a polyester fleece shirt

[bobby49]

About 35 years ago I had purchased a very warm polyester fleece shirt, and it still keeps me warm without weighing a ton (about 10 ounces). Although I wash it in cold water, I suspect that it has been washed in warm water once or twice. As a result, it has been shrinking. If it was shrinking around the middle, then we could blame it on my own figure instead of the shirt. However, the problem is only from the elbows to the wrist cuffs. I've been trying to think of a good way to unshrink that. Any suggestions?

[mrphil]

I've never tried it with polyester, but had a nice wool Icebreaker jacket do the same thing. Maybe this will work for your shirt too. Washed it on cold, then took a few full 1/2 liter bottles of water and shoved them down the sleeves. I used some little clamps at the cuffs, but I suppose rubber bands might do it too. Hung the jacket up in the house to let it dry, and the weight and bulk fixed it right up. I'm now more careful when I wash it, but I add at least a bit of weight to the sleeves and use the same drying method every time, and the length ends up perfect.

[bobby49]

You add weight to the sleeves? What does that do?

[mrphil]

Stretches the fabric on the sleeves out so that they dry that way and hopefully hold their length. That's wool though. If you shrunk a woolen piece that didn't end up as baby clothing, that's the way a tailor or dry cleaner would do it. Maybe not with water bottles, and maybe not with fleece, but if you don't happen to have a mannequin with a 48" chest and 40" arms, it's the best I could come up with. It worked. But after 35 years, I would have to say that you got your money's worth out of it, so no harm, no foul in trying. I suppose you could always cut some thumb holes and keep it from riding up your forearm that way too.

Here:

https://www.tipsbulletin.com/how-to-uns ... ate-guide/
https://oureverydaylife.com/how-to-stre ... 11999.html

[bobby49]

I'm not trying to stretch the sleeves for length. I'm trying to stretch them for inside diameter.

[mrphil]

Ah, sorry, I assumed you were looking for length. Still, follow the advice on one of those websites and wet it down and stretch out the width by bulking them up with something or wearing it wet until it forms. Same principle with stretching and reforming the material.