DIY Distressed Jeans in 4 Easy Steps!

So I have been looking for distressed light wash jeans for a while and I just couldn’t find any that fit me right or didn’t cost an arm and a leg. So I finally looked up a couple different articles on how to distress jeans, and put a spin on it to make it my own. I am all about quick and easy, so I thought I would share my quick 4-step version for anyone who wants to try!

The funny thing was hearing what my boys had to say about it. Brandon: “You are going to ruin those you know.” Matthew: “Uh mom why are you cutting up your jeans?! You better not do that to mine!” LOL. I know what I’m doing, I said! (Kind of but play it cool).

STEP BY STEP WITH PICTURES

I started by taking some light wash jeans I already had (from Ross).

1. Cut out your large holes. I found it easier to put the jeans ON and look in the mirror while deciding where I wanted the holes. I would cut a small line to start, take off the jeans and then cut the rest out. What I love about this is it’s supposed to look somewhat messy, so you don’t have to make it look perfect or even. I made two large holes near the top and smaller holes throughout the jeans. We’ll finish it off with the grater in the fourth step.

2. Decide where you want your small “distressed” parts to be. Cut three of four lines, altering lengths, for a more realistic look. Once slit, take a safety pin and gently pull out the white threads from underneath. I found that grabbing them from underneath was easier than finding them on top. Try not to rip the small threads but if they do it’s not the end of the world! Do this several times to get the full distressed look.

3. Cut the bottom edge off the jeans. I am short (5’2), so I cut off about 5 inches. Again, putting them ON and then deciding where to cut is best. Then I just kind of ran my finger nail along the edge to loosen up the threads a bit. You can sew it so it won’t unravel anymore but… I didn’t because I’m lazy. I might eventually.

4. Take a cheese grater to your large holes. I found this adorable tiny cheese grater from TJ Max for $2. (The cashier said to me, “I have never seen anyone actually buy one of these!” I told her what I was buying it for and she said she’d love to see it a tutorial on it, so here you go!) Just lightly rub the cheese grater over your holes to finish the look off. And make sure to put something underneath like newspaper (or an old bandana in my case because that’s what was closest to me!)

While I was at it, I decided to cut one slit in a pair of black jeans I had too

All in all this whole process took me about 30-40 minutes. I could have even distressed it more but like I said, I’m all about quick and easy. Have you tried distressing jeans before? I’d love to see your results too!