How To: Recycle Jeans or Capris into shorts

Tutorial

So I had a pair of jeans that had a hole in the crotch area which I had already previously hacked up to make my dogs jean jacket vests in addition to a pair of capri pants that I decided to use to make some shorts. I've had the capri's since I was in undergrad and they were a boxy fit to begin with on the bottom of the leg and I finally realized they'd serve me better as shorts. I always feel like I have a hard time finding shorts that I like, they're either too short or too tight in the waist/butt but then too loose in the legs or vice versa. That all being said I figured I couldn't go wrong using jeans that I already knew fit me well in the waist. Make sure to click the link to read the full how to.

Supplies needed:
- Pair of old jeans you're willing to chop up
- Pair of shorts that you currently love the fit on
- Scissors or rotary cutter
- Sewing machine (optional)
- A chihuahua who wants to jump into your pictures ( also optional)

Who wants to buy me an iron?

Start by taking a pair of shorts that you like the fit of and placing them on top of the jeans/capris you're turning into shorts.

The most important part is to make sure the crotch area of both the shorts and jeans/capris are lined up with one another. This will ensure that the length of the shorts you are making will end up the same length as the shorts you already have.

Using your rotary cutter or scissors cut off the excess leg part of your pants using the shorts on top as a guideline as far as angle and length. If you're not planning on hemming your shorts and having a frayed version cut them exactly along the shorts you already have. If not make sure to leave at least a quarter of an inch so you can either fold up or hem under. If you're nervous it's always better to cut them longer then you think you'll want because you can always cut off more, you can't add on.

At this point you're nearly done. You should try them on to see if you want them shorter or if they fit fine.

 

Mine were a little long so I went and cut a little bit more off, I also angled them a bit more so that the outsides were shorter than the insides. After I tried them on again in order to check the fit before hemming.

 

I was originally going to just let these fray, but I realized that they looked cute folded up. I folded them up to a length I liked and then pinned a couple areas on the front so that when I took them off I could pin the rest of them to an equal length once I took them off before hemming them.

Once I got both sides all pinned to an equal length I sewed the folded part down right along the bottom edge. I did this to keep them from unfolding, you could also sew them closer to the top of the fold if you wanted to as well. If you don't have a sewing machine you can still fold them over but they might unfold or you can leave them unfolded and let them naturally fray as you wash them. Additionally you can fold them under, turn inside out, and sew creating a natural hem.

And there you have it, an awesome pair of shorts! I didn't get to my second pair because my friend Danielle came over with an old pair of her jeans she was going to get rid of and i helped her patch some holes and turn them into a pair of shorts as well.

What a great short model!!!

Tutorial

So I had a pair of jeans that had a hole in the crotch area which I had already previously hacked up to make my dogs jean jacket vests in addition to a pair of capri pants that I decided to use to make some shorts. I've had the capri's since I was in undergrad and they were a boxy fit to begin with on the bottom of the leg and I finally realized they'd serve me better as shorts. I always feel like I have a hard time finding shorts that I like, they're either too short or too tight in the waist/butt but then too loose in the legs or vice versa. That all being said I figured I couldn't go wrong using jeans that I already knew fit me well in the waist. Make sure to click the link to read the full how to.

Supplies needed:
- Pair of old jeans you're willing to chop up
- Pair of shorts that you currently love the fit on
- Scissors or rotary cutter
- Sewing machine (optional)
- A chihuahua who wants to jump into your pictures ( also optional)

Who wants to buy me an iron?

Start by taking a pair of shorts that you like the fit of and placing them on top of the jeans/capris you're turning into shorts.

The most important part is to make sure the crotch area of both the shorts and jeans/capris are lined up with one another. This will ensure that the length of the shorts you are making will end up the same length as the shorts you already have.

Using your rotary cutter or scissors cut off the excess leg part of your pants using the shorts on top as a guideline as far as angle and length. If you're not planning on hemming your shorts and having a frayed version cut them exactly along the shorts you already have. If not make sure to leave at least a quarter of an inch so you can either fold up or hem under. If you're nervous it's always better to cut them longer then you think you'll want because you can always cut off more, you can't add on.

At this point you're nearly done. You should try them on to see if you want them shorter or if they fit fine.

 

Mine were a little long so I went and cut a little bit more off, I also angled them a bit more so that the outsides were shorter than the insides. After I tried them on again in order to check the fit before hemming.

 

I was originally going to just let these fray, but I realized that they looked cute folded up. I folded them up to a length I liked and then pinned a couple areas on the front so that when I took them off I could pin the rest of them to an equal length once I took them off before hemming them.

Once I got both sides all pinned to an equal length I sewed the folded part down right along the bottom edge. I did this to keep them from unfolding, you could also sew them closer to the top of the fold if you wanted to as well. If you don't have a sewing machine you can still fold them over but they might unfold or you can leave them unfolded and let them naturally fray as you wash them. Additionally you can fold them under, turn inside out, and sew creating a natural hem.

And there you have it, an awesome pair of shorts! I didn't get to my second pair because my friend Danielle came over with an old pair of her jeans she was going to get rid of and i helped her patch some holes and turn them into a pair of shorts as well.

What a great short model!!!