How to Fray Jeans

Last Updated on November 1, 2026 by Ellen Christian

Want to learn how to fray jeans at home? Creating a frayed hem is an easy way to update an old pair of jeans without spending money on a new pair. Whether you want a slightly distressed edge or a more dramatic fringe, you can customize the look to suit your style.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to fray the bottoms of your jeans using a few basic supplies. You’ll learn how to cut denim evenly, create a natural-looking frayed edge, and keep your jeans from unraveling too much.

This simple DIY denim project works well for straight-leg jeans, skinny jeans, and other denim styles. It’s also a great way to give thrift-store jeans a fresh look.

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.

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.

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 fray 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 fray to avoid them from unraveling too far (optional)

What do you think? Is this a technique you would try?

Tips for Getting an Even Frayed Hem

Before cutting your jeans, try them on with the shoes you normally wear and decide where you want the finished hem to fall. Mark both legs with tailor’s chalk and use a ruler to check that the lengths match.

Start by cutting off a small amount of fabric. You can always shorten your jeans more, but you can’t put the fabric back once it’s removed. Use tweezers to gently pull out individual threads along the cut edge until you achieve the amount of fraying you want.

For a more natural-looking finish, wash the jeans after cutting and fraying them. Check the hems afterward and trim any excessively long threads. If you’re worried about the denim unraveling too far, add a line of small stitches just above the frayed edge.

Tip: Practice on an inexpensive pair of thrift-store jeans before altering your favorite denim.

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