Good Ideas for the Beginning Sewer , May 5, 2006
By  Country Girl Chic (New York, NY)
If you aren't extremely familiar with pattern work or want to reconstruct some old clothing to practice sewing, this book is a good starting place. It has creative ideas including some that are relatively simple. I would not personally wear all the examples in the book but it was fun to practice on old clothes I was donating anyway.

If you are an experienced sewer, or have already used similar books then this book probably won't work for you and will seem like a rehash.

The book also serves as a great platform for coming up with your own deconstruction/reconstruction ideas. Once you are comfortable a few moderations to some of the suggestions makes it more personable and more wearable.

I think it would help to have some basic experience using a sewing machine PRIOR to using this book.

I want this book! , August 20, 2007
By  Bea "Bea" (Washington)
I have the Sew Fast Sew Easy book and my sewing has improved ten fold. I now have an understanding of how garments are put together and am experimenting with redesigning my own clothes. I then bought Rip It!. This book explains a bunch of diferent ways of reconstructing clothes and accessories so it's been really helpful to recreating my clothes. It's a great book for any level of sewer of any age. I definitely recommend this book!

Not just reconstructing T shirts , August 17, 2007
By  alison johnson "ali" (bozeman, MT)
I bought this book after buying the Sew Fast Sew Easy book. This book was a great follow up to SFSE. It shows more ways of altering clothes and different sewing techniques for it. I learned to take my favorite boyfriend shirts and make them my size. He loves seeing me wear his old concert tees and they're fun, quick and easy to make.

Great book to build your sewing techniques , June 16, 2006
By  Xantha (California)
I think that Rip It is great for anyone looking to learn more sewing techniques. Some of the great tips include the proper way to sew ribbon onto something and how to make a simple bustier. I loved this book because it is packed with some fun ideas.

Thanks for fabulous ideas! , February 13, 2006
By  M. Smith
What a great book! And what a fabulous way to breathe new "life" into my tired old fashions! Thanks, Elissa for putting this one "sew right". I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to sew or wants to sew - and can tell you that I've already made a terrific backpack for my daughter out of one of her old sweaters. It looks great and is starting a new "craze" at her school!

Way better than the others , October 15, 2007
By  Quincy (Vancouver BC)
This book has really impressed me. It has way better content than the Generation T book and the 99 ways book. This book can be helpful for beginner sewing as well. It runs through how to sew as well as some tailoring tips and how to use different notions and cut fabric. It's great! Much more bang for your buck! I checked out there website and got a really nice sewing machine.
www.sewfastseweasy.com

Live for DIY , June 5, 2006
By  Fuenta Miami "Fuenta" (Miami)
I loved this book. I am a Miami native who thought this book ríase de costura. I really enjoyed it. I recommend it if you want to learn some nice techniques. muy divertido!

Great weekend fun! , May 30, 2006
By  Zella "Zella" (Michigan)

I picked up RIP IT on Friday and by Memorial Day I have done a couple of projects that I thought were really hard. This is a great book. It simply explained stuff. I highly recommend it if you want to learn to sew or if you want to pick up some sewing tips.

 

RIP IT perfect inspiration , December 28, 2007
By  Edna D. Straney "Knowledge is Power" (Oneonta New York)
I bought this book for my daughter who loves it. She buys in thrift shops and remodels clothes to her own liking. This book is the best on this subject that I have come across. It has clear and concise directions and ideas. This book is great for the person who is concerned about the environment and utilizing things as best as possible as not to be wasteful!
   

Very cool sewing , June 24, 2006
By  L Lang (NYC)
I used a couple of ideas under the pants section. I hemmed my pants keeping the original hems. When the weather got warm, I opened the sides of my jeans to create godets. One day I saw this denim skirt with a vabriant red triangular fabric in the front...well I took out my book (under SKIRTS) and created my own skirt with an old pair jeans.

I also dyed a white T from peach flavored tea bags. This book inspired my confidence to create and the know how to execute.

This book is awesome , June 23, 2006
By  KatrinaK (UK)
I never had a book with so many ideas and great instructions. I learned to sew from the author's other book, Sew Fast Sew Easy. Totally recommended!

Worth every Penny!! , February 10, 2006
By  utopiaeast (Los Angeles, CA)
I found this book to be incredibly inspiring. Elissa Meyrich shared many of the "secrets" gathered throughout her long career in the fashion industry. This book gave me a great foundation in deconstruction/reconstruction. After completing a number of her fun and not overly complicated projects I had the confidence to 'go out on my own' and create my own designs. I won't have to worry about holiday shopping this year. My friends and family will get original hand-crafted items from yours truly! The book itself makes a great gift for people of all ages.

Cool! , March 10, 2006
By  Bridgette "Bridgette" (New Orleans, LA)
I got this book with the Gen T book and am making some cool stuff. The books are similar, but this one is all about techniques. The last book by this author taught me to sew so I really am pleased. RIP IT is definitely for anyone looking to learn more techniques.

Great sewing techniques. , March 7, 2006
By  s "s" (California)
I just purchased this book and as usual Elissa Meyrich is an expert in her field. Not only is this book full of great sewing projects, but it is also full of great tips and techniques for sewing that are so useful since I am a professional fashion stylist. I'd recommend this book highly to any one who wants to have fun with sewing. This is a great accesssory to the Sew Fast Sew Easy book.


Great additional to the Sew Fast Sew Easy Book.... , June 23, 2006
By  bebe
I loved the Sew Fast Sew Easy book so I got RIP IT also. It gives me the opportunity to create so much stuff. I can't believe it. It delivers.

License to Create! , February 10, 2006
By  D. Green (New York, NY)
Having taught sewing for more than a dozen years, I have seen how our culture has changed in terms of its willingness to experiment and be creative. Beginners are less likely to take chances now than they were ten years ago. This book gives concrete and easy to follow directions that will give people the confidence to play. Even experienced sewers will get great short cuts. If you can't get something creative out of this book, then you are not experimenting enough!

Wow! , February 14, 2006
By  Harold Harrison
Great book. Perfect for people with big fashion ideas and small budgets. I give it more than 5 stars.


simply cool and useful , February 11, 2006
By  Ms. Correa "MCorrea" (USA)
Some of the info in this book might be available in the internet but since I do not have the time to sit and search for hours, I am happy to have paid for the book. The explanations to transform your clothes are not only simple and easy to follow but it has helped me to use my creativity to do other things. I just transformed my kid's room curtains and they love them!!! If you are creative and always wanted to sew but never had the time to take a sewing class,like me, then this is a book for you. I highly recommend it!

I loved it , February 9, 2006
By  Elizabeth Mena
[...] Personally, I've worked in the garment industry for over 18 years and I love this friendly book. I thought it was well put together and the graphics were very original. My teenage niece just ripped the book out of my hands and planned what she was going to do and all her friends are getting it too. I also got the Sew Fast Sew Easy and it is wonderful for my niece to learn how to sew...it's like sewing for dummies -- simple and again...great graphics.

One Great Book!!!! , February 10, 2006
By  Arlaine
It isn't too often that you come across an innovative and fun book that can actually be of use and teach you a trick or two. I thought I knew alot about creating new rags out of old rags. Boy was I wrong. This is a great purchase and I recommend it to anyone who is serious about making cool things.

pretty darn great! , February 9, 2006
By  Stephanie Taylor "Sewing for fun" (Athens, Georgia)
I put my order in for RIP IT a couple of months ago --- having loved the first book, I was eager to see what this one would be like. I just got it two days ago, and it's great! Unlike the first book, this book is all about transforming clothes, making clothes out of old garments. Very clever. And good for someone who is a little fearful of starting a project from ground up, like me. It's got the right combination of experienced tone (going through the basics of fabric and tools, plus a little history of fashion) mixed in with friendly "go for it, just MAKE it" type of sentiment. I think it takes a woman like Elissa who's been in the fashion business herself to write this way --- thanks for another great book!

Rip It! : How to Deconstruct and Reconstruct the Clothes of Your Dreams , January 28, 2006
By  Elizabeth (Broken Arrow, OK USA)
This book is so amazing. I learned how to do fun stuff that my friends and I can share. You have to have this book. Its perfect for a rainy day!

love the book so much..... , March 18, 2006
By  NYC Prince "NYC Prince" (New York City)
that I just donate 20 copies to teens looking to learn to sew. Great fun for anyone who is interested in sewing but doesn't know how to use a sewing pattern.

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