How to Make Distressed Jeans Presented by Neketa Kakar May 6th, 2010 English 393

Introduction  The following instructions are for people who want to make distressed jeans. Distressed jeans are jeans that look ripped & worn out. This process is useful for those who want to make use of an already ripped pair of jeans. Or for someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money for destroyed jeans. There are many different looks one can achieve. You should do some research, and find pictures of how distressed you want your jeans.

Materials -Block of wood (or some other solid surface that you don't mind possibly damaging) -Steak knife or cheese grater -Scissors -Sandpaper -comes in many different “grits”. "Grit" refers to the number of abrasive particles per square inch of sandpaper. The lower the grit the rougher the sandpaper. Start with a medium grit, and work up to a finer one for more control. - Sponge -Bleach -Gloves -Goggles -Towels -Tweezers

Safety -Use caution while using steak knife, cheese grater, scissors or any other sharp object. - Wear gloves & goggles while using bleach.

Procedure 1. Place a block of wood (or some other solid surface that you don't mind possibly damaging) within the pant leg, or denim region you want to distress. Also place a towel under jeans.

2. Rub a steak knife, cheese grater, or scissors vertically, or horizontally against the area of denim that you would like to distress. -Rub gently for mild distress. -Rub longer and more vigorously to create more visible distress (such as holes and tears).

3. Take scissors or knife, and go up over the vertical hole you made as though “shaving”, in any direction.

4. Do not cut holes with scissors. This creates an unfrayed and bland hole. - Denim has blue yarns going vertical, and white yarns going horizontal. -Cut horizontal slits about 1 cm apart. -With tweezers pull out the blue yarns, to leave white yarns behind.

5. Fray jeans by rubbing sandpaper around pockets, knees, hemlines, or any other area of denim that you would like to have a soft, worn appearance.

6. Dampen a sponge with bleach and water, and rub it around the outer edges of holes to lighten certain areas of the jeans.

7. Wash your jeans in cold water without any another clothes to remove the bleach, and distress jeans a little more. 8. Wear your newly stylish distressed jeans.

Alternative Methods  You can use pumice stone instead of sandpaper.  You can cut a pair of jeans into shorts and make distressed shorts.  Use power tools with grinding tips to make tears, instead of using a cheese grater or knife.

Sources fashion/2009/09/diy-distressing-your-denim-101.html