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I have a Federal fatigue blouse that was used in an event last year in which it rained nearly the entire event. It was a great event, but after drying, the fatigue blouse shrunk, as expected. Me, being a lanky individual, found the sleeves much too short, and the sack coat fitting much more snug than before. I've seen a plethora of original photos detailing the fatigue blouses that fit so tight that they looked like they were about to explode, so I understand the historical correctness of leaving them shrunk. The constant exposure to rain and heat would wreak havoc on those things.
Upon researching on the internet, I found that wool can be stretched carefully by a combination of soaking and gentle pulling on the fibers. However, it seemed that most of the references I found were for wool sweaters and other knit items. It seems to me that I have heard of other reenactors stretching wool back into place, but I am unsure of how broadcloth would react to the stretching technique.
Has anyone ever been successful with stretching wool? Would anyone advise for or against it?
Thank you,
-Aaron Holley
Upon researching on the internet, I found that wool can be stretched carefully by a combination of soaking and gentle pulling on the fibers. However, it seemed that most of the references I found were for wool sweaters and other knit items. It seems to me that I have heard of other reenactors stretching wool back into place, but I am unsure of how broadcloth would react to the stretching technique.
Has anyone ever been successful with stretching wool? Would anyone advise for or against it?
Thank you,
-Aaron Holley