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5 Ways to DIY Summer Shorts

Budget: $$, Crafts, D.I.Y. Project, Fashion, One Day Project, Sewing, Style
By Emma Chapman

Make your own summer shortsSide note: I used to HATE wearing shorts. Up until last year I think I had one pair of knee-length cut-off hipster-riding-a-bike shorts. I think moving back to the super humid Midwest two years ago was part of the transition. Also, I think just getting older and becoming more confident is part of it too (if I'm being honest here, and, I guess I am). Now I'm a shorts lover. I made a pair of southwestern style shorts early on this season and then I caught the shorts DIY bug. Here's five super simple ideas for making your own pair of summer shorts!How to make doilie shortsDoilie shortsDoily shorts. One part grandma and one part beach babe. Wait, does that even make sense? The idea behind these is simply to find a cute fabric or an applique to sew on to your shorts. All the shorts in this feature were thrifted and washed. Then I roughed up the bottom hem of these using scissors.Doilie shorts diy1. Supplies: doilies, needle & thread. 2. Simply sew doilies all along the hem of the shorts. Southwestern style shortsSouthwestern shortsThese southwestern shorts were created using the same technique. I got the southwestern fabric from a child's poncho I thrifted and cut to fit my shorts. I've washed my shorts a couple of times now and the southwestern ones do fray, which I think adds to the look. But keep in mind that un hemmed edges of any fabrics or appliques you use will fray as you wash them.How to make stripe shortsStriped shortsThese black and white shorts have a more mod feel, plus I love vertical lines. I like to pretend they make me look taller. 🙂Black and white shorts1. Supplies: contact paper, scissors, paint, paintbrush. 2. Begin by cutting long, thin strips of contact paper and apply them vertically all across the shorts. 3. Then, paint between each piece of contact paper. Let them dry over night and remove the contact paper. Fringe shortsCream fringe shortsThis is a fun way to add some texture to your shorts. You could add fabric to look like flowers or polka dots; we added fringe. I wanted the delicate fringe to mimic feathers. I love how these turned out, but I will say that these are hand-wash only since they could easily be damaged in the washing machine.White fringe shorts1. Supplies: Sheer fabric, scissors, sewing machine. 2. Begin by cutting out strips of fabric and sewing them in layers onto the shorts. 3. Then, take scissors and fringe each layer, creating a feather like look!How to make bleached shortsBleached shortsI love the look of these ombre bleached shorts. These are inspired from I Spy DIY. Ombre bleached shorts1. Supplies: shorts, bleach, bucket, white vinegar, shorts hanger, and water. 2. Begin by filling a bucket with two parts water one part bleach. Place shorts into the bucket as far down as you would like to begin the bleaching process. Depending on how dramatic you would like the bleaching effect to be, leave them in the bucket for 5-30 minutes. Five being the minimal bleaching and thirty being the longest. Depending in the material, you might have to re-dip them multiple times to get the right effect. 3. Next, to stop the bleaching process dip the shorts into a bucket of two parts water one part white vinegar. Be sure you use white vinegar and not regular vinegar, since regular can create a very harmful chemical when mixed with bleach. Let them dry, and then hand wash them or wash them alone in the washing machine and dry them in the dryer. 

Have fun making your own summer shorts this season! Emma

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