Synopses & Reviews
Sew Subversive is about making fashion your own, whether it's embellishing or customizing off-the-rack clothing or transforming clothes that have lost that loving feeling. The three twenty-something co-owners of Stitch Lounge, an urban sewing studio in San Francisco, teach you, in plain, fun language, how to do it, whether you're hand sewing, machine sewing, or, in a few cases, simply wielding a pair of scissors.
The first three chapters lay the ground work: Hand Sewing Basics, You and Your Machine, and Gearing Up, which includes Fabric 101, how to set up a sewing space, and a run-through first project on the sewing machine. Then the fun begins with Embellishing and Customizing projects, including adorning your pant legs with ribboning, turning a computer-scanned image into an iron-on that you can apply to a t-shirt or skirt, taking in a skirt, or untapering a pair of pants (the authors believe tapered pants are the devil's work). Then move onto Refashioning: The Next Life of Your Old Clothes and turn a t-shirt into a skirt, a sweater into a halter top or legwarmers, or a pair of pants into a hip belt. There are 22 projects in all, some of which only require an iron and/or pair of scissors, while others can be sewn by hand, for those readers who haven't yet made the sewing machine plunge.
Review
"Once related to little old ladies, the frugal minded and neohippie handicrafters, sewing your own clothes is back in vogue...New books such as Sew Subversive by the founders of Stitch Lounge in San Francisco...give step-by-step instructions for all kinds of projects."
"- Time magazine
""Sew Subversive is filled with lots of inspiring DIY fashion, refashioning ideas, and tutorials for projects like making a pillowcase dress, or turning old sweaters into a scarf.""
- CRAFT magazine
""""This book rocks!...The owners of Stitch Lounge took a decidedly alternative approach to designing and repurposing clothing...whether your look is grunge or sophisticated casual, there's something here for everyone."
- "Creative Techniques magazine
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What fun! Clever, off the wall, creative and definitely not your granny's sewing book. These three young authors have managed to create a sewing guide that speaks the language of the young. As an example, we usually refer to the right side and wrong side of the fabric; the two Melissas and one Hope refer to the party side and the business side of the fabric. This gets the new sewer all the information that is needed to get down to the fun part...the creative sewing....fast.
Linda Stewart, Professional Association of Custom Clothiers
Synopsis
Whether it's embellishing or customizing off-the-rack clothing or transforming clothes that have lost that loving feeling, "Sew Subversive" is all about making fashion personal. The book covers the basics of hand and machine sewing and offers 22 cool projects. 195 color photos. 186 color illustrations.