Content

• Steps
• Tips
• What do you need

It's amazing why we pay so much for shorts with holes when we could do it ourselves and much cheaper. It's actually pretty easy to do it yourself, so why not give it a try? All you need is a few basic tools and supplies, inside and outside the home.

Steps

1. 1 Find a pair of jeans. If you can't dig up an old pair of jeans that still fit you well, then buy jeans at a sale or at a convenience store. Any pair of jeans that fits well around the waist and hips will work for you.
2. 2 Cut off the legs. Decide how long you want and cut an inch (2.5 cm) or two (5 cm) below. (Don't worry, wear will make them shorter in the end, or you'll have to cut a little to get the same length.) Remember, you can always cut more fabric, but you cannot add fabric back.
3. 3 Whiten your shorts. You can bleach your shorts completely, or simply add bleach in a few random spots. When the shorts are bleached, rinse them. If you don't rinse your shorts, the bleach will continue to discolor your shorts. You can skip this step if you are using an old pair of jeans in your desired color. If you choose to do this step, then wear gloves when handling the bleach.
   • Bleach your shorts completely. Throw the shorts into the bathroom or bucket and fill with enough water to keep the shorts completely submerged. Pour in 1-2 cups of bleach, cover with water and stir. Let the shorts sit in the bleach until they are the right color. Depending on the starting and desired color, this can take a couple of hours or a couple of days.
   • Partially bleach your shorts. Dilute the bleach with at least a 2: 1 ratio of bleach to water and pour the solution into a cup or bucket. Use an old dropper, old toothbrush, or sponge to apply a small amount of bleach to specific areas.
4. 4 Dirty jeans. To make your jeans look yellow or faded, you can stain them with dirt or coffee grounds. Try one of these four methods:
   • Dirty Water Method: To get dirty water, put some dirt in a bucket, fill the bucket with water, stir, and pour the water into another bucket large enough to hold the folded shorts. It is not enough just to mix mud and water; dirt will settle. Watch your shorts until they are sufficiently dyed. Remember that when the shorts are dry, they will be lighter
   • Coffee grounds method: This method will take longer. Pour about 2 cups of coffee grounds and enough water into the bucket to turn it all into liquid. The more water you add, the lighter the stain will be. Place your jeans in a bucket and leave them overnight.
   • Engine Oil Method: When working on your car, bike, or in the garden, dry your hands thoroughly on your shorts. Engine oil or bike chain stains are nearly impossible to clean.
   • Collision Method: The "quick and dirty" method involves placing cropped and frayed jeans on the dirty ground and hitting them several times with a car.
5. 5 Wash your shorts keeping the color intact. Use cold water without detergent.
6. 6 Crush your shorts. Rub the edges with a sharp knife. To make holes, place something hard, such as a cement block, underneath where you want the hole to be, then sand it with a piece of sandpaper or a nail file. This process may take a while, but will provide the best result. It will be faster with a sharp object, but not as natural.
   • Your jeans should look more and more frayed every time you wash them.

Tips

• To get the right length, find your favorite denim shorts and attach them to the top. Mark the seams. Cut a little longer as mentioned earlier to allow for wear.
• Use sharp tools to pry the legs off to create stronger, sharper corners.
• If you cut off the shorts that are too long, you can pry out a couple of large holes in the front or back of your legs using a sharp object.
• For a prettier look, make a vertical slit about an inch (2.5 cm) in the side seams and make the front shorter by about an inch (2.5 cm) than the back.

What do you need

• Jeans
• Scissors or sharp tool
• Bath or bucket
• Bleach
• Water
• Dirt or coffee grounds
• Something solid (block of wood or metal pencil case)
• Sandpaper
• Steak knife
• Washing machine