Summer Craft Project: DIY Lace Shorts

Summertime always inspires me to be crafty.  Every summer I start gathering craft supplies and making lists of all of the cool projects I am going to undertake.  This summer my first order of business was lace shorts.

Is it just me or are shorts getting shorter?  Perhaps mid-20s is just too old to be wearing the teeny short shorts they seem to have in stores these days.  In any case I find myself clinging to old favourites, which is why I decided to fix up a couple of pairs that I used to love but could no longer wear.  The darker pair had gotten too short and a bit too tight for my liking, while I had spilled nail polish on the lighter pair (oops!)

In order to make the darker pair longer I used a stitch ripper to take out the hem, and then ironed it flat.  In order to make them a bit looser on my thighs I lay the shorts flat and cut triangles from each side.  You can either eyeball it our measure like I did.  The lace was taken from a cheap lace skirt I found at Wal-Mart but any lace material will do.  I cut the tiers off the skirt making a long strip of fabric, which I then cut to size.  Next I simply sewed the lace to the inside of the triangles, making the cute cut-outs on the side of the shorts.  For added flare I cut a piece of lace to the size of the butt pocket and used some fabric glue to attach it.

I was so thrilled with how the first pair turned out I decided to use some of the lace to cover up a nail polish stain on what had been my favourite and most worn pair of denim shorts.  I simply cut the strips of lace into the size I needed and glued it to the shorts using fabric glue.  I started with the tier at the hem of the shorts and worked my way up to achieve the layered effect.  I wanted to enhance the textured appearance so I chose not to glue down the ends of the lace.  Again I cut a square of lace into shape and glued it to the butt pocket.

Overall I am extremely happy with how these turned out!  It is always a great feeling to take something you hardly wear and transform it into a new favourite with a few easy steps.  All you need to make your own lace shorts is:

• Denim Shorts (old or new)
• Lace material
• Stitch Ripper (optional, for taking out the hem)
• Needle and Thread
• Fabric Glue (optional, for gluing the lace to the back pockets)

If you decide to take out the hem of your shorts, don’t worry if they don’t look distressed enough for your liking at first.  The edges will fray as you wash them giving your shorts a more vintage look.  You can look to Pinterest for tons of inspiration and more ideas on making lace shorts.  Happy DIY-ing!