Design Your Own Tees by Jennifer Cooke

Design Your Own Tees by Jennifer Cooke is a how-to book that gives “techniques and inspiration to stitch, stamp, stencil, and silk-screen your very own t-shirts.” If you want ideas on how to transform plain tees into something fabulous, this is the book for you!


Book Description
“Sought after for her innovative use of color and pattern, professional t-shirt designer Jennifer Cooke has created 20 do-it-yourself projects--many can be completed in under an hour--for turning your classic tees (and accessories) into colorful, bold, graphic personal statements.

Combining basic sewing, hand-printing, and screen-printing techniques with stylish wearable projects, Design Your Own Tees gives you the tools to stand out in the crowd--whether you choose to re-create the looks shown or to adapt the techniques to express your unique artistic vision.

Use thread, ribbon, and fabric to play with texture through decorative machine stitching, hand embroidery, and applique. Experiment with found objects and stamps to create pattern through potato and block printing and stenciling. Choose your favorite doodles and images to enhance with color through screen printing.

Colorful photographs of the finished projects plus step-by-step instructions with easy-to-follow diagrams will soon have you wearing your art on your sleeve.” – Design Your Own Tees


My Thoughts
Design Your Own Tees isn’t exactly what I originally thought it would be. I thought that it would have more t-shirt reconstruction ideas in it. There really aren’t any of those included, but if you have a plain and boring t-shirt that is already fitted how you like, you can use the ideas included to really make it into something unique that you will love.


What I really enjoyed about this book is that it is simple and something that everyone with a small ounce of creativity can do on their own. You don’t need big expensive machines to do any of it and nothing included is too intimidating to try.

This is a fun book that really inspires those who read it to want to create something fun and a little edgy to wear. If you are tired of wearing the same thing as everyone else and you really want to wear unique clothing, this book is the answer to get you on the right path to creating your own works of art to wear! I highly recommend it.



* Thank you to the publisher of Design Your Own Tees, St. Martin’s Griffin, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.