How To Make Shorts Out Of Jeans

By: Irwin M. Fletcher

Break Studios Contributing Writer

One of the best ways to expand your winter wardrobe to last through the summer is by learning how to make shorts out of jeans. Jeans tend to get frayed around the bottoms as the drag on the ground, and you don't have to give up something comfortable just because the legs are too well worn. Making shorts out of jeans is easy and won't take very long.

You will need:

jeans
scissors
sewing machine
someone there to help

Put on the jeans. It is never a good idea to begin cutting if you aren't sure exactly how long you want them to be.
Mark the jeans. Whatever length you want the shorts to be, mark at least one inch below one each leg. For a more accurate cut, you may want to mark both sides of the leg of the jeans, left and right.
Take off the jeans. Cutting jeans while wearing them can be difficult and prevent you from making an accurate cut. After taking them off, lay them out of a flat surface like a table, or even the floor. If you are worried about cutting accuracy, you can draw a straight line to the marks on both sides of one leg of jeans. This will give you a clear line to cut.
Begin cutting across one leg of the jeans at a time. The inseam and outer seam may be more difficult to cut. Just take your time and continue to work with the scissors until you are through.
You now have a pair of cutoffs. If you want, you can wear them like this. Be aware that fraying will take place and as you wash them, they will begin to come apart where you made the cuts. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it may look in style for shorts made out of jeans.
For a crisper look, you want to hem the bottom of the shorts made out of jeans. Turn the shorts inside out. Fold the short legs up at the bottom. You are looking at the shorts made out of jeans inside out, with just a cuff of the side you wear showing. Use some type of pins to secure the cuff as you work.
Sew a hem by starting at one side of the jeans and working your way around. A sewing machine will make this easy and not take very much time. The most important part of this step is to make sure that both sides of the jeans shorts are even. Take the time before sewing to double check.