How to modify a T-shirt
I suppose that this goes back, what, close to 20 years ago? Isn’t that the time when folks first started wearing ripped up T-shirts? I do believe, at one time or another, Bubba Sean has ripped on my sense of aesthetics, but this style choice is about comfort, not tastes.
But I’ve got a trick a way to modify a T-shirt that I’ve found helps 100% with the comfort while not reducing the shirt’s functionality one bit.
It gets even funnier, to me, at least, because one Shady Acres resident had suggested that he didn’t even know if I had shirt, any shirt, as he moved in during the spring, and for the next six months, he never saw me with a shirt on.
“Then, after that, it was nothing but this one, black pocket T-shirt.” See, I actually have a large number of those black T’s, each modified the same way. It’s a comfort thing. Plus, there’s the added advantage that the style, while not exactly the same as, it does resemble the traditional “wife beater” undershirt.
I was thinking about this because I wanted to wear a special “Gotterdammrung” T for fishing. And it {{popup dark2.jpg dark2 480×640}}needed to be thusly modified.
How it works: grab a cutting instrument, I’ve found a Leatherman [TM> Micra the be about the about the best, it’s a useful tool, and until recently, it was airport safe. Start cutting. But there’s a special way to do this, you can’t just hack away at the T, takes a steady hand and some restraint.
Start with the collar. This is the biggest source of trouble for me. It’s not like I have broad shoulders or a thick neck, but after being shirtless for so long, the idea of a restraint of any type around my neck just doesn’t work well. I’ve tried stretching, ripping, shredding, and nothing works better than just snipping out the collar. After this missing collar T gets washed a few times, it gets even more comfortable with a gentle, rolled effects.
But don’t stop there: sleeves. The trick is determining what’s taking away too much, and what’s just the right amount. I’ve worked with the incorrect proportions for so long, I finally got it right. I was thinking about this as I tackled that one, purple shirt.
Use that cutting instrument again, and start right where the armpit area is. A small cut, just to get it started. Then rip it upwards, in a diagonal fashion, leaving a little bit of sleeve at the top, but not too much.
This is a perfect shirt for fishing. Perfect undershirt. Perfect accoutrement and apparel for just about any social event. The lack of a collar means there’s a added freedom to crane my neck around. The enlarged arm openings means I can windmill my arms around, like I often do, and there’s no hindrance.
Seems like it might be a lot of work, but gradually, every T-shirt I’ve got undergoes this kind of cosmetic surgery, I think it’s well worth documenting the correct process.
Estos Excellens Inter Se
“Estos Excellens Inter Se” [\\Latin\\, means, I think, “Be excellent to each other.>
Got up before the sun, spilled half my coffee waiting on my fishing buddy to show up. Got on the lake long before the sun was up, hit a special cove before anyone else, and it yielded up a couple of fish for me.
I really like this one picture, although the fish is almost embarrassingly small, the apparent lack of light is visible, or not visible, in the gray background. It was that early. Calm water, good company, excellent fishing. Bait? “Dude, it’s called a ‘Devil’s Tongue’ on a modified Carolina Rig.”
One of the coolest images was a little tree stump that had a microcosm of life on it. The little camera didn’t get such a good picture, but it was amazing.
At least one of Bubba’s catches weighed in at 2 ounces shy of 5 pounds. We always believe in “freeing the fighter,” I hope to meet that fish again some day – next time? My bait. After all, like my shirt suggests, “Size matters.”
I got teased about the local “Bob Marley Festival,” just down the street from Shady Acres. I was thinking about going.
“Gun show tomorrow, want to go?” Tough decision. Might try to work in both, reggae music and firearms.
> It’s always nice to have a nother
> Bubba around.
>
> Bertha Mae
