Thrift Store Mom Jeans DIY

Because you know you get excited when someone compliments your clothing and it was less than $5!

Thrift find Joy

So lately I have been truly finding joy in my thrift store finds! First of all, it’s literally an adult scavenger hunt. If you keep an open mind and aren’t in a rush for something specific it’s so rewarding. Also, it gets rid of retail guilt. Whether you’re a mom who struggles justifying any money spent on yourself (I feel you) or you are working on your frugality the low prices at your local thrift store are pretty much guilt-free! Recently, I have found a $15 like new kid’s tee pee tent that is regular $80, a $2 like new Ezekiel jacket that is regular $70, andddddd a $2 pair of jeans that I used for a DIY version of a $90 pair of jeans I had been eye-balling (and absolutely never planned on buying for that much!). The “thrift find” joy is real!

Thrift jeans to MOM JEANS DIY Overview

If you’re on the hunt for a good pair of hole-y mom jeans and have a few extra minutes a day, you can get some for less than $5! It may take a couple thrift store trips to find the jeans that will work for you, but once you have them the DIY process doesn’t take long! You want a wide leg because the “mom jean” fit is all about loose! The first step will be to soak the jeans in a 5 gallon bucket of water and bleach. Pour them into the washing machine once they achieve the desired shade (this could take up to a couple hours). Wash/dry them and then they will be ready to cut/rip. I’m going to post some pictures of the process, along with some important tips that I wish I had known beforehand!

Materials Needed:

• Thrift store find jeans
• Large bucket, container, or a bathtub
• Bleach
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Cheese grater

Breakdown

1. Find your inspiration.
2. Find jeans at thrift store.
3. Bleach jeans to desired shade.
4. Wash and dry.
5. Put jeans on and mark out holes with chalk.
6. Flip jeans inside-out to cut along threads.
7. Separate white horizontal threads. (I used pointed tweezers.)
8. Pull out blue vertical threads.
9. Use cheese grater on pockets and/or hems.
10. Wear them all the time and wonder how you lived without them!!

Keep scrolling for pics and tips!

1. These were my inspo. I’m cheap and will most likely never spend $90 on a single article of clothing!

2. My thrift store find! I always like to check for any jeans with potential and these older Ralph Lauren babies were right on the end of a rack! These were actually my size, but you can always get a bigger size since you can just cinch the waist with a belt. The legs on these were the perfect width for what I wanted!

3. I filled a 5 gallon bucket up about half way with water. I started out with 2 cups of bleach. After checking every so often and adding 2 more cups every time I saw no change, I wound up adding the entire gallon of bleach hahaha! I was expecting a more instant change and think I could’ve achieved the color with a lot less bleach if I would’ve just given it some more time. The gallon of bleach added $2.22 (great value brand) to the total cost of these jeans, but they’re now my favorite so.. worth it!

I wanted mine super light! As soon as they were the shade I wanted, I turned my washing machine onto the drain cycle and just poured everything in. 4. Once all the bleach water was drained, I set it to wash like normal and then tumble dried.

5. I forgot to grab a pic of the chalk outlines. Before cutting, you want to put the jeans on, slightly bend your knee, and mark the point of your knee with chalk. Then mark any other area you are wanting to make holes. Then take jeans off to measure out and mark how big you want your holes. With one hand, push on the chalk marks and with the other hand, match the chalk marks inside your jeans. 6. Then you want to turn the jeans inside out to cut 1/2-1 inch horizontal strips. This is super important!!! I’m speaking from experience, don’t try to cut them unless you have them inside out.

With the pants inside out, you can properly see the horizontal threads. The horizontal threads are what fill the hole, so if you cut them you will have open, gaping holes. Carefully cut along them! A few accidentally cut is okay and adds character, but you want pretty rips haha. 7. After you have your strips cut, use pointy tweezers or a pin to pull out the white horizontal threads (trying your best to keep them in tact).

Pro tip: If your horizontal threads begin to get stuck, carefully trim the blue vertical threads and the horizontal threads will pull out easily again. 8. Once you get down to only a few horizontal threads in your strip, you will be able to tug on and pull out the blue vertical threads. So satisfying! Do this with each hole. 9. Once you finish those, you can use a star blade cheese grater (like the one below!) to rough up any hems. I only did it on the pockets!

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10. Seriously! These are super versatile and they’re my favorite and I hope you can make your own and you should tell me about it in the comments if you do… okay thanks bye!!