The Blue Jean Baby Project is back! I took a week-long break, during which time the mister stole the camera away to Bonnaroo. We are now on to the shorts part of our segment--with this week and next week concentrating on "jorts." In case you missed them, here are the other three pairs of jeans I've already transformed: 1, 2, and 3.
The jeans: I've had this pair of Big Star jeans for a long time but wasn't really wearing them because the bottoms had gotten shredded in the back. Since I'm loving denim shorts this summer I decided to make them into shorts with some fun details.
The inspiration: I had two specific inspirations for these shorts. First, a pair of Revolve Clothing jean shorts I spied with zippers along the outseams. If you've ever tried to turn a pair of jeans into cut-offs, you'll know that they often end up too tight on the thigh--like denim biker shorts. But adding zippers to the sides is a perfect way to give you more room in the thighs, right? And then I saw these lovely patchwork shorts from Roxy. Bam, inspired.
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| Sources: Left, Lost and Found 2 Shorts from Roxy. Right, Alex Zipper Shorts from Revolve Clothing |
The cost: $4 for zippers. I bought 2 Coats & Clark 7" closed bottom sport zippers. You may also want to pick up some denim thread (approx $1) and a zipper foot for your sewing machine if you don't already have one (approx $2).
The time: 2 hours
The process: Cut off the legs of your jeans at the length of your choice. Then tear out the outseams so that they're open the same length of your zipper. Pin your zipper in place, install the zipper foot on your sewing machine, and sew that bad boy on. I was really nervous about this part because I hadn't installed a zipper before but I found it really easy and I like the way it turned out even if it's not technically perfect.
This denim thread was the best because you couldn't see my stitches at all so I didn't have to worry about being neat.
Here's the finished zipper stitched in place:
Next I pinned squares of scrap fabric in place to my liking and stitched them on. Here they are nicely frayed after one wash.
Jump for joy - you're done!
