If you read this blog you know I’m a huge fan of distressed jeans. Specifically of the boyfriend variety. You know what I’m not a fan of? That, “hey there’s my naked thigh beneath the distressing” look. For one thing, it just looks, I don’t know, drafty and uncomfortable, to say nothing of the fact that your jeans wear out in about a tenth of the time. I’ve got a great pair of boyfriend jeans from ZARA that came pre-lined on the distressing (bless you ZARA), but it’s a pretty simple process, and I thought I’d share with you all how to do it yourself, since finding lined jeans is nearly impossible.
First, you’ll need distressed jeans (obviously), scizzors, heat-n-bond (you can find it at walmart in the sewing section or at any fabric store), some scrap pieces of denim big enough to cover the distressing. Since I’m a shorty and have to hem every single pair of pants I own, these are easy to come by. If you are a little taller and don’t have to trim the bottom of all your pants, an 8th of a yard of denim should do it. Oh, and you’ll need an iron. (side note: I have a serious crush on my iron–it’s literally changed my life, anyways if you’re in the market, it’s the Rowenta DW8080 Iron Pro Master and you can find it here.)
Step 1: Cut denim about an inch bigger on each side than the distressing.
Step 2: Preheat iron to medium (wool) setting. Turn off steam.
Step 3: Cut out heat-n-bond to match scrap denim. Place adhesive, paper side up on the right side of the denim. (normally you’d do the wrong side, but everything is backwards on this one. ;-) Place and hold iron on the paper side of the heat-n-bond for 2-4 seconds, gliding iron to the new area and pressing, slightly overlapping until the entire surface is bonded. Allow denim to cool.
Step 4: Peel off paper backing.
Step 5: place scrap denim, right (adhesive) side down on the wrong side of the pant.
Step 6: Press and hold iron for 10-15 sec. on each section until entire piece is bonded.
Allow to cool and Voila`!
It’s a pretty simple process, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask away in the comments. And never be afraid to mess with your clothes and make them your own. ;-)
