My grandson, he’s always on that computer, says I should write somethin’ for the web ’bout “how to make it in america shirt”. Says it’ll help folks find my words. Lord knows what that means, but I’ll give it a whirl. If you wanna make a shirt, I reckon I can tell ya how. This ain’t no fancy way, just how we do it.
First, you gotta have a shirt. Plain one, any color you like. White’s good, easy to see what you’re doin’. Then, you gotta think ’bout what you want on it. Maybe a picture, maybe some words. Back in my day, we didn’t have none of them fancy machines. We just used what we had.
- Get yourself a shirt, a plain one.
- Figure out what you wanna put on it.
- Get your fixin’s together – whatever you need to make your design.
If you want a picture, you could try to draw it on. We used to use berries, crushed up, for color. Makes a nice stain, that does. But it’s messy, and you gotta be careful not to smear it. Or, you know, you could use them new-fangled fabric markers. They got all sorts of colors now. That’s called t-shirt design. You know, this makes me think, in America, they got all kind of ways to print things. But we used what we had.
Now, if you want words, that’s a bit trickier. My mama, she used to stitch words onto things. Took a long time, but they looked real pretty. You gotta know how to sew, though. And have a good needle and thread. And time! Lord, it takes time.
I saw on that show, what was it… How to make it in America. Yeah, that one. They got these fancy machines that do all the work for ya. Just punch in what you want, and bam, there it is on a shirt. Don’t even need to lift a finger, ‘cept to push a button. They showed a factory in, where was it, Los Angeles? That’s in California, you know. Big place, lots of machines. They were making all kinds of t-shirts.
But that “how to make it in america shirt” they have, well, it’s just a shirt with words. Nothing special. You can make your own. Don’t need no fancy machine. Just a little bit of know-how. And some elbow grease. Or if you got them fancy markers, even easier.
The boys on that show, they was always tryin’ to make money. Sellin’ shirts, sellin’ this, sellin’ that. Just like everyone else, I reckon. Tryin’ to make a buck. Nothing wrong with that. We all gotta eat.
If you got no patience to sew, nowadays, they got this iron-on stuff. You print your picture or your words onto this special paper, then iron it onto your shirt. Sticks right on there. I heard some folks say it washes right off, though. Haven’t tried it myself.
But if you really wanna save a penny, you can just draw on your shirt. Like I said, berries work. Or mud. Mud’s free! Just gotta find the right kind. Clay’s good. Makes a nice brown color. Or, you could use them markers. They come in all sorts of colors, even gold and silver! Imagine that, a gold shirt! You’d be the talk of the town.
There are also places, I hear, that you can just take your idea and they will make you a shirt. They are called printin’ shops. They even do it in bulk. Like, a hundred shirts! What would you do with a hundred shirts? Anyway, they got these big machines, and they put your picture, or words, or whatever you want right on the shirt. Some of these places, like the one called One Hour Tees or UberPrints, are cheap and fast, my grandson tells me.
And then there’s these new things, websites. My grandson, he showed me. You can make your design right on the computer, and they’ll print it on a shirt and send it to you. Don’t even have to leave the house! They got names like PicsArt and Threadless. You just pick your shirt, pick your design, and bam, you’re done. They even do this design thing for you, if you ain’t got the knack. These are called custom t-shirts.
But, if you ask me, nothin’ beats makin’ somethin’ with your own two hands. Even if it’s a little crooked, a little messy. It’s yours. You made it. That’s somethin’ special. And that’s how to make a shirt, or at least, that’s how we used to do it. And if you’re looking to make it in America, maybe making your own shirt is a good place to start. You know, that show, How To Make It In America, maybe those boys were on to somethin’. Maybe makin’ things, sellin’ things, that’s the way to do it. I don’t know. I’m just an old lady. But I do know how to make a shirt. You know, it’s just a t-shirt. You can do what you want with it.
Nowadays you don’t even need to know how to sew. Just find some of them iron-on things or those fancy markers, and you’re good to go. Or just go to one of them printin’ shops. Or use the computer! It’s a crazy world we live in. So many ways to do a simple thing like make a shirt. So, go on, make your shirt. Make a hundred! Or just one. Whatever makes you happy. Just remember what this old lady told ya. And that’s all I got to say ’bout that.
