How To Cut Jeans

Why not learn how to cut jeans and turn your boring old pairs into chic designer jeans? The secret to cutting jeans is to know where to cut, how much to cut and how to fray the fabric. And it’s not hard to learn. Best of all, by cutting your jeans yourself, you’ll have the flexibility of creating a custom pair of jeans to suit your taste and fashion style. So look for inspiration in your favorite jeans store, then go home and cut your old jeans to perfection.

Things you'll need:

• Rough sandpaper (at least P-220 grit)
• Sharp scissors (with sharp tips)
• Tweezers

1. Create wear patterns. Lay your jeans flat on a table. Decide where you would like to cut your jeans, such as along the knee fronts and in the upper pockets. Use rough sandpaper to chaff the fibers in those areas until they turn a little paler than their surroundings. This will give you a good idea of what your cut jeans will look like.
2. Create frayed cuts. For minor cuts that look more like frays than actual tears, use the tip of the scissors to scrape along the fabric until a narrow tear or fraying mark appears. Increase the fraying by rubbing the jeans with the sandpaper. Create a series of such cuts in clusters to create the impression of a worn area that has not yet evolved into actual cuts in the jeans.
3. Create medium cuts. Cut your jeans around the thighs or back of the legs with medium cuts. Fold the area in half and snip with the scissors. Create a cut that’s about half the size of the hole you want as fraying will increase its size. Rub sandpaper along the cut to fray the fabric and use the tweezers to pull out the weaving.
4. Create large cuts. Cut your jeans along the knees with wide, frayed cuts. Fold the leg in half with the side hems touching. Cut a straight line with the scissors but do not come too close to the side stitches or your cut jeans will begin to unravel after a few washes. Use the tweezers to pull out the cross fibers and fray the edge of the knee cut. Sandpaper can help loosen the grip of the fibers. As you loosen the fibers, do not cut them. Rather twirl them around each other to give your cut jeans a worn look.
5. Don’t over-cut your jeans. As you wear and wash your cut jeans, the holes will continue to fray and grow. Therefore, don’t cut your jeans too much. Large cuts especially will begin to sag and lose their appeal. Frays and smaller tears are always safe, as these may grow and still leave your cut jeans looking sexy and chic.