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Remember the time I wore my dress backwards to NOT one, but two weddings? Holy Awkward. 
After that epic fail I never thought my “fashion blogging career” could get any worse. That was until I decided to try my hand at DIY jean shorts. Don’t get me wrong, I would count this DIY project as a big win because the shorts totally exceeded my expectations. However, I didn’t realize that modeling MOM jeans on the internet was part of the DIY jean shorts package. Yikes.
I scored these 1990 style jeans from my local Goodwill for $3.99. I loved the price tag (especially since I’ve seen jeans shorts on sale this summer for over $50?!!!) but obviously, this look was not very flattering on me.
As much as I joke about these jeans, I actually chose this exact pair to work with. I tried on quite a few pairs at Goodwill and liked this pair because they weren’t mixed with any “stretchy” material and were slightly “baggy” all over. Traditionally I don’t wear my jeans baggy, and I actually like a little stretchy mix in my jeans at times….offers a little extra “forgiveness” after dinner if you know what I mean. For the shorts though, I didn’t want them to be spandex against my thighs or feeling stretchy, so a traditional pair of old-fashioned jeans was all I needed.
Rookie Tip: Going to Goodwill to find the perfect pair of jeans is probably the hardest part of this project! So if you made it this far, you’re in good shape!
How to Make DIY Jean Shorts
Grab a ruler, a pencil/light pen, and scissors that will cut material. Measure from the waistline down and make several little dots along that line to make sure your cut is straight all the way across your shorts. I would recommend measuring a tad longer than you actually want your shorts to hit you. It’s better to go back and cut again than accidentally cut them too short. #daisydukecalled
Plus, if you want a frayed look at the bottom of your shorts, that will bring up the length of the shorts a tad too.
Another Tip: When you finally decide on the length and once your shorts are cut, I would recommend taking this project outside!! <– it gets really messy!
All that’s left to do is the fraying. This part is totally up to you and depends on your preference. I wanted mine to be pretty frayed, but I guess I didn’t have an exact vision. I just started fraying and when I finally came to the look I liked, I called it a day.
I don’t know if there’s an exact method to this… I just pulled at the strings and then eventually got a seam ripper/tiny pair of cosmetic scissors to pull at the threads, over and over and over again (very messy but not hard). Before long…
DIY Jean shorts that were less than $4!
I saved over $50 by DIY-ing these shorts instead of buying them this summer. Heck, I’ll model Mom jeans on the internet any day for that kind of savings… haha, sad but true.
Moral of the story: DIY-ing Jean shorts instead of paying the hefty price tag is SO worth it, but on the other hand… maybe you shouldn’t be taking fashion advice from me. I don’t exactly have the best track record.
Bridget
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