diy cutoff shorts + printables

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are completely my own. #allEssentials #CollectiveBias

DIY cut off shorts

As a mom to four kids under the age of six, you can imagine that I do A LOT of laundry (a load or two everyday, it’s never-ending!), even more so now that the weather is warming up and we’re spending more time outside. All this extra time outside seems to equate to more wear and tear on my little ones’ clothing. So now, not only am I doing laundry everyday to keep up with my own personal Mount Kilimanjaro in my laundry basket, but I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do with all these perfectly good clothes… that now have huge holes in the knees.

All Essentials in a laundry basket

Mommas, do you feel my pain? Please tell me I’m not the only one! My son especially is famous for wearing out the holes in the knees of his long pants. I don’t know what he does in them all day but I’ve now got a stack of pants that still fit him fine around the waist and aren’t faded or stained at all despite all his rough-and-tumble play, but have huge holes in one or both knees. 

Well, no worries because I’m about to melt some of your stress away and help your budget a little bit in the process. Being on a budget myself, it’s important that I get as much use out of clothing as possible, especially with all the hand me downs around here! The first step of that is using a laundry detergent that will be gentle enough for my children’s sensitive skin and powerful enough to still get the job done. Check that one off thanks to all® fresh clean Essentials™ –it preserves colors without being too harsh, letting my kids have fun outside and be crazy, but keeping their clothes looking like new! Well… except for the knee holes.

all essentials

Step two to combat the worn clothing problem is giving those well-loved pants some new life for the warmer summer months.

All you need to transform long pants into cut-off shorts are a pair of well-worn pants that are still clean and in good shape and a pair of fabric scissors.  Yep, that’s it! I cut off right at the knee hole and it was the perfect length for some long cut-off shorts for my little man. I folded the ends over to make cuffs, but you don’t have to. After a couple washes the cut ends will begin to fray giving you that classic cut-off look.

DIY cut off shorts

I love mom hacks like this one because it gives me more time to focus on the things that are important–spending this precious time with my littles.  I don’t have to worry as much about  getting the stains out of their clothing, mending holes, or trying to fit a new pair of shorts into our budget. One more mom tip for you, you can order the brand-new, sulfate-free all® fresh clean Essentials™ from Walmart and have it delivered right to your door so you can always be ready to get your kids’ clothing looking like new (I like the fragrance free but there’s also fresh scent).

Mark Twain Quote

It’s important to remember that babies don’t keep, children grow up, and eventually laundry piles do end. Savor these moments. Embrace the mess. Let your kids be kids. And because I know we all need a little reminder sometimes, here are two free printables that I think sum up life with rough-and-tumble sons and daughters (you know, like the ones who might wear a hole in their pants).

 Shakespeare Quote and Mark Twain Quote

How have you encouraged your kids to be kids lately? Have you been spending more time outside? Doing more crafts inside?

 

21 Responses to diy cutoff shorts + printables

  1. Leslie@PeachyKeen May 4, 2016 at 7:43 am #

    Great mama hack! I wonder if my 13 year old will go for the cut off/rolled up look?!?
    I love that Shakespeare quote, too!

    • Justine @ Little Dove May 4, 2016 at 8:36 am #

      Oh sure, cut offs are awesome for everyone. 😉 Thanks for your sweet comment Leslie!

  2. Carolyn West May 4, 2016 at 8:07 am #

    Super cute quotes! I always loved cutting off jeans and turning them into shorts. It’s definitely a great way to repurpose jeans. #client

    • Justine @ Little Dove May 4, 2016 at 8:36 am #

      Thanks so much Carolyn! I actually hadn’t thought about cut offs in a long time, so it was quite the light bulb moment when I realized I could still put good use to those well-loved pants! 🙂

  3. Christal May 4, 2016 at 10:54 am #

    Will be trying on some of my old pants

    • Justine @ Little Dove May 4, 2016 at 3:36 pm #

      Great way to make your wardrobe last longer and work for the warmer weather! Thanks for stopping by!

  4. Angela May 4, 2016 at 3:57 pm #

    Great tips! And I love the printables. Thanks for sharing.

  5. Crystal Hall May 5, 2016 at 7:08 am #

    With Mason being almost 6 I don’t know how we’ve avoided holes in the knees of his clothes yet. He does have one pair with a hole, but it’s because he got bored in school and cut is pants with his scissors. Ugh! Boys!! I love how you turned them into shorts. We have been spending as much time outside as possible. Before the 110+ degree weather hits and we have mosquitoes the size of bats!

  6. Dia Darling May 6, 2016 at 11:16 am #

    So cute and smart way to save by making roughed up fall staples, summer time staples.

    • Justine @ Little Dove May 7, 2016 at 9:28 pm #

      Totally, I love solutions that are budget-friendly, especially with so many kiddos, lol. 🙂

  7. Tiffany May 6, 2016 at 9:13 pm #

    Love this idea. My little girl is tall so some jeans aren’t too worn but high waters! I’m gonna use this hack!

    • Justine @ Little Dove May 7, 2016 at 9:28 pm #

      Yes, that is the problem with my son too! Other than the holes in his knees, he is so lean for his height that he will still fit in 3T pants around the waist (he’s almost 6!!) but they will be WAY too short!

  8. Kassi May 6, 2016 at 9:32 pm #

    I love that the weather is finally nice enough to enjoy outside!!! The tough thing in Arizona is that soon it will be too hot!!! But the more shorts the better! Great idea!

    • Justine @ Little Dove May 7, 2016 at 9:27 pm #

      Thanks Kassi! yeah, you guys don’t get much of an outdoor season in Arizona, do you? I would have a million shorts and skirts if I lived there. 🙂

  9. Gunjan May 7, 2016 at 6:21 am #

    So cute and great ideas. I have a toddler and these tips are so handy.

    • Justine @ Little Dove May 7, 2016 at 9:25 pm #

      Thanks for your sweet comment. 🙂 He was so excited about his “new” shorts!

  10. Caroline harries May 9, 2016 at 8:00 am #

    What a great idea and definitely seems easy enough 🙂

  11. Adree April 4, 2018 at 2:39 pm #

    Love this idea! So easy and saves so much money! We are so excited for the weather to warm up so we can spend more time outside! Bring on the sunshine!

  12. Sarah April 5, 2018 at 4:20 am #

    Ha! I do this with my own clothes! But i have a feeling that I’ll be needing to start cutting off some of our old pants soon. Reinforced knees did great with my more quiet and cautious older son, but my younger son is more like a tornado: running around, making messes and destroying clothes.

  13. Lindsey April 5, 2018 at 8:54 am #

    How cute are these!!! What a great idea + way to save some $!!!

  14. Bethany April 5, 2018 at 11:53 am #

    These will be great! Love how budget friendly this is for our family!

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