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  • In this DIY tutorial I'll show you how to make beautiful shorts out of old jeans. We

  • are making 4 amazing designs perfect for warm summer days.

  • Hey guys! Look where I am!? I am actually deep in the Norwegian mountains right now,

  • I came here for a couple of days and it's so beautiful! And here's nobody. Not a living

  • soul. Not even a single tree. Wait... What if a troll comes? But anyway, this is not

  • the point of this video because now I'm going to show you four different and totally amazing

  • DIY shorts ideas. I'm pretty sure you have some old jeans at the back of your closet

  • that you don't wear anymore, but you do need shorts for summer. And not just any shorts,

  • you need cute, beautiful, amazing shorts this summer and don't worry, I got you covered

  • because I'm going to show you how to make them. So let's jump into the tutorial.

  • First we are making these always fashionable American shorts. They are inspired by the

  • american flag, so they are full of white -- red stripes and white stars. No, no, no, we don't

  • have time to nap, we've got some work to do. You'll need old jeans, scissors, a needle,

  • pencil or a pen, tweezers to distress the jeans, masking tape, star print outs, self-adhesive

  • or just normal paper, piece of carton board, white and red fabric paint and lastly sponge

  • applicator or paint brush to apply the paint. First we need to cut the shorts. Try them

  • on and mark the desired length. You can use a pencil but if your jeans are dark as mine,

  • a needle will work better. Remember to leave an extra inch of length because we will distress

  • the edge. And of course it's better to shorten them little by little instead of cutting them

  • too short at once and ruining your jeans. Also you can use any other shorts you really

  • like as a guide. I placed my favorite yellow shorts on top of the jeans and cut them a

  • bit lower than the yellow ones just to be sure. Fold the jeans like so and cut the other

  • leg. This way they will be exactly the same on both sides. Then try your shorts on! Mine

  • are to long so I am going to cut them again and I'll make them shorter in the front and

  • a bit longer in the back. Now it's time to take your anger out and distress

  • the edge that we just cut. Take your tweezers and start pulling random threads out. You'll

  • see how your shorts will get this cool distressed edge. Then use a nail file or a sand paper

  • and rub them along the edges for a softer distressed look. In the end I like to cut

  • these white strands a bit to make them equally long all around the edge.

  • Next we need to make some star stencils, which will help us create perfectly shaped stars

  • on the shorts. I printed several different sizes but in the end I chose to go with this

  • one, so here I'm just cutting it out. Then place your star on the self-adhesive paper

  • and outline the shape with a pencil. Repeat this several times until you have enough stencils

  • to cover one side of your shorts. And now you need to cut the star out of each stencil.

  • If you don't have a self-adhesive paper, use a normal one and just apply a bit of glue

  • on one side. Before placing stencils on the shorts you

  • need to cover the areas you don't want to paint with a masking tape. At least the edges

  • around the pockets, belt and zipper. This way you'll make sure that no paint stain will

  • end up there while you're making your design. Plus the edges will be very straight and neat.

  • Let's start on the left side with the stars. Put a piece of cardboard under the fabric.

  • This will prevent the color transferring on the back of the shorts and will give you a

  • flat surface to work on. Stick the stencils on the shorts. You can make a lot of smaller

  • stars or few bigger. I decided to go with a medium size, because I wanted the stars

  • to be seen in all details from distance too. And finally we are ready for my favorite part

  • -- painting! Dip the sponge applicator or a paint brush in white fabric paint and start

  • painting! Make short strokes from the edges to the center to get crisp and neat lines.

  • If your shorts are very dark as mine, make sure to use paint for dark fabric otherwise,

  • the paint may not show off well. I applied two coats of white for each star to make it

  • really bright and opaque. When you are done peel off the star stencils and you are left

  • with beautiful stars! Put the cardboard under the fabric on the

  • right side. Here we need to make white and red horizontal stripes. Stick tape stripes

  • closely one above the other like so. Then peel of every other tape stripe and now you

  • can start painting. Dip the paint brush in the red fabric paint and color the stripes.

  • For detailed painting I like to use a paint brush, but for larger areas I'm using a sponge

  • applicator. If you don't have it, a piece of kitchen sponge would work too. Again, make

  • strokes away from the tape edges to get nice sharp lines. When all the red stripes are

  • done, peel of the remaining horizontal tape pieces. We need to color these bare areas

  • in white so dip your paint brush in white fabric paint and start painting. To help you

  • out, you can also stick a piece of masking tape over a red stripe to protect it. Now

  • you can quickly color the white stripes making strokes in the direction away from the tape.

  • When all the white stripes are finished, remove the masking tape from around the edges and

  • here you go - the front of our American shorts is finished and I am so happy with how it

  • turned out. I love the contrast between the bright red and white and the dark jeans!

  • When the paint is completely dry flip the shorts around. Protect the area around the

  • pockets with the masking tape like so. The shorts look stunning already but we still

  • have to paint our back pockets. On the left stick the star stencils and color them with

  • white fabric paint. On the right side stick tape pieces closely one above the other and

  • then peel of every other stripe to get your stripe stencil. Color the stripes with red,

  • using a sponge or a brush. Again, I applied two coats of paint to achieve the desired

  • opacity. Peel away the remaining horizontal stripes and color these areas in white. In

  • the end remove all the masking tape pieces to reveal your amazing work! I think these

  • shorts look absolutely stunning! I also added some silver chains on one side and paired

  • them with a white lacey buttoned shirt and white sneakers

  • . You can really keep it simple and let your American shorts be the center of attention.

  • Because they deserve it, right? Next we are making these fun shorts with beads

  • and ribbon. You'll need old jeans, scissors, fabric glue, colorful ribbon and beads, some

  • thread and a needle. Start of by cutting the shorts. Here I want to make a cuffed edge...

  • Similar to my yellow shorts. Therefore I need to cut much lower from edge of the yellow

  • shorts. About two to three inches below. Fold the pants and cut the other leg. Try on your

  • new shorts and fold the edge up a couple of times like so. If you are happy with the length

  • you can use these paper clips to secure the folded edge in place and then take your jeans

  • off. To secure the folded part, apply a bit of fabric glue on the inner edge between each

  • clip. Do this all around and remove the clips. Now your folded edge will stay in place exactly

  • how you want it. It's time to decorate the shorts with bright

  • colored ribbon and beads! Cut a piece of ribbon and simply stick it on one side of shorts

  • using a fabric glue. Next, I am going to make a row of beads. Take some thread and a needle.

  • Fold the thread a couple of times, thread on a needle and make a knot on the other side.

  • Make the first stitch through the jeans. Then take your beads - I went for minty green ones

  • - and thread about six of them on. Make a stitch towards the inside of the shorts, then

  • go about one inch back with the thread and make a stitch towards the outside of the shorts.

  • Now go once again through the last two beads to secure them in place. Doing this will prevent

  • that the beaded stripe would start hanging down when you put the shorts on. Add a few

  • more beads to finish the row. Make a stitch to the inside, then a knot or two and finally

  • cut away the excess thread. Now you just have to make random beaded and ribbon stripes all

  • along one side of your shorts. Here I am going for a corally ribbon. This one I'm sticking

  • in place with a fabric glue and a help of a toothpick. You can also first apply the

  • glue all along the ribbon and then stick it on your shorts. The glue is quite visible

  • through the ribbon at first but is much less noticeable when it dries, so it doesn't bother

  • me. But if you want to you can always sew the ribbon stripes instead of gluing them.

  • Here I am again making a beaded row, but this time using neon yellow beads. Thread on six

  • of them and make a stitch to attach them to the shorts. Then thread on another six beads

  • and make a stitch. Just a few more beads, the final stitch and the row is finished.

  • Continue like this with some ribbon and some beaded rows randomly for a fun pop of color

  • and texture on your shorts. And there you have it, the coolest looking pattern! With

  • such a fun front, we have to balance it out and make a party in the back as well. Therefore,

  • I'm covering one of the pockets with ribbon and beads. Here comes the first piece of ribbon,

  • following with the row of beads and so on. I really like the bold colors of my beads

  • and ribbon, which pop on the dark jeans. This is why recycling old clothes is so much

  • fun! You get to choose the colors, the materials and designs that suit your skin tone, personality

  • or go perfectly with that shirt you have laying in your closet because you never know what

  • to pair it with. Just the final ribbon piece and the pocket

  • is finished. Again, Flip the jeans around, cut three ribbon stripes and wrap them around

  • the belt loop for yet another fun touch to these beautiful shorts. I love how happy and

  • bright these shorts are, and they just scream summer. With shorts like these you really

  • don't need much accessories. I finished my look with a coral top, some friendship bracelets

  • and white sneakers.

  • Next we are making beautiful lace detailed shorts, for which you will only need old jeans,

  • scissors, nail file, tweezers, lace and fabric glue. First cut the shorts, and I am using

  • my beloved yellow ones for the guide. I want the front a bit shorter, therefore I am making

  • some small adjustments until it looks something like this. Try them on to see if you're satisfied!

  • I am happy with mine so I am taking a piece of tape and sticking it to where I want the

  • holes to be. It's better to mark the holes with the shorts on to avoid making holes on

  • the wrong places... you know what I mean. Take the shorts off and cut the holes on the

  • marked spots. I made two imperfect rectangles. Now we need to distress the edges and the

  • holes with tweezers, nail files, sand paper, fork, anything you find appropriate.

  • Pull out some threads, rub the edges with a nail filer and quickly your jeans will get

  • all ragged and worn out looking. When they seem scruffy and destroyed enough

  • it's time to grab some lace and cover the holes with it. Cut out a piece that is a bit

  • larger than the hole and place it on the inner side of the shorts, covering the hole. This

  • is how it will look in the end, pretty nice right? Apply some fabric glue to stick the

  • lace firmly to the shorts. Repeat the steps to cover the other hole.

  • I like making the holes imperfect rather than a perfect square, you could also do it in

  • a shape of a diamond or a triangle. I just think it goes better with a distressed look.

  • Now we need to take larger pieces of lace and decorate the legs of our shorts. So just

  • grab a lace stripe and glue it all around, starting in the back, because that is where

  • you want the two ends to meet. I like to place the lace on the shorts and then lift it to

  • apply one glue dot every inch or so. As you do this press it firmly to assure the lace

  • sticks well to the shorts and won't come off. And this is how our finished lace shorts look

  • like. I really like the mixture of edgy with the distressed part and romantic with the

  • lace. It makes the shorts look so cute and girly but cool at the same time. I think these

  • shorts are super easy to wear, you can combine them with pretty much anything. Here I paired

  • them with a cropped white top, long golden necklace, some rings and my starred converse.

  • You could put on brown wedges or sandals, but I kept it rather sporty as I went to play

  • tennis in the park. Give another life to your old clothes and

  • be the creator of your own unique style. Along the way you will freshen up your closet, save

  • money and protect the environment.

  • Lastly, we're going to make these cool studded spray dyed shorts. You need white or light

  • wash jeans, scissors, nail filer, tweezers, a piece of self adhesive paper, two rounded

  • objects like a glass or a lid, spray paint and studs. Take a pen, mark the approximate

  • length of your shorts and cut the jeans. Try them on and if they are too long, fold the

  • edge to the desired length, secure it with paper clips and take the jeans off. Now you

  • can cut the sorts again knowing that they will fit you perfectly. This is just another

  • way of making a flawless cut on your jeans. Then take your tweezers and nail filer and

  • distress the edges to your liking. You can also make holes, tear them a bit or do whatever