Okay, so I had this old pair of blue jeans just sitting in the closet. You know the kind, worn in just right but maybe a little dated for full-length wear, or maybe the bottoms were getting frayed. Anyway, I needed some comfy bottoms for the warmer weather, something casual, and thought, why not turn these into capris?
Getting Started
First thing I did was grab the jeans themselves. Laid them out flat on the floor. Then I hunted down my fabric scissors – the good sharp ones, makes all the difference. Also needed something to mark with, just used a chalk pencil I had lying around, but a pen or even a pencil would probably work fine on denim.
Measuring and Marking
This part’s kinda important. I put the jeans on. Stood in front of a long mirror. I bent my knee a bit, walked around, trying to figure out exactly where I wanted them to end. Just below the knee? Mid-calf? I settled on a little below the knee, felt comfortable. Took ’em off again, laid them flat. Got out a measuring tape, measured from the crotch seam down to the point I liked on one leg. Then I used that measurement for the other leg to make sure they’d be even. Drew a line straight across each leg with the chalk.
- Put jeans on to check length
- Decided on just below the knee
- Took jeans off, laid flat
- Measured inseam to desired length
- Marked cutting line with chalk on both legs
The Big Cut
Alright, deep breath time. Using the sharp scissors, I carefully cut along the chalk lines I drew. Tried to make it one smooth cut per leg. There’s always that slightly satisfying snip sound when cutting denim. Once both legs were cut, I shook them out.
Finishing Touches
So now I had these cut-off jeans. I tried them on again to double-check the length. Looked pretty good! Now, the edges. I had a choice: leave them raw and let them fray for that super casual look, or fold them up and sew a hem.
I kinda like the frayed look for capris, honestly. Seemed less fussy. So, I decided to just leave the edges raw. To help them fray up a bit faster and look more natural, I just tossed them straight into the washing machine and then the dryer. That usually does the trick, loosens up the threads on the edge.
If I wanted a hem though, I would have folded the raw edge up maybe half an inch, pressed it with an iron, then folded it again another half inch to hide the raw edge completely. Then I’d just run a simple stitch along the top fold using my sewing machine, or even just hand-stitched it if I didn’t feel like setting up the machine. But like I said, went with the frayed look this time.
All Done!
And that was pretty much it. Pulled them out of the dryer, the edges were starting to get that nice soft fray. Got myself a “new” pair of blue jean capris, perfect for kicking around the house or running errands. Took maybe, what, 20 minutes total? Super easy project and it felt good to give those old jeans a new life instead of just tossing them. Happy with how they turned out.
