Friday 27 July 2012

Refashion Friday Inspiration/Tutorial: Scallop Hem Denim Jeans Cut-offs/Shorts


This week's Refashion Friday garment inspiration deliberately moves away from the nautical look I  may be eternally associated with. Instead a present to you an idea for reworking a pair of jeans into shorts suitable for the coolest music festival! Instead of your standard cut-offs, these have an 'on-trend' scalloped edge that is super-simple to create.


First up, cut the legs off your old jeans. Either using a round object to draw round or first make yourself a scallop shape guide from cardboard (I did the latter because I was making multiple pairs of these so making the guide saved me time), draw the scallop shapes on the reverse side of the denim. I used a biro so the lines would be very visible but will wash away. Make sure you keep the scallop marking symmetrical. I did this by folding the shorts in half to compare the legs. It's unlikely that the scallops will meet up perfectly once you have marked all around the leg. You'll probably need to fudge it a bit so make sure that happens at the inside leg seam where it'll be less visible. 


Select a sewing thread that is as close in colour to the right side of the denim as possible. As carefully as possible, follow the biro line and stitch along it with a narrow straight stitch. When you get to the corner/angle, keep your sewing machine needle lowered piercing the fabric and take the sewing machine presser foot up, pivot your fabric and lower the presser foot again to begin stitching in the new direction. When you have stitched round both legs, cut closely but not too closely to the stitching line. 


The hem of your jeans will now have a raw edge. However, fraying that will naturally occur through wear and particularly during laundering, will be limited by the narrow stitching. In theory, the fraying should be stopped by the stitching, retaining the scallop shapes of the edge. 


To complete the whimsical music festival look I made a simple contrast tie-belt from ditsy floral print Liberty/Liberty-esque print cotton. A faded tan leather belt would also look awesome, IMO. 

17 comments:

la inglesita said...

Wow! So simple yet amazing refashion idea. Love the idea of letting the hem fray a little, very clever!!

If it helps to someone I have a fool proof way of cutting both legs exactly the same: I put one leg inside the other, the same way you do when sewing the crotch, and cut them out as one.

Thanks for this series!
María

Ruthsfashion said...

Wow, I just don't what to say but short pants is fabulous.. and sexy.
I am going to do the same too...

Ruth
The Netherlands

Claire (aka Seemane) said...

These look so cute! Nice refashion hun!

Kirsty said...

Another great refashion.

katherine h said...

These are really cute! Nice take on the cut-offs

Sarah said...

Thats so cute, I would never have thought of putting a scallop edge on denim shorts but they do look really lovely.

Roxy said...

Adorable. Now I just need to find some pants to cut up!! What a great spin on cut off shorts.

Becky said...

Such a cute simple idea! I need to thrift some shorts for this purpose!

Becky
xx

http://www.beckybedbug.com

Anonymous said...

Wow, I love these! I have the perfect pair of jeans too where the knees are all worn out that I could do that to. Thanks for the inspiration and tutorial! I love the liberty tie belt too! Fantastic job!

Anonymous said...

Uber cute! Maria, thanks for the tip to get the legs the same.

Marghe said...

I like it!!now i have to find the right pair of jeans.I have a lot of jeans to refashion, but actually are all to little for me ........

jessiekays said...

How perfect!! I have some shorts I decided I wanted to do this too and was wondering how.. until now!

Fran said...

These are amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing this tutorial. I definitely plan to make these!

sorbetsurprise said...

Oh oh oh I love these! I need them in my life!

Kathryn said...

Thank you so much for the tutorial! I had an old pair of jeans lying about just perfect for this and re-fashioned them last weekend. They don't look quite as cute as yours with your home-made belt but I love them all the same!

Athena's Grove Trims said...

These are SUPER cute! I will have to try them. Think I will add some lace to the scallops too...

Urban Styles said...

I've seen progression in every post. Your newer posts are simply wonderful compared to your posts in the past. Keep up the good work.

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