Bleach Print Shorts Tutorial

Top: Maternity Asos,  Panama Hat: JC Penny, Similar Shorts: Maternity Old Navy, Ralph Lauren

Hellllllllo Summer. We hear you loud and clear all of a sudden in Utah!

It's only June and already it's been a challenge to combat the heat, since we don't have AC in our jeep or house. Yep, and I'm pregnant let's not forget.

But I try to be resourceful, so what does a girl (who's first pregnancy was in the dead of winter) do? Make her old maternity jeans into shorts, that's what!

I can already foresee a couple more pairs getting the chop...

And not only that, but I've also transformed them from plain jane cut offs to cute patterned shorts. So whether you're pregnant or not, this tutorial is for you, because cut off and patterned jeans are totally having a moment. Click the link below to see the tutorial!


Materials:

• Any old jeans that are in serious need of some glam!
• Clorox Bleach Pen
• Scissors
• Ruler or Cardboard (from old cereal box)
• Pattern Inspiration

Tutorial:

Step 1: Take an old pair of jeans and chop them off, slightly longer than you want your shorts to be.

Step 2: Using a bleach pen, practice some patterns that you like on the scrap pieces. I was going for a similar design to these patterned shorts from old navy.

Step 3: Once you've decided what to do, use a ruler or cardboard to paint the pattern on the jeans evenly using the bleach pen. 

Step 4: Follow the fabric grain on the front, making it look as straight up and down (if you're doing lines) as possible. Then stop at the side seams.

Step 5: Once you've finished the pattern on the front of the jeans, rinse the bleach off in cold water. 

***If your pattern doesn't take too long to draw, you might wait a few minutes for the bleach to work it's magic before rinsing. 

Now, repeat steps 4 and 5 for the back side of the jeans. As you can see above, they are wet, but that was not a problem with the bleach at all.

Step 6: Finally, wash and dry the jeans all alone. Try them on, then either trim off any excess length that you might not want, or roll up to give your shorts the cuffed look.

Try pairing them with a stripe top like I did for a pattern-mixing look. Then top it off with a Panama hat and some sandals... you'll love this simple summer look! Shop my look below: