DIY: Bleached & Studded Shorts

Hey darlings! Good news here, I have another DIY for y'all! The last one I did, Glitter Shoes, received a lot of positive feedback, so I'm really excited to see how much you'll like this one. Enjoy!

First off, here is the pair of shorts I have been drooling over for a while now.. 

You can buy these shorts at Runway Dreamz for $152.00

Just a quick side note -- I went into this thinking that was a completely ridiculous price, but now after making a pair I completely understand why they would charge so much. It must have taken forever to get these frayed so wondrously! 

So here is what you will need to make these shorts!

1. And old pair of high waisted shorts/jeans

2. Bleach

3. Scissors {depending on how much you want to fray, sandpaper would be nice too!}

4. An old bucket

5. A yard stick {or something to hold the shorts over the bucket}

6. Gloves

7. Distilled White Vinegar

8. Studs

I went to the thrift store and found these shorts for $3.00

I opted for a pair that was a little bigger than my size, that way they will be more comfortable while wearing. If you want to take a pair of old jeans and make them cut offs, just make sure you cut below the end of the crotch. {Made that mistake once!}

Here is what you will need next...

I super recommend doing the bleaching process outside because the fumes can be really harmful for you! If you're outside they dissipate quicker and don't stay around your room.. Also please wear the gloves while handling the bleach. An apron is probably a good idea also.

I put my stick through the belt loops to hold them up during the bleaching process. That way only half my shorts were getting bleached. I used the whole can of bleach and then poured in some water to raise the level. I didn't really measure anything, just eyed it. After letting it sit for a half hour I brought them to my laundry room. 

I put them in the sink here, filled with half water and half distilled white vinegar. This part is really important because it stops the bleaching process. After this part the bottom of the shorts should be nearly white. I let them sit in the sink for 10 minutes and then threw them in the wash on a delicate cycle. Make sure you don't wash anything with the shorts for the first few times. Once they were done in the dryer, they looked like this:

Now here comes the fun part! I bought 100 small pyramid studs off of Ebay, I am pretty sure they cost $5.00 with shipping. I would definitely recommend you buy bigger studs, for I didn't quite know how little these were going to be. The bigger the stud the less work you have to do!

You can stud wherever you want on the shorts, I chose to do the back pocket and on the little pocket in the front.  

I unthreaded the left side of the pocket and pulled it down so you would be able see studs underneath. 

To ensure the studs on the back didn't get caught on tights or undies I hand stitched a piece of scrap fabric on the inside of the pocket. I distressed my pair a little bit by pinching the fabric and cutting a hole. Then I frayed it a bit, washed again, and voila! 

If you have any questions about this DIY, don't be afraid to shoot me an email!