Frayed jeans, as a fashion style, have been around for a long time, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere soon. In fact, there are many designer frayed jeans available from top brands. But the great thing is that you can make your own fray jeans at home!
It’s very easy to fray jeans yourself, all you need is a jean you already have in your closet, some tools and tips, and you’re done.
Tools to Fray Your Jeans
Here are some materials you’ll need to fray your jeans by yourself:
- A Pair of Scissors
When fraying your jeans, you will need a pair of scissors to cut the bottom of the jeans
- Tweezers
Tweezers can help you tug at threads to give your jeans a frayed and rough look around the edges at comfortable quality.
- A Cheesegrater
This sharper instrument can help rough up parts of your denim that would naturally tear over time, like the knees or thighs.
- Sandpaper
After tearing and cutting, sandpaper will help smoothen the rough patches made on the jeans before wearing them.
Steps to Fray Your Jeans
Ready to fray your jeans right at home? Follow these step-by-step instructions:
Step 1: Try on your jeans to decide the length you want your jeans to be. You should make sure it fits perfectly.
Step 2: Use a safety pin to mark the spot you want your jean hem to be, and remove your jeans.
You can mark this out with chalk if you want to draw a straight line across. Then place the mark in the front or middle of your jeans leg.
Step 3: Make sure your jeans’ front and back hems are aligned on a flat surface.
Step 4: Using a measuring tape, measure the distance from the bottom hem of the jeans to the mark you made. This will be the new bottom hem once you cut the jeans.
Step 5: With this distance in mind, cut each leg’s side with the measuring tape.
Step 6: Cut from one side to the other using the cut lines and measuring tape (moving it along the leg to ensure an even cut).
Step 7: Take a pair of scissors, open all the way and hold the hem of the raw jeans between the scissor blade and your thumb. Pull the hem through slowly, going against the grain (the direction white threads face). This will loosen the threads. Once you have a few threads lost, pull them from where they originate to the side of the hem.
Step 8: Once you are comfortable with the amount of fraying, move on to the other side and repeat the same process.
Step 9: Wash with regular detergent. Avoid using bleach on your jeans to maintain the integrity of your fabric. Afterward, air dries or tumble dry to enjoy your perfectly frayed jeans.
How to Fray Jeans with Cheese Grater
Another easy way to distress your jeans is by using a cheese grater. This method uses a cheese grater to make an up-and-down motion on the fabric to make holes and tears.
Step 1: Start by marking the areas you want to fray your jeans.
Step 2: Put a piece of cardboard or a protective barrier inside the spot you marked to protect your jeans.
Step 3: Rub the cheese grater up and down on the marked spot. You should start seeing some thread coming apart from the jeans.
Step 4: Pause to check your fraying activity to confirm you have a look you want. If you want holes with horizontal threads, you may need to grate a lot of denim. However, if you want just a rubbed look, you must stop grating before creating holes.
Step 5: Use a tweezer to remove vertical threads across the hole to leave behind the horizontal threads.
What Type of Jeans Can You Fray?
Typically, you can fray any pair of jeans, but jeans with a high percentage of lycra may not fray well. Also, this fraying technique can work on your jean jackets, jean skirts, and shorts. The above method will equally work on softer jeans fabrics. Ensure you are careful while using sandpaper with a finer grain and use a light touch.
Washing Your Fray Jeans
There is no doubt that frayed jeans are so cool, but how do you wash them without causing tears, shrinking, or fading?
Here is how to wash your frayed jeans:
Firstly, turn the jeans inside out before putting them inside the washing machine. Then select the gentle cycle with the least level of agitation. This process will help protect the jeans from any physical damage.
Use warm or lukewarm water for washing to keep the jeans from fading. Finally, hang up the jeans to air dry when the washing machine is done. Avoid using the dryer to avoid shrinkage.
Styling Your Frayed Jeans
Frayed jeans can come in various styles and be worn for different occasions. You can decide to style your Jean for a date or see a movie. Here are different ways you can style your frayed jeans:
- Keep it simple with a T-Shirt
You can’t go wrong with a tee if you want to try out frayed jeans but aren’t sure where to start. A crisp white shirt looks great with these frayed pants, and you can add a leather jacket to make it a little edgier for heading out at night.
- Go For All Denim
Wear a black tee and pair a denim jacket with your frayed jeans for an excellent, all-denim ensemble.
- Smart Casual with Blazer
To create an office-friendly, casual workday appearance, tuck a button-down shirt into your slacks and throw on a favorite jacket.
- Try Creating a Summer Ensemble
These sets of frayed jeans can go with a crop top, beach hat, and sunglasses for a breezy summer styling.
- You Can Get Cozy in a Cardigan
When going outside in the fall or staying inside in the winter, a cardigan, turtleneck, or hoodie jacket will be the perfect addition to your frayed jeans to keep you warm.
If it’s cold outside, then you can use a blanket scarf to feel cozy under the weather. An elongated khaki olive top, open-front cable knit cardigan, suede booties, and spacious shoulder bag should do the trick.
- Crop Top for a Sunny Day
If you decide to make a statement on the streets, going out in a high-waisted crop top and frayed jeans are a perfect fashion choice for different occasions.