Souvenirs of countless sporting events, concerts and corporate promotions, T-shirts are ubiquitous in American wardrobes.
Piles of them no doubt lurk in the back of your closet and dresser drawers. They are the ones you can’t bear to give away: Your Modest Mouse concert tee. The proud reminder of your first 10K race.
If you no longer wear the tops, but are willing to recycle them, Megan Nicolay offers a slew of ideas in “Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt” (Workman Publishing, $14.95).
What makes the tee so mutable? “It’s a universal, iconic garment,” Nicolay says. Brandishing a pair of shears, needle, thread and plenty of DIY attitude in the book, she shows how to turn shirts into chic halter tops, cute tubes, sassy skirts and even pillows or iPod cozies.
She also offers projects for guys, and accessories that range from rugs and chair pads to scarves and earrings.
Easy even for the craft-impaired, one- third of the projects require no sewing. And those who need to refresh their needle-and-thread fundamentals will find a chapter on basic stitches and a guide on how to gather, ruche and appliqué.
Nicolay, a Brown University graduate, has been crafty since she was a 9-year-old kid making her first batik design. She says she didn’t set out to do a book, but as a member of the Department of Craft, a New York City-based design collective, was finding success selling her one- of-a-kind creations made from T-shirts.
With trendy stores on both coasts selling vintage and distressed or deconstructed T-shirts for $100, the time was ripe to show individuals how to make their own statement, and do it inexpensively, she says.
She’s obviously onto something, judging from other new titles out this spring, including “99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim & Tie Your T-Shirt into Something Special” and “Sew Stylish.”
“Why let your T-shirts stagnate in your closet when you can turn them into wearable works of art?” Nicolay, 26, asks. “It’s all about resuscitating, recycling and bringing them back into full wardrobe rotation.”
Nicolay, a lanky brunette who’s her own best model for many of the designs, can whip up a project before your eyes, demonstrating in minutes how to turn an “I New York” souvenir T-shirt into a chic little number that laces up the sides.
Among her favorite projects in the book are a skirt with adjustable waistband and “go-go gauntlet” arm warmers. (She also offers patterns and instructions for new designs monthly on generation-T.com).
When preparing the book, she invited friends over for “tee parties” and experimented with designs, which is how she came up with the more than 100 projects and 200 variations in the book.
Nicolay isn’t above using freebie T-shirts from credit card or radio station giveaways in her projects but says using a favorite old tee can “keep the memory alive.”
And “for people who are tired of cookie- cutter fashion,” she says, it will guarantee you have a one-of-a-kind item to wear.
Staff writer Suzanne S. Brown can be reached at 303-820-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com.
More ideas for do it-yourselfers
“99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim & Tie Your T-Shirt Into Something Special,” by Faith and Justina Blakeney, Anka Livakovic and Ellen Schultz (Potter Craft, $19.95) This easy-to-use guide is spiral bound and opens flat, featuring an illustration on the left-hand page and instructions on the right. Many of the projects have a skimpy, cut-out rock star look. Designs are rated from 1 to 4 stars for the degree of difficulty and the authors even time how long each should take, with many styles estimated to be ready to wear in 20 minutes or less.
“Sew Stylish: Easy-Sew Ideas for Customizing Clothes and Home Accessories,” by Katie Ebben (Potter Craft, $18.95) From traditional ideas like ribbon-trimmed pillowcases to trendy floral patches for jeans, the 18 projects are fully illustrated and feature detailed directions. Among the items transformed are sweaters, skirts and curtains.
“A Closet Full of Shoes: Simple Ways to Make them Chic,” by Jo Packham and Sara Toliver (Sterling Publishing. $14.95) Using paint, buttons, bows, feathers and decoupage, designer offers more than 50 fanciful ways to decorate shoes and boots. Designs for children and decorative objects are also included.
“The Impatient Embroiderer: 20 Great Projects you Can Make in a Hurry,” by Jayne Emerson (Potter Guild, $22.95) Using both machine- and hand-stitch techniques, these ideas for embellishing table linens, pillows and other home furnishings are full of whimsy. Among the stylish handmade gifts are instructions for handbags and an eyeglass case. Patterns and templates are included to make the process even speedier.
– Suzanne S. Brown
