There’s nothing quite as frustrating as buying new clothes only to later find out that the waistband doesn’t fit quite right. This happened to me last week after I ordered new pants online and shipped them to my home. Fortunately, I knew just what to do to tackle the uncomfortable waistbands, and I’m here to tell you exactly how to stretch elastic waistband pants you might have in your closet.
There are several tricks you can use to stretch elastic waistbands. Elastic will stretch if pulled tight and held in a stretched position overnight. It will also stretch if you apply heat to it if you extend it by making small cuts, or you could instead replace the elastic altogether.
I’ll walk you through seven different methods that you can use to help stretch elastic waistbands that just don’t fit the way you want them to. There is guaranteed a method for everyone, so consider them all before you decide which one to try!
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Can You Loosen an Elastic Waistband?
Yes, you can loosen an elastic waistband fairly easily. In fact, elastic waistbands are known to gradually loosen over time on their own. Since you probably don’t have time to wait for the waistband to stretch out gradually, you’ll need to take steps to force the elastic to loosen.
You can use three general approaches to get tight elastic waistbands to loosen up. Elastic is meant to pull and stretch, even if it sometimes feels too snug. Because of this, you can use methods that stretch the elastic out manually to get a looser fit.
Elastic is also sensitive to heat, so applying heat to your waistbands will generally loosen them. The heat, in particular, allows elastic waistbands to stretch farther than they normally would without breaking. Heat will typically help waistbands loosen over time, especially if you dry your clothes in a heated dryer.
Finally, there are methods of loosening elastic waistbands that require cutting and/or sewing the waistbands. These methods help to permanently give the elastic more stretch, and won’t be undone as soon as you wash the clothes in your next laundry cycle.
Regardless of your chosen method, the main lesson here is that you can loosen an elastic waistband! All you need to do is choose the best method for you and your clothing.
How to Stretch Elastic Waistband: 7 Methods
If you don’t have time to wait for your elastic waistbands to gradually stretch over time, you’re not alone. Fortunately, you can speed up the process using one of the seven methods described below. Always check the tags on your clothing before applying any heat or running them through your dryer to ensure you don’t cause unnecessary damage to your fabrics.
1. Use a Chair Back
One of the simplest ways to loosen an elastic waistband is to stretch it out by hand and hold it in that position. One of my favorite ways to do this is using the back of a chair. All you have to do is stretch the elastic around the back of the chair and leave it for at least a day.
For this to work, the elastic needs to be stretched taut around the chair instead of laying loose. The long, slow stretch of the elastic will make it loosen up. You’ll need to find a large enough chair to give the amount of stretch you need without being too large that it overstretches the waistband.
If you don’t have a chair that will work, you can use another solid surface in your home. The end of a table, a dresser drawer, a cabinet, or even your ironing board can all be places where you stretch your elastic waistband. Once there, you’ll want to leave your elastic stretching for at least 24 hours, though you can do this for longer if it seems like the elastic didn’t stretch far enough.
2. Iron the Elastic
Heat is one of the best ways to stretch out elastic, and your home iron is perfect for the job. Lay your clothing on your ironing board and pin it in place with the elastic stretched as far as you want it to go. If you don’t have pins handy, you can slide your waistband over the end of your ironing board until it is stretched wide enough.
While your iron is warming up, grab a clean washcloth or hand towel and get it wet. For this method, you want the towel to be damp, not dripping. Trape the damp cloth over your elastic, wrapping it around the waistband if needed.
Once your iron is heated, press it against the damp cloth covering the elastic. You’ll want to hold it in position for 10-15 seconds, then remove it for 10-15 seconds. Repeat this process for 5-10 minutes around the entire waistband of the pants. The heat should loosen the elastic up considerably.
Repeat the process if you try on the clothes and they’re still too snug. Just be sure that you know if your fabrics are heat-safe since the iron could damage them if they are not. If your fabrics are heat-sensitive, you’ll want to use one of the other methods we describe here.
3. Use the Dryer
Another way that you can apply heat to your elastic waistbands is with your home dryer. This method works well but may not be as effective as ironing the clothes. This is because the dryer won’t let you stretch the elastic to the width you want before you apply the heat. However, the method is still useful in a pinch.
Turn your dryer onto the hottest setting that won’t damage your clothes. It’s important that you check to make sure you aren’t working with clothes that should never be dried, or else you could accidentally damage them before you get the chance to wear them. You should also dampen your clothes before putting them in the dryer to prevent damage from too much heat.
Start the dryer and run the clothes through a normal cycle until they are fully dry. Take them out of the dryer, then try them on to see how much the elastic has loosened. If it isn’t quite as stretched as you would like, repeat this process until you get the fit you want.
Just be cautious if you are drying fabrics that can shrink. Too many trips through the dryer and the clothes may not fit for reasons other than the elastic!
4. Wear Clothes While Wet
This next method might sound strange, but we promise it works! You can stretch your clothes by wearing them as you go about your day-to-day activities. The secret to this trick is to get the clothes wet before you put them on.
Wet the clothes until they are damp but not dripping with water. You can take them directly out of the washing machine after they’ve been rinsed and the water has spun out if you would like. Then, put the clothes on and wear them until they are completely dry.
Walking around in wet clothes might be a bit uncomfortable. But this benefit is that the clothes stretch exactly to your body shape as you move around. You’ll want to be active as they dry, bending and squatting to make sure that the clothes fully stretch out while you wear them.
5. Make Small Cuts
We’ve already looked at some temporary ways to loosen your elastic waistbands, using heat and not. But this method starts the list of permanent ways to alter your waistbands so that the elastic is loosened. This first trick requires a pair of scissors to make permanent alterations to your waistband.
You’ll need to make a series of small cuts along the top of your waistband. You’ll want to space the cuts out every few inches since too many could stretch the band out to be way too loose. I recommend starting with a few careful cuts, then trying on the clothes. You can always add more cuts but can never take them away after you’ve made them.
Keep your cuts small, ideally around ½” in size. As the slits open up, the waistband of your clothes will become larger all around. Be careful that you aren’t doing this to a fabric that will unravel or fray. Slits in these types of clothes tend to get larger over time.
You’ll also want to ensure that you only do this if your waistbands are hidden underneath your shirt. The cuts will be visible whenever you wear the clothes, so you’ll want to keep them hidden as you go about your day.
6. Sew an Extension
If you’re not sure you want to make a bunch of cuts in your elastic, that’s understandable. You could instead make one slit on the inside of your waistband and slide out a small portion of the elastic. You can cut the band, then reconnect the two ends using another piece of similar elastic.
The new piece of elastic will act as an extender to give your waistband more stretch. You can sew the elastic in by hand or use a sewing machine – whichever is your preference. Just be sure that you’re using an elastic that is the same size and color as the original elastic in your waistband.
Keep in mind, however, that this will only work on elastic pieces not sewn into the seam of your waistband. You’ll want to check and see if your elastic is free-floating inside the fabric so that you can pull it out and add the new piece. Otherwise, the elastic won’t widen the waist and will sit bunched up inside the waistband.
Once you’ve sewn in your extender, stitch up the slit you made in the waistband. We recommend trying the clothes on before you stitch up the hole, however, just to make sure the fit is what you are looking for. If they’re too snug, you might need to add a larger piece of elastic.
7. Replace the Elastic
If you’ve tried these methods and still haven’t gotten enough stretch, it might be time to consider replacing the elastic altogether. The benefit is that you can buy one continuous piece of elastic longer than what was already in the band. You could also try to find elastic with more stretch to give you extra room to work with.
To remove the original elastic, cut a small slit in the back of the waistband and pull out a small section of elastic. Cut the elastic, then pull one end until all the elastic has left the waistband. I recommend taking this piece with you when you buy new elastic, so you can make sure you get a slightly longer piece.
Once you have your new elastic, thread it back through the hole until it is around the band. I often attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic to make it easier to thread. Once you have both ends of the elastic back at the starting hole, sew them together to connect the band.
Then, all you need to do is stitch the hole back up. This method is fairly straightforward and in no time, you’ll have a brand new elastic waistband that is guaranteed to fit you perfectly.
How to Stretch Elastic Without Iron
We’ve covered several ways to stretch elastic waistbands, both with and without heat. The easiest way to stretch elastic without your iron is to either stretch the band over the back of a chair or to get the clothes wet and wear them until they dry.
Both of these methods are great because they don’t require a heat source of any kind to do. It’s gentler on your fabrics, especially ones that are very heat sensitive.
If you’re not worried about the heat, you could also use your dryer to stretch the elastic. Just place the damp clothing in the dryer and run it through a cycle. Try the clothes on to see if the band is looser and repeat the process if necessary.
More permanent options don’t require using your iron, but the three methods we’ve just described are a good place to start. After that, you can move on to more permanent options, like cutting the elastic, adding an extender, or replacing it altogether.
How to Permanently Stretch an Elastic Waistband
Some options we’ve described that use water or heat to stretch the elastic aren’t necessarily permanent. The stretch of the band can reset back to its original fit the next time you wash or dry the clothes. This can be a bit frustrating if you’ve put in a lot of effort to make the clothes fit better.
There are a few permanent options you can consider, however. Certainly, making cuts along the top of your waistband to let it expand will be a permanent alteration to the clothes and won’t be undone by your washer or dryer. This makes that method a good option if you’re looking for a quick fix that will last a long time.
If you don’t want to cut up your clothes, however, you can make more permanent alterations to the elastic by breaking out your sewing supplies. You can either sew in an extra piece of elastic to extend the already existing band, or you could pull the band out and replace it entirely with a new piece of elastic.
These permanent methods will take a bit more work than some of the others that we have talked about. The upside to this, however, is that you will only have to make these changes once, and your clothes will fit just like you want them to.
What is the Best Way to Stretch an Elastic Waistband?
As always, the best way to do anything is the way that works well for you. Some of these methods may be easier for you to do with the supplies you have on hand than others. Other methods might be safer for the clothes you are trying to stretch.
My favorite method of stretching tight elastic is to use my trusty iron. I like this choice because it is quicker than the slow stretch method or wearing my wet clothes until they dry. I also prefer this choice over using my dryer, since it lets me stretch out the band to exactly how wide I want it to be before I apply any heat.
Even better, it doesn’t require the level of work that using one of the more permanent methods would. I don’t have to break out the scissors or my sewing machine to make my clothes fit in the morning before I go to work. Instead, I can loosen the waistband before ironing my clothes to eliminate any wrinkles I might have.
Regardless of your chosen method, any of the ones we’ve discussed will be great choices for stretching out your waistbands. There’s no need to panic if your clothes aren’t fitting quite right!