In this DIY tutorial I'll show you how to make beautiful shorts out of old jeans. We
are making 4 amazing designs perfect for warm summer days.
Hey guys! Look where I am!? I am actually deep in the Norwegian mountains right now,
I came here for a couple of days and it's so beautiful! And here's nobody. Not a living
soul. Not even a single tree. Wait... What if a troll comes? But anyway, this is not
the point of this video because now I'm going to show you four different and totally amazing
DIY shorts ideas. I'm pretty sure you have some old jeans at the back of your closet
that you don't wear anymore, but you do need shorts for summer. And not just any shorts,
you need cute, beautiful, amazing shorts this summer and don't worry, I got you covered
because I'm going to show you how to make them. So let's jump into the tutorial.
First we are making these always fashionable American shorts. They are inspired by the
american flag, so they are full of white -- red stripes and white stars. No, no, no, we don't
have time to nap, we've got some work to do. You'll need old jeans, scissors, a needle,
pencil or a pen, tweezers to distress the jeans, masking tape, star print outs, self-adhesive
or just normal paper, piece of carton board, white and red fabric paint and lastly sponge
applicator or paint brush to apply the paint. First we need to cut the shorts. Try them
on and mark the desired length. You can use a pencil but if your jeans are dark as mine,
a needle will work better. Remember to leave an extra inch of length because we will distress
the edge. And of course it's better to shorten them little by little instead of cutting them
too short at once and ruining your jeans. Also you can use any other shorts you really
like as a guide. I placed my favorite yellow shorts on top of the jeans and cut them a
bit lower than the yellow ones just to be sure. Fold the jeans like so and cut the other
leg. This way they will be exactly the same on both sides. Then try your shorts on! Mine
are to long so I am going to cut them again and I'll make them shorter in the front and
a bit longer in the back. Now it's time to take your anger out and distress
the edge that we just cut. Take your tweezers and start pulling random threads out. You'll
see how your shorts will get this cool distressed edge. Then use a nail file or a sand paper
and rub them along the edges for a softer distressed look. In the end I like to cut
these white strands a bit to make them equally long all around the edge.
Next we need to make some star stencils, which will help us create perfectly shaped stars
on the shorts. I printed several different sizes but in the end I chose to go with this
one, so here I'm just cutting it out. Then place your star on the self-adhesive paper
and outline the shape with a pencil. Repeat this several times until you have enough stencils
to cover one side of your shorts. And now you need to cut the star out of each stencil.
If you don't have a self-adhesive paper, use a normal one and just apply a bit of glue
on one side. Before placing stencils on the shorts you
need to cover the areas you don't want to paint with a masking tape. At least the edges
around the pockets, belt and zipper. This way you'll make sure that no paint stain will
end up there while you're making your design. Plus the edges will be very straight and neat.
Let's start on the left side with the stars. Put a piece of cardboard under the fabric.
This will prevent the color transferring on the back of the shorts and will give you a
flat surface to work on. Stick the stencils on the shorts. You can make a lot of smaller
stars or few bigger. I decided to go with a medium size, because I wanted the stars
to be seen in all details from distance too. And finally we are ready for my favorite part
-- painting! Dip the sponge applicator or a paint brush in white fabric paint and start
painting! Make short strokes from the edges to the center to get crisp and neat lines.
If your shorts are very dark as mine, make sure to use paint for dark fabric otherwise,
the paint may not show off well. I applied two coats of white for each star to make it
really bright and opaque. When you are done peel off the star stencils and you are left
with beautiful stars! Put the cardboard under the fabric on the
right side. Here we need to make white and red horizontal stripes. Stick tape stripes
closely one above the other like so. Then peel of every other tape stripe and now you
can start painting. Dip the paint brush in the red fabric paint and color the stripes.
For detailed painting I like to use a paint brush, but for larger areas I'm using a sponge
applicator. If you don't have it, a piece of kitchen sponge would work too. Again, make
strokes away from the tape edges to get nice sharp lines. When all the red stripes are
done, peel of the remaining horizontal tape pieces. We need to color these bare areas
in white so dip your paint brush in white fabric paint and start painting. To help you
out, you can also stick a piece of masking tape over a red stripe to protect it. Now
you can quickly color the white stripes making strokes in the direction away from the tape.
When all the white stripes are finished, remove the masking tape from around the edges and
here you go - the front of our American shorts is finished and I am so happy with how it
turned out. I love the contrast between the bright red and white and the dark jeans!
When the paint is completely dry flip the shorts around. Protect the area around the
pockets with the masking tape like so. The shorts look stunning already but we still
have to paint our back pockets. On the left stick the star stencils and color them with
white fabric paint. On the right side stick tape pieces closely one above the other and
then peel of every other stripe to get your stripe stencil. Color the stripes with red,
using a sponge or a brush. Again, I applied two coats of paint to achieve the desired
opacity. Peel away the remaining horizontal stripes and color these areas in white. In
the end remove all the masking tape pieces to reveal your amazing work! I think these
shorts look absolutely stunning! I also added some silver chains on one side and paired
them with a white lacey buttoned shirt and white sneakers
. You can really keep it simple and let your American shorts be the center of attention.
Because they deserve it, right? Next we are making these fun shorts with beads
and ribbon. You'll need old jeans, scissors, fabric glue, colorful ribbon and beads, some
thread and a needle. Start of by cutting the shorts. Here I want to make a cuffed edge...
Similar to my yellow shorts. Therefore I need to cut much lower from edge of the yellow
shorts. About two to three inches below. Fold the pants and cut the other leg. Try on your
new shorts and fold the edge up a couple of times like so. If you are happy with the length
you can use these paper clips to secure the folded edge in place and then take your jeans
off. To secure the folded part, apply a bit of fabric glue on the inner edge between each
clip. Do this all around and remove the clips. Now your folded edge will stay in place exactly
how you want it. It's time to decorate the shorts with bright
colored ribbon and beads! Cut a piece of ribbon and simply stick it on one side of shorts
using a fabric glue. Next, I am going to make a row of beads. Take some thread and a needle.
Fold the thread a couple of times, thread on a needle and make a knot on the other side.
Make the first stitch through the jeans. Then take your beads - I went for minty green ones
- and thread about six of them on. Make a stitch towards the inside of the shorts, then
go about one inch back with the thread and make a stitch towards the outside of the shorts.
Now go once again through the last two beads to secure them in place. Doing this will prevent
that the beaded stripe would start hanging down when you put the shorts on. Add a few
more beads to finish the row. Make a stitch to the inside, then a knot or two and finally
cut away the excess thread. Now you just have to make random beaded and ribbon stripes all
along one side of your shorts. Here I am going for a corally ribbon. This one I'm sticking
in place with a fabric glue and a help of a toothpick. You can also first apply the
glue all along the ribbon and then stick it on your shorts. The glue is quite visible
through the ribbon at first but is much less noticeable when it dries, so it doesn't bother
me. But if you want to you can always sew the ribbon stripes instead of gluing them.
Here I am again making a beaded row, but this time using neon yellow beads. Thread on six
of them and make a stitch to attach them to the shorts. Then thread on another six beads
and make a stitch. Just a few more beads, the final stitch and the row is finished.
Continue like this with some ribbon and some beaded rows randomly for a fun pop of color
and texture on your shorts. And there you have it, the coolest looking pattern! With
such a fun front, we have to balance it out and make a party in the back as well. Therefore,
I'm covering one of the pockets with ribbon and beads. Here comes the first piece of ribbon,
following with the row of beads and so on. I really like the bold colors of my beads
and ribbon, which pop on the dark jeans. This is why recycling old clothes is so much
fun! You get to choose the colors, the materials and designs that suit your skin tone, personality
or go perfectly with that shirt you have laying in your closet because you never know what
to pair it with. Just the final ribbon piece and the pocket
is finished. Again, Flip the jeans around, cut three ribbon stripes and wrap them around
the belt loop for yet another fun touch to these beautiful shorts. I love how happy and
bright these shorts are, and they just scream summer. With shorts like these you really
don't need much accessories. I finished my look with a coral top, some friendship bracelets
and white sneakers.
Next we are making beautiful lace detailed shorts, for which you will only need old jeans,
scissors, nail file, tweezers, lace and fabric glue. First cut the shorts, and I am using
my beloved yellow ones for the guide. I want the front a bit shorter, therefore I am making
some small adjustments until it looks something like this. Try them on to see if you're satisfied!
I am happy with mine so I am taking a piece of tape and sticking it to where I want the
holes to be. It's better to mark the holes with the shorts on to avoid making holes on
the wrong places... you know what I mean. Take the shorts off and cut the holes on the
marked spots. I made two imperfect rectangles. Now we need to distress the edges and the
holes with tweezers, nail files, sand paper, fork, anything you find appropriate.
Pull out some threads, rub the edges with a nail filer and quickly your jeans will get
all ragged and worn out looking. When they seem scruffy and destroyed enough
it's time to grab some lace and cover the holes with it. Cut out a piece that is a bit
larger than the hole and place it on the inner side of the shorts, covering the hole. This
is how it will look in the end, pretty nice right? Apply some fabric glue to stick the
lace firmly to the shorts. Repeat the steps to cover the other hole.
I like making the holes imperfect rather than a perfect square, you could also do it in
a shape of a diamond or a triangle. I just think it goes better with a distressed look.
Now we need to take larger pieces of lace and decorate the legs of our shorts. So just
grab a lace stripe and glue it all around, starting in the back, because that is where
you want the two ends to meet. I like to place the lace on the shorts and then lift it to
apply one glue dot every inch or so. As you do this press it firmly to assure the lace
sticks well to the shorts and won't come off. And this is how our finished lace shorts look
like. I really like the mixture of edgy with the distressed part and romantic with the
lace. It makes the shorts look so cute and girly but cool at the same time. I think these
shorts are super easy to wear, you can combine them with pretty much anything. Here I paired
them with a cropped white top, long golden necklace, some rings and my starred converse.
You could put on brown wedges or sandals, but I kept it rather sporty as I went to play
tennis in the park. Give another life to your old clothes and
be the creator of your own unique style. Along the way you will freshen up your closet, save
money and protect the environment.
Lastly, we're going to make these cool studded spray dyed shorts. You need white or light
wash jeans, scissors, nail filer, tweezers, a piece of self adhesive paper, two rounded
objects like a glass or a lid, spray paint and studs. Take a pen, mark the approximate
length of your shorts and cut the jeans. Try them on and if they are too long, fold the
edge to the desired length, secure it with paper clips and take the jeans off. Now you
can cut the sorts again knowing that they will fit you perfectly. This is just another
way of making a flawless cut on your jeans. Then take your tweezers and nail filer and
distress the edges to your liking. You can also make holes, tear them a bit or do whatever
you like. I decided not to make any holes, instead I will create a piece sign on one
side. Take a piece of self adhesive paper and draw a circle. I am just using a glass
and outlining it. Then make a smaller circle inside, I am using a lid of a moisturizer
or something. Cut the larger circle out and then cut along the smaller circle to get a
ring like this. Now cut one longer paper stripe and two shorter stripes. Combining this four
elements will give you the perfect peace sign stencil.
Before you start spray painting you have to protect your working surface. It's better
to do this outside but in any case put a piece of plastic bag on the ground to protect the
grass or whatever you are working on. I also put an old towel on the plastic bag. Stick
the peace sign wherever you want to have it. I want to have it on the left bottom part
of my shorts.
Put a piece of masking tape on the button because we don't want to color it and since
I am using two spray colors, I decided to protect the upper part of the shorts, while
I am working on the bottom.
And we are finally ready to start painting! Spray your first color allover the bottom
part of the shorts like this. You can leave your color lighter or you can go all out like
me and spray a lot of it to get a more opaque result. Use a paint brush for the edges and
corners that the spray didn't reach. Flip the shorts around and spray the back as well.
This is how they look so far. Now cover the bottom part of the shorts with a plastic bag
and start spraying with your other color. I am using this fuchsia pink. Don't worry
if it looks kinda funny right now, because after a while the colors will start blending
and will create a beautiful gradient. Again use a paint brush to color the hidden areas
around the zipper and under the belt loops. Remove the bag give it a few final sprays
and we're done painting the front. Therefore we can remove the stencil and voila, we are
left with a piece sign on our shorts.
Spray the top part of the shorts on the back as well. Here, I am again spraying it lightly
with the blue to make the gradient more beautiful, and that's it! Let your freshly painted shorts
dry completely and then you can decorate them with studs. I decided to dress up my back
pockets with these cute star studs! First place them on to see where you want to have
them and then you can attach the stars to the pockets. I am using scissors to twist
the metal parts peaking out inside the pocket. I love how these stars pop on the blue color
of the jeans! I like the studded details a lot so I decided to add three square studs
in the front as well. And here we go, our fourth shorts are complete! I am super pleased
with how they look. Love how the studs and distressed edges make the shorts a bit edgy
and grungy but bright colors give them that happy vibe. These shorts are just so full
of detail and life and I decided to pair them with my "It's awesome" cropped top, white
sneakers and some colorful bracelets. Perfect outfit for a happy summer day!
So this were my four DIY shorts ideas. I honestly love them all and I am already wearing them
like crazy, but tell me in the comments down bellow, which design was your favorite. Also
don't forget that I have Instagram, Twitter and Facebook where you can follow me for more
personal updates and also some giveaways. OK, I'm gonna go now because I'm really scared
of trolls. Did you know that they eat stones? That's why the houses here are wooden...