the bluecotton blog

And now, yet another project for recycling your old tees. This time it’s a little more… intimate. Logan Billingham at the do-it-yourself website, SuperNaturale, tells you everything you need to know in order grant an old, neglected tee with a new life as a pair of underwear.

For starters, here’s a list of everything you’ll need for this project:

• A T-shirt
• Thin elastic cord (48″ or enough to go around both legs and your waist)
• 6″ x 4″ of clean fabric, a thin cotton knit (optional)
• Sewing machine, thread, scissors, etc.
• Big piece of paper (about 2′ x 4′) or enlarged pattern printout.

Now, when you’re all set with everything you need, head on over to the article, T-Shirt Underwear, for the detailed instructions and to download the fabric patterns in PDF format.

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Some things are just meant to go together. Ren and Stimpy, Batman and Robin, Bert and Ernie…so it goes for Saturday morning cartoons and breakfast cereal. Last week, I blogged about t-shirt designs inspired by firework labels. This week, I was inspired by Cheerios 70th birthday to bring you a visual smorgasbord of cereal t-shirts.

“Television took advertising for sugar cereals to a new level, and the master of the new medium was an ad man named Leo Burnett. He invented TV programs specifically designed to entertain children and sell Kellogg’s products. Much like Skippy a decade before, Burnett’s characters would turn to the screen in the middle of a show and pitch the merits of a particular brand. There was nothing subtle about it. Howdy Doody, Roy Rogers, Andy Griffith, Rin Tin Tin, the Beverly Hillbillies, Yogi Bear, and Fred Flintstone all became television icons because they were good at selling cereal.”
~ Read more about “How Cereal Transformed American Culture” by the mag

As I browsed the web for breakfast cereal t-shirts, I took a short jaunt through the cereal box graveyard and found a few that do not enjoy Cheerios longevity. Cereal manufacturers wrote the book on how to effectively market products to children. If it isn’t the movie-tie-in product, its the promise of a surprise toy inside. (We’ll be right back with the cereal t-shirts, after a word from our old-school sponsors below.)

And now..back to the blog…

10. Playing off the classic 80's movie "The Breakfast Club", Kellogg's offers their own breakfast club featuring the mascots of several of their flagship cereals.

9. Post Cereal's Count Chocula, Boo Berry and Frankenberry take a little stroll together.

8. Tony the Tiger was created in 1952, but didn't grace his first cereal box until 1958. Tony, in his most recognizable form shown above, was introduced in the 1970s.

7. Toucan Sam became the mascot for Froot Loops cereal in 1963. The cartoon character was created by Manuel R. Vega and originally voiced by legendary voice actor Mel Blanc.

6. Sugar Smacks were introduced in 1953 and have undergone several name changes. Dig 'Em the Frog is the official mascot.

5. Trix cereal was first introduced in 1954 by General Mills. Unlike other mascots, the Rabbit does not have a name...just a silly rabbit.

4. The mascot of Cocoa Puffs is Sonny the Cuckoo Bird, whose catchphrase is "cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs". The cereal was first introduced in 1958.

3. Lucky Charms were created in 1962 by John Holahan. General Mills had challenged a team of new product developers to use the available manufacturing capacity from either of General Mills' two principal cereal products—Wheaties or Cheerios—and do something unique to them. Holahan came up with the idea after a visit to the grocery store in which he decided to mix Cheerios with bits of Brach's Circus Peanuts.

2. Famously "The Breakfast of Champions"...until this very t-shirt was worn by Vinny on Mtv's Jersey Shore.

1. Wheaties was created in 1922, as a result of an accidental spill of a wheat bran mixture onto a hot stove by a Minnesota clinician working for the Washburn Crosby Company (later General Mills).

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Being an art student here in this little college town, I’ve come to learn many processes of producing art and the fulfillment it gives to its viewers. Here at BlueCotton, we use many types of methods to create what suits our awesome customer’s needs–whether it be a ‘one man wolf pack’ or even a RPG Wizard! Each one has it’s own unique way of becoming 3D material for our customers to work–from your PC screen to your own physical, wearable… YOU!

I mention the art degree because I’ve learned a lot of different ways to create art–from fresco painting, oil, acrylic, watercolor and even relief printing. Each way creates something that is taken from some inspirational moment in time and puts it to view so all else can see what you want. It’s the exact same way for our company. We’re taking what you’ve always wanted (or just need ASAP) to something that’s viewable for everyone. Almost like advertisements, but it’s wearable and much easier to carry than a 50+ pound frame of dry plaster!

Viewing the methods of screen printing and digital print here at BlueCotton is very unique and intriguing, especially when you come from such a town that has local art posted in every tavern. Seeing a technique almost as raw as fresco and producing such a clean image onto a movable garment is something that I’m proud to help; especially when working with a personal image that they created and then applying that onto a garment for them to wear, or even to share with their friends and family and coworkers, too. It really helps me to see the other side of the art world, beyond the PC screen.

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Infographics have easily become one of my favorite things on the Internet. When done right, they can be an effective and elegant way to display a set of information. In our previous infographic posts, you’ve seen The T-Shirt Lifecycle and What Your Band T-Shirt Says About You. This latest infographic find beautifully shares 20 interesting facts about t-shirts that you might not have known.

Source: ClassB

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It’s only June, but I can already smell sulphur and gunpowder in the air. The hiss of fuses and the crackle of sparks push forward in memory. My fingers start to tingle. It’s almost the 4th of July. Just as kids dream of sugarplum fairies at Christmas, I dream of earth-shaking booms, neighbor-rousing whistles and echoing reports. The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays.

My parents said fireworks were a waste of money.

Luckily for me, we always spent the holiday at my uncle’s house, and he was not of the same opinion. He annually sent my cousin Clinton over state lines with a big wad of cash in a rubber band to buy “the good stuff.” We lingered over waterlogged coolers and leftover hot dogs as it grew dark and not-so-patiently awaited his return. We were not swayed by feeble attempts to pacify us with ice cream cones. Only flame and spark would soothe us.

As he pulled into the gravel driveway, we rushed the car like a crazed mob demanding sparklers, firecrackers and jumping jacks. Huge cardboard boxes were unloaded from the car’s trunk, filled to the brim with brightly colored bricks of firecrackers, mortar tubes and rockets on sticks. We amused ourselves with the magic snakes, parachuters and smoke bombs while the bigger kids lit the “big ones.” I have many fond memories of dud fuses, near-misses and misfire mishaps that cleared the observation deck (aka the front porch).

One thing I overlooked as a kid were how cool the firework labels were. I have grown to appreciate the artwork that was hastily ripped away in search of the fuse. I’ve rounded up a few firework labels I found around the web. From their inspiration, I went into our Design Studio and created some t-shirts using only clipart and design elements inside the studio. I’ve also designed a few t-shirts for my family’s 4th of July celebration this year which you will see below. I’d love to have your feedback on which t-shirt you like best- I’m having trouble picking the best one!

The Inspiration

My take on the Dragon Lady design. I chose a yellow t-shirt, used black background to create a black base, and enhanced it with red text and garment colored text. Plenty of cautionary verbiage included.

The Inspiration

My take on the eagle with a classic red/white/blue design with a gold highlights and stars.

The Inspiration

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Here’s my Cherry Bomb design, making use of several of our design studio elements.

The Inspiration

A lot of fireworks labels feature rockets and space designs. I found some great rocket clip art in our design studio, and worked from the Standard Fireworks design above to help me with my print color choices.

The Inspiration

Working from the classic TNT logo, I went with the simple flashbang behind the text, and added more explosive language below.

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Michael Dunn recently blogged about folding t-shirts. He showed us the super quick Japanese Folding Method that will help you fold like a Ninja. Now that you we have folding quickly mastered, it’s time to focus on t-shirt removal. This one-handed technique requires practice and once mastered will maximize your free time.

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