Refashion Friday Inspiration/Tutorial: Scallop Hem Denim Jeans Cut-offs/Shorts

This week's Refashion Friday garment inspiration deliberately moves away from the nautical look I  may be eternally associated with. Instead a present to you an idea for reworking a pair of jeans into shorts suitable for the coolest music festival! Instead of your standard cut-offs, these have an 'on-trend' scalloped edge that is super-simple to create.

First up, cut the legs off your old jeans. Either using a round object to draw round or first make yourself a scallop shape guide from cardboard (I did the latter because I was making multiple pairs of these so making the guide saved me time), draw the scallop shapes on the reverse side of the denim. I used a biro so the lines would be very visible but will wash away. Make sure you keep the scallop marking symmetrical. I did this by folding the shorts in half to compare the legs. It's unlikely that the scallops will meet up perfectly once you have marked all around the leg. You'll probably need to fudge it a bit so make sure that happens at the inside leg seam where it'll be less visible. 

Select a sewing thread that is as close in colour to the right side of the denim as possible. As carefully as possible, follow the biro line and stitch along it with a narrow straight stitch. When you get to the corner/angle, keep your sewing machine needle lowered piercing the fabric and take the sewing machine presser foot up, pivot your fabric and lower the presser foot again to begin stitching in the new direction. When you have stitched round both legs, cut closely but not too closely to the stitching line. 

The hem of your jeans will now have a raw edge. However, fraying that will naturally occur through wear and particularly during laundering, will be limited by the narrow stitching. In theory, the fraying should be stopped by the stitching, retaining the scallop shapes of the edge. 

To complete the whimsical music festival look I made a simple contrast tie-belt from ditsy floral print Liberty/Liberty-esque print cotton. A faded tan leather belt would also look awesome, IMO.