I never thought a $5 pair of Lee mid-rise jeans from Goodwill, some bleach, sandpaper and Fabric scraps could be the secret to some seriously sweet and easy cutoffs. Oh surprises, they are the spice of life.
So, if you’ve got some time to kill, and money to save. Grab some old jeans, and try out this easy DIY.
DIY Peek a Boo Distressed Cutoffs.
Tools: Old Jeans, Bleach, Old toothbrush, Sandpaper, Fabric scraps, Needle and Thread.
1: Cut off jeans. I recommend going longer than you think. You can always go shorter if needed.
2: To Bleach- Dip an old toothbrush in bleach, and splatter bleach on the jeans by scraping your thumb across the bristles. For larger bleached blobs, brush directly on areas of the jeans. Do this over concrete or something you don’t mind accidentally getting bleach spots on.
3: To distress – Place a rock or brick between the front and back of the jeans, and scrub with sandpaper until desired distressing is achieved. I recommend distressing enough so it’s just before a hole starts. Make sure to go along the tops of the pockets, as well as waistband and belt loops.
4: Wash and dry jeans (in a load of clothes you would use bleach with, aka whites.)
5: Flip jeans inside out, and place a square of fabric between the leg and front pocket.
6. Cut the fabric about 2" below the pocket, in the pocket shape.
7. Fold up the extra 2" of fabric and using a needle and thread sew it onto the pocket, making sure you go through the fabric on the other side of the pocket as well. So you are sewing a pocket over the bottom half of the pocket.
8. Repeat on the other side.
9. Flip jeans right side out, and fold up fronts if you want the pockets to peek out.
10. Wear the next time you go to the beach, and the next, and the next…
Enjoy!