Want to know how to make these Galaxy Print Denim Shorts?
I am going to walk you through my own process- actually the 2nd try.
After the first try- I washed and .......well the Galaxy ended up
going down the drain- so this is Try #2! I have not washed these
yet but feel the Galaxy is in tact this time for GOOD!
First things first- How to make these with the least amount of Out of Pocket Money!
We visited
TQ Thrift Store where most Everything is $1- they are Consignment store leftovers. So pick a pair of denim with a dark color- Navy or Black will work best-
I got a Black pair of Basic Editions in a size 9/10 so My niece can model them for me.
They actually still had tags WOW!
Now our story began with a video on YouTube- It was a good video- It looked like she did lots of great tutorials and looked soooooo easy!
But we all know since Pinterest became a hit that looks are deceiving! It may have only looked like it took her 8 minutes in the video but its going to take you 2 hours! Here is the video we referenced-
DIY Galaxy Shorts
In the Video she did not specify about what paint to use- She mentions that you can use Acrylics so since they are about .97 cents at the store we decided to start there-
BUT!!! The acrylics will Wash Out!
After the first EPIC FAIL- I researched how to make the acrylic permanent and fabric friendly.
This included adding whats called a Paint Medium- and its not Cheap-
if your just making one pair- just buy a tiny jar-
I bought the $27 one as we want to experiment with several pairs.
Here is what you will need to make these- (We will be adding Star Studs when they arrive)
Either Fabric Paint (not puff) or Acrylics with added medium
I used a Blue-Purple-Teal-and of course white.
I also found a Clearance Silver glitter fabric paint that I added to the paint- (just a little- it goes a long way)
You can use any type of sponge- I chose a pack of $1 makeup sponges
You also will want a fine tip paint brush of some sort and something to mix your paint on.
Cut the denim into whatever shape of shorts you want- Most tutorials we have seen have cut them very short where the pockets hang out. Of course We did not go that short- You can use sandpaper- scissors- an exacto knife, etc... to texturize the shorts so they will hold the color better- Also Fray up the ends of the legs at this time.
Now Start with the BLUE-
But you will have to do this in layers- It will take several layers to make sure you get a good cover and that you don't see black spots coming through when your finished (found this out after the first pair)
I left open spots to add the 2nd and 3rd colors-
Next I added the Teal
Can you see the Galaxy Building? You will not use as much of the teal as you did the blue- The blue is your Main color-
Now adding Purple (but this was not my final step)
Now we have 3 colors- but we are not done- In the spots where the Teal and Purple seemed to be brighter I went over lightly with blue. You could skp this step but I wanted a more constant look.
Time for some Start Dust and Stars!
Add your white but do this Sparingly- you can always add more-
Start with some round spots on about 3 areas.
Then add star clusters of different sizes around those areas.
As the video states- I made the center lines in the Star dust-
We will add star studs to the pocket trim and back pockets too for a Blinged out Finished look.
But we still have another step-
You can Cover the design (when dry) with a cloth and Iron- or bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 200 degrees to get a more permanent paint. I do not want to take any chances of this one going down the drain.
The down side- once the medium is added the paint does make the jeans have a hard crusty feel- After washing I am hoping some of this goes away as that is the big stigma with Fabric painting.
The other hard part about doing pain on fabric is you don't want it to look like your a painter who just got a little messy with the paint- There is a very fine line!
I can't wait to show you these all complete and on my niece.
I think if you experiment you can really make this Galaxy Design all yours- Its best when its original- And remember this is my 2nd try- I believe with the 3rd and 4th I will discover new things to make this easier and more WOW! I def. highly suggest the glitter- It made a world of difference.
If you love this Tutorial please Pin it- Share it- and tell all your friends- and if you try this yourself we would love to add your pics to our blog- You can email me at ebethpowers@yahoo.com or message me at
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