Using jeans that are already worn a bit may give you better results than using brand new jeans, but don’t let that stop you from purchasing a new pair for this project. Light to medium wash jeans typically look the best when ripped, as their color lends them a more distressed look. Dark washed jeans look too freshly dyed to be ripped, and might not look as “realistic. ”
If you want to create holes, use scissors, a razor, or a sharp knife to rip your jeans. X-acto knives or box cutters will work as well. [1] X Research source To create a frayed look, use sandpaper, a cheese grater, steel wool, or a pumice stone. [2] X Research source
While you can use pencil, pen, or chalk to mark the lines, chalk is the safest for the material and least likely to result in mistakes. If you accidentally mess up your lines in chalk, you can easily wash them out with a little water! Generally, most people only rip around the knees of jeans, though you can rip anywhere around the leg of the pants. Try to aim a little higher than your knee, so the tear won’t get super-big as you walk around. Every time your knee bends, it might catch the hole and rip it more. Don’t rip too high, or your underwear might show.
Alternatively, you could even use a cutting board, an old book or stack of magazines, or anything you wouldn’t mind cutting into. Just don’t do it on the kitchen table, if you’re using a very sharp knife.
Use a variety of different tools. Alternate between using sandpaper, steel wool, and your pumice stone if you have everything. This may take a bit of time depending on the thickness of your jeans to start. If you’d rather just cut the jeans, go ahead. You don’t have to weaken them first, unless you want them to look frayed.
Make the rip across your body, not up and down. This looks more natural.
Avoid cutting the hole too much, as this will give a very clean, unnatural edge to the fabric. Alternatively, you can also just cut a small hole and let it grow as you wear the jeans. It’ll look more natural this way.
If you want the jeans to grow over time, feel free to nix this step. If you want to learn more about sewing jeans, read this article.
