Book Review - 101 Tees

101 Tees ; Recycle + Refashion + Revamp by Cathie Filian is a collection of ways to personalize and style tee shirts into fashion statements that reflect who you are.

Unlike other teeshirt revamping books, this one isn't about how to deconstruct or slice up a shirt. The emphasis is instead on ways to decorate and embellish a tee shirt. The results are colorful, unique and fun. Just as importantly, the results are modest and wearable by young ladies.

The techniques include applique, embroidery, printing, painting, stenciling, using iron ons and beads. While there are no illustrations, they are well explained. There are patterns and stencils in the back.

The examples are trendy looking with a DIY vibe. One of my favorites is the hand stamped Giggles shirt. The same technique could be used to set up a shirt with a favorite quote. Other favorites are the two toned dyed shirts. One of the most energizing and lovely ideas through out the book is untypical design placements and elements. Instead of centering motifs and embellishments, they are placed at angles on shoulders, off to the side, or in other places. It's a great design element that's very appealing.

Scattered flowers go up the side of one shirt. Ruffles are used to create both fashion looks in sharp pleats and very girly looks in soft form. The bleach discharged robot shirt is one my son wants to make, but instead of the negative stencil robot, he plans to use gears and bolts. A butterfly design combines painted and appliqued shapes in different sizes. Some shirts show as an example how you can take a shirt already printed with a pattern or design and embellish it in different ways. Screen printing on top of a patterned tee shirt for example, or embroidering details on a shirt with a motif.

A lot of the tee shirts in the book aren't plain tee shirts. They have shaping and details that you might not find in your closet. However, the ideas are workable on a variety of shirts, and it's a great book for ideas to create your style from thrift store shirts. Since most of the techniques don't require expensive or specialty equipment, it's an inspiring collection of ideas for teens. My teen daughter really likes the book, it's one both of us will use and keep in mind when we are at thrift stores. We both have our own style. Mine tends more to the feminine, her's is more funky. The ideas in this book appeal to both of our styles.

You can get this book directly from the publisher, Lark Crafts
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