"We need to learn to make these shorts!" tutorial

"We need to learn to make these shorts!" tutorial

• 3.29.2010

You know the shorts I'm talking about.  I've seen them in every April magazine issue I've received recently--InStyle, Lucky, People StyleWatch, Cosmo (ick), and Glamour.  Here's a page from my InStyle with quite a few choices to get the look, prices ranging from $25-$167.  I've seen them at Target even., not too expensive, but it's much more eco-friendly to make some out of jeans from your closet!  I like that they're cute and trendy but not short-shorts, not too snug, and not the kind that you have to keep tugging down your inner thighs.

Of course we need to learn to make these ourselves!!I set out to make a pair and have written up a tutorial for you.  Here's how to make some longish denim shorts yourself!

• Start with a pair of loose-ish jeans--snug ones would work, but the look is a little bit softer.  I think jeans with or without stretch would work, but mine are 100% cotton.  Suuuuper old Abercrombie ones, from Goodwill Outlet, the holes are kind of beyond mend-able.

• Figure out how long you want your jean shorts to be.  I wanted mine about 12" from the center of the inseam, including a 2" cuff.

Cut!  Leave a 1/2" seam allowance, so 12.5" from the crotch.

• Now, you can't just fold the jeans back and cuff them, like you do rolling up jeans to capri them.  They taper as they go down the thigh, so they're several inches smaller in circumference as you get closer to the knee.  It would not work to just fold it back.  So, take the flared part of the jeans and flip them around 180.  Find the part that's the same circumference as the end of the jeans.

 I want the cuff to be 2", so there will be a 1/2" seam allowance on the top and bottom--cut a 3" piece.

• Turn the cuff piece back 180 again.  The shape will be like an hourglass, and you'll be switching the inseam and outside leg seams.  See the topstitched side is on top on the cuff piece, but on the inseam on the main piece?

• Flip the cuff piece inside out inside the main piece, and pin.

• Sew with a 1/2" seam allowance.

• Press under 1/2" hem.

• Press the seam allowance from the two pieces toward the top of your jeans.

• Fold the cuff piece back and press so that the seam is just under the center of the fold, hidden by like 1/8".

• Hand-sew the hem down using a hidden whip-stitch, all around on both legs.  I used minimal pinning to keep the 1/2" turn under in place.

• That's it!!

Hope you got that.  The whole process is more complicated than just turning under a hem, but trust me, it works soooo much better.  Now you can have comfy, non-scandalous, cute jean shorts--from jeans you were thinking about throwing away!  This is one spring trend I am totally into, and I hope you all are too.
Happy recycling!