Give Your Old Tees New Life
It’s hard to let go of a t-shirt. It’s a slice of life, a reminder of who you were and what you found important or funny or cool at a particular moment in time. That tee you got for being the prompter for the high school musical probably didn’t survive the culling when you moved out of your parents’ house. Maybe it made it through a few purges. If by the time you move in with someone else and negotiate for space you still have it, that’s great. Sometimes a tee is so beloved, you don’t wear it for fear of destroying it with pit stains or ketchup. Then again, your favorite ones may show your love in the wear and tear you’ve put them through. And, let’s face it, there are some you are never going to fit into again. In any case, these objects of affection remain in a dresser drawer or a box in the closet, never to be seen again. You could turn them into pillows but somehow that cheapens them, making them fit only for a dorm room futon or the bedroom where you got dressed for the prom. (And they take up more space.) But ethreads RePurpose will turn your favorite tee (or just about anything else printed on fabric) into a useful item such as a pouch, a clutch, a wristlet, a tote bag or even an iPad cover. Here’s a bag a guy had made from one of his girl’s treasured t-shirts.
She will never pass another woman carrying one of these. You’re limited only by your imagination–and your budget. I’m sure you’ve seen some hideously expensive iPad covers. But ethread’s prices start at only $25.00 for an iPad or tablet sleeve–lined in waterproof nylon to protect your tech, of course. That’s incredibly reasonable for a custom-made product. Theoretically, you could wear, carry and display your entire collection of t-shirts, all at the same time. Or at least the ones that are too small, too wrecked or just too damn great to hide in a drawer.
Everyone has a first….
I have a dim recollection of my friend Peggy’s house: mustard-colored furniture, macramé galore and the whish-and-slap of corduroy bell bottoms on shag carpeting. Typical of the late 70s. But two of the most important lessons of my formative years were learned there.
First, there was never any bologna to make us sandwiches because Peggy’s dad would eat the whole package every time her mom bought it. I thought, how great it must be to be a grown up and stand in front of your fridge wolfing down as much lunchmeat as you want, whenever you want, and not get into trouble for it. (As an adult I’ve achieved that dream many times over, though I can’t say it’s been entirely without consequence.)
Second, they had cool magazines like Mad and Cracked. (At my house, we had Reader’s Digest and Grit.) One ad in particular in the back of Rolling Stone made it worth every sandwich-free visit. It was an ad for a t-shirt emblazoned with The Last Great Act of Defiance and featured a line drawing of a mouse flipping the bird at a swooping hawk. I’ve been unable to find the artwork as I remember it so this image will have to do.
The image I saw back then was spare yet kinetic. The mouse was facing the hawk in 3/4 profile, its “finger” more obvious and aggressive. It suggested to me both the inevitability of being crushed by life and the joyous freedom of rebellion in the face of it. Plus, it had a cartoon middle finger on it! It was the height of transgressive art. (And bird flipping.)
It may sound silly, but that simple image sent me a powerful message, like the one I got from the knights who say Ni or the one I got from watching the Talking Heads’ Once in a Lifetime video on MTV’s progenitor, the Blue Jean Network. “We’re out here. We get you. You’re not alone. There’s something more.”
Maybe that’s why I have hundreds of t-shirts and wear them as other people wear religious items. They show my faith in humor, absurdity, art and offbeat self-expression. I try to laugh as much as possible. Can you have a bad thought while you’re laughing at something funny? In my experience, no. Throw in a few slices of bologna and I’m in heaven.