Thrifting Thursday
New weekly feature I am going to start doing, is thrifting Thursday. Every week I'm going to try to remember to share with all of you my thrift store finds and then also share some of my DIY projects I do with my thrift finds. I sell a lot of my finds that aren't my size or personal style on eBay. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.
Today I went to Goodwill and the Salvation Army thrift stores. I have both only a couple minutes from my home and wanted to hunt for some vintage or older style Levi's to cut into shorts as well as some fun graphic tees. Here you can see I found 4 pairs of Levi's. 3 pairs are vintage and one pair are black label Levi's that are more current styles but still going to cut them off.
I have a hard time finding shorts in the length I like, I also love frayed cut off style shorts but they are always really short. Being a mother and almost 40 I don't want to wear daisy dukes but I do want to have some cute shorter shorts with a more modest look. I got all the above items for under $20. I went today because Thursday is their 30% off sale on denim at one store and then my mom gets 20% being a senior.
I have already cut 2 pairs and started to fray one pair. I am going to make a video and I will add it to the post later. All you need is a pair of scissors, a ruler and marker. I put the shorts on, mark the inseam and then I like to cut my shorts at an angle going shorter as it goes to the outer thigh. I will mark the inside then the height for the outside. If you aren't sure of the length you want or will need, keep in mind you are going to lose 1-2" fraying them depending on how much fray you like. I always consider this when marking them, then I take them off and use a ruler to line up the marks at an angle leaving me a perfect line so cutting is easy. Once you have cut both sides you simply pull some of the strings sticking out, and once you have done that you begin using the sharp side of the scissors, scraping the bottom of the jeans. Continue to scrap the bottom until you have a decent amount of fraying done. Everyone likes their own personal length, style, cut and amount of fraying. I love a lot of fraying and strings hanging down. Once you have achieved the desired look, or close to it, simply wash them in the washer on heavy duty. You want to wash them cause this helps fray some more and also you just got some used jeans that who knows when they were last washed or where they came from.
If after washing them you aren't happy with the fraying you can always continue to use your scissors to add more and you can also cut any uneven threads too. I also will sometimes cut the jeans then use my sewing machine to sew a quick seam across each leg to secure that my fraying doesn't go any shorter then a certain length. Some older denim is so broke in and soft that you will lose a lot of length washing and they will continue to become more and more frayed or get even shorter.
I will have more tips for fraying, cutting and distressing your old jeans or vintage finds coming later this weekend. I have many tools and tricks from the metal cheese grater to using a razor blade, or knife to create different types of holes, fraying and distressed areas on the denim.
You can also add patches, studs, lace, fabric and thread to your jeans to personalize them giving them your own unique touch, be you and have fun, showcase your own personal style whether it be boho chic, rocker edgy vibes, girly fashionista, bold, more reserved, etc.
Share your fave tips for distressing and fraying with me below, and tag me on IG to share some of your fave DIY creations. Peace love and light
Melissa xoxo
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