Last Updated on August 6, 2022 by Ellen Christian
Have you ever wondered how to fray jeans? I love the way Mother Step Fray jeans look but wanted a way to fray denim myself to get the same look.
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Once you know how to fray denim, you can use the same technique on jean shorts, skirts, and pants. You can even use the technique on skinny jeans.
Do you love jeans as much as I do? Why not learn how to wear a cardigan with jeans.
Table of Contents
How to Fray Jeans
Frayed hem jeans are all the rage right now. And, so many people are buying the Mother Step Fray Jeans to get the look. As much as I love the look of Mother Denim products, the price tag is a bit out of my budget.
Thankfully, it’s fairly easy to fray denim yourself. And, you can use the technique on any brand of jeans you happen to have in your closet today.
Or, if you don’t want to experiment on your favorite pair of jeans, head to the Goodwill or a thrift store and pick up a cheap pair of jeans to learn with.
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How do you rip and fray jeans?
If you want to distress jeans, you will need to rub at the denim material with sandpaper and then fray the small tears with tweezers. This technique is typically done at the thighs or calves.
Be careful doing this around the backside of the denim or you may end up with a hole where you don’t want one.
Once you learn how to fringe jeans, you can add a bit of distressing to them as well.
How do you fray jeans with a cheese grater?
So, how do you rip jeans without sandpaper? Use a cheese grater. If you’re wondering how to firing jeans fast, try this method on the hems.
Again, this technique is typically done on the legs of your jeans. Instead of using sandpaper, use a cheese grater in an up and down motion to make holes and tears. This method will give you a more distressed look than sandpaper will.
How do you distress the bottom of your jeans?
You will need to very carefully cut off the hem of your pants. Then, using small scissors and tweezers, you’ll need to make little cuts on the bottom of your legs.
When cutting the hem, be sure to leave the side seam a little bit longer. This is the classic look for Mother Step Fray jeans. Check them out here so you can see what I mean.
What types of denim does this work on?
This technique should work on any pair of jeans you have. But, denim that has a larger percent of rayon or lycra for stretch may not fray quite the same way as denim that has a lower content.
You can also fray your jean skirt or your jean shorts. So, how do you shred jean shorts? Just use the same method you would for pants.
Necessary supplies for fraying jeans
If you don’t want to distress the material, you will not need the first two things on the list.
- Fine sandpaper (for distressing)
- Cheese grater (for distressing)
- Sharp fabric shears
- Tweezers
- Needle and thread
- Tailor’s chalk
- Ruler
How to fray jean bottoms
This is the best way to fray jeans.
- Draw a line around the bottom of your jeans using chalk
- Very carefully cut around the line being sure to leave the inseam a bit longer
- Using your tweezers, pull tiny pieces of the hem out for a frayed look
- Turn your jeans inside out and place tiny stitches at the top of the frame to avoid them from unraveling too far (optional)
What do you think? Is this a technique you would try?
More denim articles
Now that you know how to fray the ends of jeans, you may want to read these.
- Wear a denim jacket with a floral dress
- How to wear pearls with jeans
- Fabrics that don’t need to be ironed
- DIY Coin Purse tutorial
Ellen believes you can feel beautiful at any age and size. She shares healthy beauty and fashion information geared toward women over 40. She is a direct sales rep for several fashion and beauty businesses.