As you know, I’ve been busy touring around the country this summer, hosting Tee Parties at bookstores, libraries, museums, and outdoor festivals to celebrate the release of my new book. And many of you have been kind enough to extend additional invitations to your home cities and towns. But until I make it there, you can do-it-yourself! Here’s a quick rundown on how to rip the seams out of your next birthday party or girls’ night. (And hey, after you throw a Tee Party, organize a clothing swap to outfit you and your friends with new wardrobes next season, or host a friendly (or not so friendly!) iron-chef throwdown–the idea is to have fun experimenting with creative ways to entertain on a leaner budget.) For now, it’s scissor time.
To Host a Tee Party
Get ready:
Give your friends fair notice so they can dig deep into the back of their closets for good material! A few things you’ll need to attend to in preparation for your T-shirt refashioning rager:
-Invite all guests to bring a T-shirt or two from home (fitted or baggy, depending on the project they want to make).
-Familiarize yourself with a few no-sew projects from either of the books.
For refashioning beginners, I recommend these two projects from my first book, Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt
#2 Brokenhearted T-shirt, page 30
#16 Outerlace tank top, page 56
And these three projects from my new book, Generation T: Beyond Fashion: 120 New Ways to Transform a T-shirt
#1 Pinup Girl halter, page 28
#30 Pillow Talk knotted pillow, page 98
#101 Back in Action T-shirt, page 260
Get set:
In terms of materials, you can get by with providing the bare minimum: scissors and safety pins, but here’s a suggested list in case you want to have a whole spread.
-copies of the books (for guests to flip through in case there’s another project they have their heart set on)
-scissors (sharp ones, not the pair you’ve been cutting paper and cardboard with for the past 3 years)
-chalk
-safety pins or 1″ round punk pins/band buttons
-ruler (or other straightedge, if making Brokenhearted tee)
-stuffing (if making Pillow Talk pillow)
Get extra credit:
Make a DIY playlist, mix your tee with some tea, or make a paper runway–whatever puts you in the par-tee mood. And don’t forget to charge your camera battery!
-Play some tunes
-Serve some iced tea to go with your Tee Party
-Have an impromptu fashion show
-Take pictures!!
Go:
-Get your craft on.
-Get your party on.
-Take home the best party-favor ever: a one-of-a-kind, made-by-you design!
[ Posted on August 18th, 2009 ]
Another good project would be the “Tying Game” shirt from the first book, where you make a T-shirt into a basic tank top, then make it fitted by cutting the back or sides open, cutting fringes along those cuts, and tying them together. Oh, and as for music….maybe I’m a little biased, but you can’t go wrong with Ani Difranco. After all, it’s one thing to make a pillow out of a T-shirt, but it’s quite another to “build your own empire out of car tires and chicken wire,” lol. (Oh, by the way, for the uninitiated, that’s from “Swandive.”)
Great idea, Emily! Tying Game is a great one, too. And you can’t go wrong with a little Ani “DIY” Difranco — a very Righteous Babe.