DIY distressed high waisted shorts!

I needed a project to get me through this gloomy day. Looking for jobs online can only entertain me for so long.

That's when I remembered this old pair of jeans I bought at a thrift store for $6. I had some pretty big plans for these babies!

And Trent just couldn't stop laughing at them.

Trent: "MOM JEANS!!!"
Me: "What!? You don't like these!?" ;-)    

Here is the BEFORE

So hott, I know.

First thing I did was chop the pant legs off a little longer than I wanted them.

Next I put the pants on inside out and drew a line with a pencil on where I wanted to cut. I cut along the line, then cut the other leg to match. 

I cut a half inch to an inch longer than I hoped for to leave room for fraying. I have made the mistake before of cutting them too short. The more you wash, the shorter then get. 

Next I cut slits like this.

Be sure to not cut the pocket on the front of your shorts, or you will be showing your undies!

I also frayed the edges of the pockets and around some of the stitching by rubbing a sharp scissor against it. 

Here they are right before sticking them in the wash.

I didn't put them in the dryer, because the fraying was a little more intense than I had planned! Holy distressed shorts! I love it!

(Looking super blue because they're wet)

I let them sit outside for about an hour and a half.

I decided they needed something more. 

I whipped up some diluted bleach (about a 1/4 cup water, 3/4 cup bleach) and blotted around the frayed pieces, waist line and stitching. *Note: the shorts were still a bit damp. I think it made the bleached areas not quite as harsh.

I also used a tiny travel sized spray bottle with diluted  bleach to create random spots. 

I let the bleach sit for about 7 minutes until it reached a color I liked. 

Next I rinsed them and soaked them in the sink for 30 minutes. 

YES!

After soaking, I threw them in the wash again. During the second wash, some of the holes got a lot bigger. Next time, I will make my slits farther apart to avoid this.

Regardless, I am super happy with the results! Here is the AFTER:

I asked Trent what he thought of them after I was done..."Hot mama!"

HAHA! Very sly with his words. He still categorizes high waisted anything in the mom category, but I can't expect him to keep up on all the latest fashions! ;-)

One more BEFORE and AFTER:

Not too shabby for $6! If I get creative I may go back and add some studs to the upper part of the left pocket. 

Happy summer short making!