April Yang has built a successful online presence through her DIY fashion and upcycling, where she is known as Coolirpa on YouTube and Instagram. She takes her accessible sewing tips offline in DIY Thrift Flip: Sewing Techniques for Transforming Old Clothes into Fun, Wearable Fashions, an easy-to-follow guide for anyone interested in altering clothing, whether from their own closet or purchased secondhand for the express purpose of alteration. Yang starts with a guide to the sewing tools needed for garment modification. She breaks down her most-used sewing machine features and identifies tools that at-home sewers can wait to acquire until they have gained more alteration experience. From there, she moves into a quick primer with step-by-step photos on many basic techniques, such as sewing elastic and gathers, hemming, and working with different fabric types.
Before moving into project suggestions and inspiration, Yang shares her advice on sourcing clothes and fabrics (including how to guesstimate size when dressing rooms aren't available and what elements and flaws "can or can't be fixed") along with basic garment composition and tailoring guidance (such as adding pockets or sleeves, tracing clothing items, using traditional patterns, and taking garments apart with a seam ripper). Her suggested projects, which she hopes "inspire you to view secondhand clothes in a different way," include turning a dress shirt into a bow-tie blouse, creating a pair of overalls from a matching pants and shirt set, and transforming curtains into a tiered miniskirt. Navigable and cheerful, DIY Thrift Flip is a handy, encouraging resource for new and experienced crafters alike. --Kristen Coates, editor and freelance reviewer