Fashionista 101: How To Rip Your Own Jeans

For a while now, ripped jeans have been all the rage in the world of fashion. And for this very reason, quite a number of big brands have seized the opportunity to adopt the idea in their designs right before selling their merchandise at exuberant prices. Thankfully, you don’t have to part with huge sums of cash in an attempt to fit in with the crowd. All you need to do is learn how to punch holes in your favorite jeans by simply following a few steps. The good thing about ripping your own jeans from home is that it’s easy, affordable and to some extent, fun. You’ll also need a few tools to help you go about this business. These tools will include a cheese grater, some sandpaper, a razor and a thread just to mention a few. Please note that if you don’t know how or what to use the above-mentioned tools for, worry not. I am about to give you a blow by blow explanation on how you can go about putting holes in your jeans using each one of these tools.

Before you even think of looking for the thread, a razor or any other tools you’ll need to punch holes in your jeans, you’d be required to find the right kind of jeans. The first rule of ripped jeans is that they are supposed to fit perfectly. Therefore, you’ll either have to refit them or find other pairs of jeans that fit before proceeding. If you can’t refit your jeans in case they are baggy, then your next best bet should be finding a good tailor to do it for you inexpensively. Thankfully, the refitting process will not only take a few minutes while costing you much less compared to buying a new pair of jeans. Remember that you can rip your jeans either on the knee, high up in the thigh or any point from the knee downward. The area you choose to cut will be highly dependent on whatever floats your boat. Also, make sure your pair of jeans is clean before carrying out any attempts to put some holes in it.

The second thing you’ll have to do is getting your tools ready and close by. Some of these tools in question will include a pair of scissors, a razor blade/a cheese grater/steel wool/pumice stone. Note that the kind of cutting tools you’ll depends on two aspects. The first aspect will be dependent on the kind of frayed look you are going for. Secondly, you are expected to go with whatever cutting tool that’s available to you. You’ll also require a needle and some thread. In some cases, you’ll need a tape measure or a ruler ensure you know exactly where to cut and to what extent. You’d also need some bean bags to hold your needles because, at the end of the day, your safety should always come first. Only once you’ve collected all your tools should you proceed with punching the holes in your jeans and attaining your desired frayed look. And to ensure orderliness during the whole process, arrange your tools on the table as keenly as you can. This will allow you to find whatever you are looking for with ease hence saving you a lot of time and hustle.

Once you have picked your properly fitting jeans and have gathered all the required tools, you’ll proceed to the next step will be deciding where to rip your jeans. This is a very important step because you can only go about it once. This means that you’ll have to go about it with as much precaution as you can master. For this step, you’ll need a marker pen or even better, a chalk. You’ll use either of these items to mark the area on your jeans that ought to be cut out. Feel free to wear your pair of jeans just to see if you’ve marked the right spots before putting your hole. And if you missed the mark, you simply rub off the mistake and make new markings while still wearing your favorite pair of jeans. And once you are satisfied, then you can put it “under the knife”. And if you want it to have that frayed look, then use a cheese grater or sandpaper right before marking your jeans for cutting.

Before you use either a razor to rip your jeans and using the thread to sew the edges, you’ll have to get a firm and flat working surface. Thankfully, you won’t have to go to the shop and get one because a makeshift one can do i.e. your table or ironing surface will do just fine. Thing is, as long as you have a raised, flat surface anywhere in the house, then don’t hesitate using it. For safety reasons, everything on your working surface should be cleared with the exception of the tools you’ll be using to put holes in your jeans. P/S Be keen enough to observe all the safety rules when ripping your pair of jeans in order to reduce the risk of any accidents happening.

Once you’ve made the marks on the knee area of your jeans, the next step will be fraying the areas meant to be cut. For this task, you will be required to get your hands on either some sandpaper or cheese grater. Sandpaper is appropriate for the fraying process simply because of two things; its abrasive surface and its availability. The purpose of fraying is to simply loosen up that the tough jeans fibers. Doing so will make the process of cutting holes into your jeans be a tad easier. If you can’t get your hands-on sandpaper, don’t fret because you can still use either pumice stone, a cheese grater or steel wool. But if you don’t feel the frayed vibe on your jeans, then, by all means, skip the fraying process. You can still proceed with punching the holes in your jeans sans this procedure and still have the end product looking like a million bucks. Your pair of jeans will also still look incredible with properly cut holes on other parts and not just the knees.

Once you’ve successfully used either sandpaper, steel wool or pumice stone to give your jeans that stylish frayed look, proceed to the next step. The next step will involve cutting it the area around the knees area and doing so in a straight line. Don’t forget to be extra careful at this step because this is where things can easily get irreversibly ruined. You’ll start by holding the jeans firmly against the flat and firm surface. Then using a sharp pair of scissors, or razor, make an incision along the frayed area around the knees or any other place that you want to put a hole in. For the umpteenth time, don’t be in a rush! You’ll also be required to occasionally stop and pull the strings around the frayed area in order to give it a much better look. If you do this right, you won’t have to worry too much about the outcome because you’ll definitely love it.

You’ll have to make up your mind on where you want to put extra holes before using the needle and thread to sew up the edges of your jeans to prevent a further tear. And if this is the case, then you’ll be required to simply repeat the above-stated process and you’ll do just fine.

Ripping your jeans along the knee of your jeans should be done by cutting across and not in an up and down fashion. The same should be reiterated when ripping the other extra holes in your jeans. And this is why you’ll need to take some time to watch some educative videos online. Doing so will definitely give you instructions on how to rip your jeans the right way. And after punching a nice hole in your knee area, which should be immediately after a successful fraying process, you can use your fingers to rip it all the way. Using your fingers to do the ripping is highly recommended because it’s much easier to regulate the extent to which you’ll tear up your jeans. It means that you’ll know when to stop ripping as opposed to using tools such a pair of scissors or a sharp razor blade.

Once you’ve successfully ripped your jeans and frayed them using sandpaper or the cheese grater (or whatever), you’ll need to sew the edges. Sewing the edges is important because will not only give your jeans a beautiful finish but will also prevent the edges of the ripped area to extend further. When sewing, please make sure that you are pointing the threaded needle away and not towards your body. The reason for doing this is to keep you safe while working on your ripped jeans. This also means that if you don’t know how to sew even if your life depended on it, then kindly seek help from someone who actually does.

The moment you are done sewing the edges of your ripped jeans, your work would be officially done. Go ahead and rock your trendy jeans and for the love of God, try to feel as comfortable as you’ll look in your new outfit.

Despite the fact that ripping your jeans might seem like an easy task to do, it’s always a good idea to take your sweet time to learn the entire process. Remember to not only take your time to learn but also be careful to follow the above-mentioned steps. Do this and everything will definitely work out in your favor. You can either cut it to the knee area and stop right there or even better, opt to add a few other holes in other places on the jeans. You can also choose to either fray before the putting the holes on your jeans or skip the fraying process altogether – all depending on whatever you feel floats your boat. Last but not least, if you aren’t good at this, then there’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Trust me, you’ll be better off giving your tailor the chance to earn a few extra dollars doing it for you. And trust me, it won’t cost you much!