DIY: Ombre Scalloped Shorts? Yes, Please!

I have seen these adorable scalloped shorts before and I've been thinking about making one before we go on our trip to DC. I don't think I'll make my scalloped shorts with Ombre just because I'm thinking about making black scalloped shorts but either way it will be Fabulous!  It looks like it's super easy to make so join me in making one!

Source: doityourselfcrafts.tumblr.com via Molly on Pinterest

                                                                  What we'll need: Jeans
                                                                            Scissors

Measuring cup

Rubber Gloves

Bottle of liquid Rit dye (violet)

Bucket 

Something circular (to trace for the scallops)

Paper for pattern making

Fray Check (here)

Before we start our Fashion project we first have to try on our jeans and mark exactly where we want to cut them. It's always smart to marking long than what you are thinking of first just so it's safe and you can always cut if it's still too long for you, ya know? I've read on somebody's page that they have cut their jeans way too short the first time way too many times and we don't want to go through that. Always make sure to leave a little extra length.

After cutting our jeans into shorts and it's just about the perfect length we will then rinse them with water to start the dying process. 

Next fill the bucket with 2 gallons of hot water (depending on how dark the denim is you are working with you might want a little less water. Use 1 and 3/4 gallon then add 1/3 a cup of dye to the bucket and mix well. Dip the wet shorts about half way into the dye and let it soak for about 10 minutes. 

Remove the shorts and squeeze out excess dye. Add 1/3 a cup more dye to the bucket and mix. Dip the shorts back in the water about a third of the way down and let it soak for 5 minutes or so.

Remove it once again and squeeze out the excess dye. Add the last 1/3 a cup of dye to the bucket and mix. Now dip just the very bottom of the shorts in the dye. Let it soak for another 5 minutes or so.
Remove and rinse until the water runs clear. Then hang the shorts outside to dry in the sun. 

You could maybe dry them in the dryer if it's sunny outside, but I have read that it wasn't suggested because it will cause the bottom to fray and since you still need to cut the scallops you'll want as little fraying as possible. On to the super fun part...  Now that the shorts have dried it's time to scallop them. Iron them flat if you feel you need to and then measure around the bottom of each leg of the shorts. Decide how big you want your scallops and divide that measurement by the size of each scallop to get the number of scallops you will have on each leg. The key is make sure you measure!!! We don't want to make any mistakes on this part and have any bits and pieces of gaps that aren't suppose to be there, show up.

Use something circular that fits the measurement you need and create a pattern to trace. Use the top of a spice jar to trace the scallops onto a piece of paper a few times in a row to create a pattern that could pin to the shorts. Once you have a pattern turn your shorts inside out and trace the pattern around the bottom of the shorts with a metallic pen. Then cut around the guide you've just drawn on. Once you're done cutting your scallops, follow the directions for the fray check to apply it all the way around the edges of the scallops. Phew! Finally, we're done! Wooo hoo!!! :)