms -- that will stretch them. For sweaters....buy sweaters with obviously tighter cuffs?
posted by custard heart at 11:56 AM on December 18, 2010
because most sweaters will have a knit cuff that is tighter knit and smaller than the rest of the sleeve, whereas long sleeved t shirts and stuff will just have a sewn hem that is no stretchier or more elastic than the rest of the sleeve. These shirts, if you have bigger forearms I would suggest not sliding them up your arms -- that will stretch them. For sweaters....buy sweaters with obviously tighter cuffs?
posted by custard heart at 11:56 AM on December 18, 2010
This is indeed caused by pushing up your sleeves.
Typically a bigger problem with fibers that have no "bounce," like acrylic and cotton. If you have wool sweaters, you can gently wash them, lay them out, and pat them back into shape. One of the many wonders of wool!
For sweaters where this has become a permanent condition, you may be able to correct it with the use of elastic thread. I've heard that you can fix it by carefully weaving elastic thread through the stitches at the cuff. But I can't find any tutorials for this technique online, so maybe I'm wrong there.
posted by ErikaB at 12:19 PM on December 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
Typically a bigger problem with fibers that have no "bounce," like acrylic and cotton. If you have wool sweaters, you can gently wash them, lay them out, and pat them back into shape. One of the many wonders of wool!
For sweaters where this has become a permanent condition, you may be able to correct it with the use of elastic thread. I've heard that you can fix it by carefully weaving elastic thread through the stitches at the cuff. But I can't find any tutorials for this technique online, so maybe I'm wrong there.
posted by ErikaB at 12:19 PM on December 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
Agreed, stop pushing up your sleeves.
posted by Brian Puccio at 1:15 PM on December 18, 2010
posted by Brian Puccio at 1:15 PM on December 18, 2010
Larry David also had this problem on Curb Your Enthusiasm. He was sure never to pull his sleeves up. Watching that episode may offer some comic relief to your problem.
posted by whalebreath at 4:51 PM on December 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by whalebreath at 4:51 PM on December 18, 2010 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mollymayhem at 11:54 AM on December 18, 2010 [2 favorites]