Product Description

Rip It! shows how simple and fun it can be to transform a tired wardrobe into hip, one-of-a-kind new looks without spending a dime. Elissa Meyrich, owner and teacher at the popular New York sewing boutique Sew Fast Sew Easy, has been passing her sewing secrets and style tips on to students for years. Now she shows beginners and experienced sewers everywhere how to customize pieces found at cheap chain stores, thrift shops, or the far reaches of a closet and create fabulous new designs. Rip It! includes everything you need -- basic sewing and alteration information; quick sewing methods; where to find supplies; advice on which fabrics to use; important cutting rules; plus illustrated layouts, drawings, and instructions that show you how to:

• Jazz up old t-shirts with stretch lace and zippers
• Turn faded, falling-apart jeans into a hot new denim skirt
• Change a pullover into a cute cardigan
• Make a thrift-store dress into a hipster skirt
• Create an instant poncho

Cool, crafty, and brimming with creative ideas, Rip It! is a hands-on handbook that will show you how to give your clothes sass, sparkle, and your own signature style.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41973 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

About the Author
Elissa Meyrich is a fashion designer and consultant whose collections have been featured in several major magazines and department stores. A former instructor at Parsons School of Design, she now teaches her techniques at her design studio, Sew Fast Sew Easy, in New York City¹s fashion district, and she is the author of the book of the same name. She lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

I want this book!
I have the Sew Fast Sew Easy book and my sewing has improved ten fold. I now have an understanding of how garments are put together and am experimenting with redesigning my own clothes. I then bought Rip It!. This book explains a bunch of diferent ways of reconstructing clothes and accessories so it's been really helpful to recreating my clothes. It's a great book for any level of sewer of any age. I definitely recommend this book!

Good Ideas for the Beginning Sewer
If you aren't extremely familiar with pattern work or want to reconstruct some old clothing to practice sewing, this book is a good starting place. It has creative ideas including some that are relatively simple. I would not personally wear all the examples in the book but it was fun to practice on old clothes I was donating anyway.

If you are an experienced sewer, or have already used similar books then this book probably won't work for you and will seem like a rehash.

The book also serves as a great platform for coming up with your own deconstruction/reconstruction ideas. Once you are comfortable a few moderations to some of the suggestions makes it more personable and more wearable.

I think it would help to have some basic experience using a sewing machine PRIOR to using this book.

Misleading title
I was disappointed in this book. There is some good basic information, but very little "deconstruction". A majority of the projects are merely adding decorations or embellishments to garments. Large print and a lot of white space on the pages make the book appear more substantial than what it actually contains. There are no pictures of actual examples, which would be helpful. Many of the projects are dated and uninspired. All-in-all, I am sorry I bought this book.