diy shorts

Ten great DIY printed summer shorts you can easily make at home.

Summer time is shorts time. Hot days and warm nights means you won’t have to wear pants for at least another few months. Cute print shorts are all the rage this season, and you can channel that trend without breaking the bank. Just get out some basic tools and make a few of these great summer shorts.

Scarf Print Shorts
This is the more summery version of the pajama pant (which will be all the rage this fall). You can easily make a great-looking pair of scarf print shorts from a vintage scarf and just a few basic tools. Find out how in this simple tutorial from a pair & a spare.

American Flag Shorts
Yes, I know it’s almost been a month since Independence Day, but I am still kind of stuck on American flag motifs (and I don’t think I’m the only one). You can easily make a pair of stars & stripes-inspired denim cutoffs using little more than fabric paint and tape – Ascot Friday will show you how. Show some American pride and wear them while cheering on your favorite athletes in the Olympics.

Leopard Print Shorts
Leopard print shorts have definitely hit mainstream this season, and I understand why, because they do strangely kind of go with everything. There’s no need to shell out big bucks for a pair, though, Cameo Blog shows you how to easily make a pair of these using just paper, an x-acto knife, a fabric pen (and a little bit of skill).

Cheetah Print Short
If leopard just isn’t your kind of print, try another wildcat, maybe a cheetah? It’s a little more unexpected. These ones are even faster and easier to make, as demonstrated by Mr. Kate.

Victorian Shorts
For a more romantic, sweeter take on the printed shorts trend, try making a pair from victorian fabric, following this tutorial from Trash to Couture. There’s a bit of sewing involved, but you’ll base them on your favorite pair of shorts so you can be sure that they will fit perfectly. And you can totally make these from any kind of fabric – the possibilities are endless.

Ombre Dip Dye Denim Shorts
I’ve seen dip dyed shorts on virtually every fashion blog out there this summer. Needless to say, they are very easy to make at home. What we like about these by Fashionotes is that they don’t use bleach (which we all should know by now is horribly bad for both humans and the environment). Pick your colors and start dipping and dyeing.

Fabric Applique Shorts
After seeing this style of shorts with a Mexican blanket pattern, I’ve been kind of obsessed. It’s very easy: pick a pair of shorts that you love (or find them at a thrift shop) but have grown tired of and a great fabric and put them together. This tutorial by Free People shows you exactly how to do it. Again, you can do this with any fabric so get creative.

Tribal Print Shorts
Tribal patterns are very on trend right now, and the great thing is that they are meant to be sort of imperfect, which makes it a great candidate for DIY. These ones by Made in Pretoria can be made in an hour or two, and instead of bleach you can start with a lighter color and use regular fabric dye.

Dip-Dye Star-Studded Shorts
This cool pair combines three hot trends into one pair of (equally) hot shorts – dip-dyed, American-flag inspired and star-studded. What we really love is the flattering placement of the studs, and you can do very easily do just that to any pair of shorts. This video tutorial by Daniela Tabois shows you exactly how.

Tie-Dye Shorts
Oh, how we still love tie-dye, that sweet old wardrobe staple of the free-wheelin’ 60s. This dyeing technique gives you a cool pattern which may be too much for a pair of pants, but are just perfect for a pair of short shorts. This tutorial by The Signature Bow demonstrates an easy way to do this, without resorting to toxic bleach. Peace out.