How to Make Frayed Hem Jeans from Thrift Store Clothing

How do y’all feel about the frayed hem jeans trend?  They’re all over the place now and Old Navy has some at pretty reasonable prices.  But my friend, Angie, and I wanted to make our own.  So I took some thrift store jeans over to her house and we got to work.  It was actually a little harder than I thought…  made those Old Navy jeans look even better…lol…  Here’s what we used:

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How to Make Frayed Hem Jeans

• thrift store jeans – Jeans at my local thrift stores run $5.50 to $9.99.  This pair was $5.50.
• fabric scissors – Fiskar fabric scissors are my favorites.
• seam ripper
• grater

I started by deciding how short I wanted my jeans and I cut them off at this length with my fabric scissors.

Then I started picking out the threads with my seam ripper.  This part took much longer than I thought.  The fabric on these jeans was woven tight!  But it was a good project to do while sitting around with friends.

Angie decided to make one of her jeans “fringed” instead of “frayed”, by cutting off the hem and then making 1/2″ strips.  They frayed naturally after she wore and washed them a few times.  This technique was much faster but not the more subtle look I was going for.

She also used the grater to rub some holes in hers.  Sorry, but I forgot to take a picture of that!

Here’s how mine turned out.

Ummmm… I don’t think a modeling career is in my future…lol…

And, for those of you interested, I’ve worn and washed these a lot since making them.  They still look about the same.  The hems didn’t continue to unravel.  Overall, I’m really happy with the result.  

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like these:

• Frayed Hem Jeans at Old Navy
• Frayed Hem Jeans, Shorts, Skirts, and Shirts at Gap
• What to Wear to Flea Markets: Frayed Hem Jeans

I’d love to hear about your thrift store clothing makeovers.  Leave a comment and tell us what you’ve been making!

‘Til the next project,

 Ann @ Duct Tape and Denim

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