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clothing, denim, distressed high waisted shorts, DIY, diy clothes, diy goodwill projects, goodwill, high waisted denim, high waisted shorts, hipster shorts, refashion, shopping, shorts, shorts from jeans, thrifted diy project, thrifting, urban outfitters
***UPDATE***
Here’s how the shorts look after some washing and wearing
Although they took me forever, they’re super easy to make. I think finding the right pair of jeans is the hardest part! I tried on about 7 pairs and found 2 that worked. Lucky me, it was $5.99 jeans day at Goodwill!
I think that vintage-y not cool mom jeans are the best: look for Levis, DKNY, Kirkland, or others. You can always do other brands like Gap, Old Navy, Abercrombie etc. Also, I chose jeans that were way too big…I usually wear a 6 to 8, but these jeans were a size 14. Additionally, I think that thicker denim frays better. You can do any color!
Here are the step-by-step instructions!
Lay the jeans out and get an idea of how they look
Put them on and measure where you want to cut. This is really important!!!!!!! I found that about 2 inches from the crotch of the jeans was perfect. For the outside, I decided to cut it on the diagonal because I think it’s cuter…
Cut away! Don’t worry about making it perfect. I ended up fraying mine afterwards, so any imperfection are hidden, and they actually look cuter a little messy.
You can see the diagonal cut in the picture above. I cut one leg at a time because my scissors aren’t strong enough to cut through both legs at the same time. Make sure the jeans are lined up nicely.’
Fold them over…
…and follow the same line as the other leg.
Tada!!!!!!
After I cut mine I distressed them with scissors, a fork, a steak knife and a cheese grater. I think the best method was to slice little lines with the steak knife (you could use a razor or exacto knife if you have one…) and then shred it with the cheese grater from all directions. I did the pockets, front legs, belt loops, etc. I also decided to cut the back pocket. Here are pictures of the final result!
I also did a black pair that had the pockets sticking out. I made them exactly the same way except that when I cut the black pair I did it inside out so that I would cut the pockets off.
The difference between the two from the front…
…and from the back
Here’s the before and after shot:
I plan on washing and drying them a few times because I think it will really help finish the distressing process…but for now, that’s how they turned out! Let me know what you think!