How to: Cut Out Jeans

Hello, cold knees!

At the moment, it seems that any crafting time I have is being taken up with a certain project involving crochet flowers. It was therefore very nice to become reacquainted with the sewing machine this week, as I ticked off a project I've been meaning to complete for a while now - a pair of cut out jeans. I'm glad I got around to making these now, as I don't think my knees would be able to survive any cooler temperatures!

Read on for the instructions...

You'll need an old pair of jeans, some scissors, and a sewing machine (that's it!). I've had this pair of jeans for what feels like forever, so they were in desperate need of a little refashion. This tutorial works best with skinny or straight leg jeans, but feel free to try them on whatever trousers you fancy.

Try on your jeans, and mark out where you would like your cut out to be. Remember that you'll be hemming the cut out, so it will actually sit a little higher than where you cut. I wanted my cut outs to be roughly on my knees, so I marked this with tailor's chalk. Measure across in a straight line, before cutting your jean legs into two halves. Make sure that the cut is in the same place on each jean leg.

On the bottom half of your jean legs, measure 1 1/2 inches (or 3cm) from the cut you made. Draw a straight line across this measurement, and cut through it. You will now have two loops of fabric, which you don't need at the moment, but don't throw them away - we'll be using them later.

Hem all raw edges on your jean legs (this will be four in total - two on each leg). Take your time over hemming, as both legs will need to be the same length after hemming.

Now to attach the legs together again. Bring back your spare fabric loops, and make one cut in each, so that you can lay them flat. Turn these into straps, by folding them in half lengthways, and tucking the raw edges inside before securing by sewing. This can be fiddly!

When this is done, you can cut it into four straps the same length. I wanted a thin cut out, but you can make larger ones by cutting your straps longer. Use the straps to secure the lower legs pieces to the upper legs, as shown in these photographs. I used two straps for each leg - one on the inside leg, and one on the outside. Sew securely in place, and your jeans are ready to wear,

No computer trickery - I really am this pale!!

I am really missing wearing skirts and dresses without tights, so these cut out jeans are a nice, more winter appropriate way to get my bare legs kick (pun not intended). They make a great alternative to ripped jeans, for those of us who don't feel quite rock and roll enough to pull off that vibe (just me?). As ever, let me know if you try this, or if you have any tips for adding cut outs to clothes.