Product Description

Make it yours. This inspirational guide with DIY attitude has everything you need to know about the world’s great T-shirt: how to cut it, sew it, deconstruct it, reconstruct it, and best of all, transform it. • Features more than 100 projects (plus 200 variations) for customized tees, tank tops, tube tops, T-skirts—even handbags, a patchwork blanket, iPod cozies, leg warmers, and more. • Not a DIY expert? Not to worry. More than one third of the projects are no sew, meaning anyone who can wield a pair of scissors can put a personal stamp on her wardrobe. But the sewing basics are here too: backstitch and whipstitch, gather and ruche, appliqué and drawstrings. • And the mission statement for Generation T: Ask not what your T-shirt can do for you; ask what you can do for your T-shirt. And then Do-It-Yourself!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8177 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The scope of Nicolay's how-to book is broader than its title suggests. It's a breezy, trendy call of encouragement to a young crop of do-it-yourselfers, with enough ideas to inspire experienced crafty types, too. The T-shirt is the starting point; the 108 end results—many of which have an edgy, even punk-like feel (much like the projects in Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n Bitch)—range from slightly modified tops requiring no sewing to much more intricate fashion products like the sexy "sidewinder" skirt and the two-piece "teeny bikini," with variations suggested for many projects. Offering celebrity tidbits ("In the 1950s and early '60s, James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Elvis Presley delivered a triple dose of T-shirt sex appeal onscreen and onstage, turning the garment into an icon of rebellion") and "tee trivia," a condensed history uncovers one of the world's favorite pieces of clothing. The book starts with an introduction to design terms, tools, measurement, materials and stitches, making it accessible to beginners. And because the author—who got into transforming Ts by gathering friends and hosting "Brooklyn Tee Parties" to resuscitate old T-shirts—is budget-conscious (and so are all the projects in the book), anyone can afford to experiment with this kind of fashion design. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover
Make it yours. This inspirational guide with DIY attitude has everything you need to know about the world’s great T-shirt: how to cut it, sew it, deconstruct it, reconstruct it, and best of all, transform it. • Features more than 100 projects (plus 200 variations) for customized tees, tank tops, tube tops, T-skirts—even handbags, a patchwork blanket, iPod cozies, leg warmers, and more. • Not a DIY expert? Not to worry. More than one third of the projects are no sew, meaning anyone who can wield a pair of scissors can put a personal stamp on her wardrobe. But the sewing basics are here too: backstitch and whipstitch, gather and ruche, appliqué and drawstrings. • And the mission statement for Generation T: Ask not what your T-shirt can do for you; ask what you can do for your T-shirt. And then Do-It-Yourself!

About the Author
Megan Nicolay first transformed a T-shirt— with batik—at the age of nine, and has been at it ever since. Today she lives with her sewing machine in Brooklyn, New York, where she hosts Tee Parties and fills orders for special-request T-shirts. Her Web site, www.Generation-T.com, will feature a new design each month.

Customer Reviews

Awesome T-Shirt Book
Always wonder what to do with those t-shirts that are too big or too small, or a little worn out! I recommend this to anyone looking for a creative way to recycle their t-shirts!

A great place to start!
If you don't care to sew but want to join the altered,recycled clothing craze, this is a great place to start. Most projects are easily achieveable by the inexperienced crafter and are attractive and wearable. The main downside to this book is that most of the clothing isn't very sophisticated or wearable for those over about 35. I found it a great resource for working with my teenaged daughter and niece. They both liked the designs and found the directions easy to understand and follow.

Tee Perfection
For many years I have been interested in the dynamics of t-shirt reconstruction. In my late teens I made a few attempts at DIY reconstruction but knew very little about the basics of sewing. Once I learned how to sew I began on an endless journey to DIY fashion creating one of a kind shirts to separate myself from boring, monotonous trends. My boyfriend called to tell me about generation T and suggested I visit the site. I immediately fell in love and ordered the book right away. Literally two days later I received the book and my eyes become open to a whole new word of DIY fashion. The possibilities are endless and this book is not simply limited to t-shirts. There are handbags, pillows, skirts, rugs, and much more. There is even a wedding dress at the end of the book designed with t-shirts!! I made a new projects every day with this book, sometimes two projects a day. It's good to own a sewing machine but if you don't, all of projects that require sewing can be easily stitched by hand. At the beginning of the book the author explains different stitching techniques so that even a beginner can complete the projects. A third of the book is no-sew which makes things even easier. I highly recommend this book, it's like a DIY bible for fashion.