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!
Generation T is all-inclusive-if you wear T-shirts, you're part of it. If you own a pair of scissors, you're already equipped to make one-third of the projects in this book. The others that do require a needle and thread can be made entirely by hand, no sewing machine needed-though some projects will go a lot faster if you use one.
But before you slash, read this chapter. "Tee Off!" is your reference, it includes the materials and the basic stitches and sewing techniques you'll need to make all the projects in the book. Refer back to it whenever you hit the proverbial snag or need a quick refresher course.
Finding Inspiration
Beyond the 108 projects and 175 variations offered here, you can find inspiration for DIY fashion everywhere. From an item on a store hanger, a friend's closet, or the outfit of a complete stranger walking down the street (just don't shadow the person for more than a block). Grab a piece of paper, a napkin, a receipt-whatever's handy-and sketch it out to try later at home.
If you see something you like in a magazine or catalog, tear out the picture and copy the design. Chances are you can make it-or something better. Observe the world around you. I keep my sketch pad handy and scribble down design notes about outfits I see people wearing on the subway platform, on the crosswalk, at an outdoor café. At a punk rock show I snapped pictures of fans backstage.
Some of my designs come into my head in very abstract ways-a shape inspires me here, a color catches my eye there, and then the two meet. Let yourself be inspired by your surroundings. I was sitting in Washington Square Park one summer afternoon, eating my lunch and sketching pictures of the arch under construction. Several of those sketches, combined with some from my daily street fashion observations, inspired the Cover Girl halter top design in Chapter 4. The lesson here is: Keep your eyes peeled, and your sketch pad handy.
Gathering Supplies
Each project in Generation T is written like a recipe, starting with a list of ingredients (a.k.a. materials and supplies) and followed by the steps needed to create it. Basic ingredients include a T-shirt (bare minimum), scissors (almost always), needle and thread, straight pins, chalk, and a ruler.
