# sweatshirt repair **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2004, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatshirt-repair/279070 "2004-12-10T04:21:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phaishazamkhan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@phaishazamkhan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phaishazamkhan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatshirt-repair/279070/1 "2004-12-10T04:21:16Z")
I have a black sweatshirt hoodie that I like wearing on a frequent basis. Unfortunately the cuffs, which used to fit snugly around my wrists, are loose and stretched out for some unknown reason. Is there a way I can fix them and make them good as new once again? ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatshirt-repair/279070/2 "2004-12-10T04:30:59Z")
Are you any good at sewing? You can buy the ribbed cuffs all by themselves at fabric or sewing stores and replace the worn ones. Actually, even if you’re not good at sewing you can buy them and have your local dry cleaner/tailor sew 'em on for you. ---
**Author:** ![phaishazamkhan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@phaishazamkhan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phaishazamkhan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatshirt-repair/279070/3 "2004-12-10T04:32:55Z")
Fooey, I figured it would involve sewing. I thought there might’ve been another solution. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatshirt-repair/279070/4 "2004-12-10T04:35:22Z")
Only other solution I can think of would be rubber bands, but that’s kinda tacky, y’know? Hmm… actually… What if you were to buy some wide elastic, and then slice the ribbing, feed the elastic through and tie the elastic? Of course, then you’d have sliced cuffs, but they’d probably be snug-fitting. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatshirt-repair/279070/5 "2004-12-10T06:22:07Z")
For a quick-and-dirty solution, you could do a running stitch of some similarly-colored elastic around the perimeter of the cuff a few times. It would have to be done carefully so as to look sightly, and (alas) it involves sewing, though not as much as a typical tailor-job. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2004, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatshirt-repair/279070/6 "2004-12-10T08:13:29Z")
Can you iron on velcro patches? Good. Cut the cuff along the inside wrist (continue the line of the thumb up the arm – you’re cutting longitudinally, not radially). Cutting along an existing seam is also good. Dab the cut edges with a no-fray liquid (basically, it’s like a clear epoxy or finger nail polish that keeps the threads along a cut or tear from fraying – find it at the fabric shop where you’ll find the velcro). You should now be able to overlap this oversized cuff along the cut line. Where the two edges overlap, cut a fitting peice of glue-on velcro. Follow the instructions that came with the velcro to iron on the velcro in the overlap. Now you will have a open cuff than can be velcroed closed, tighter than it was before, with no sewing. You’re welcome. Peace.