Tutorial 4 : How to start customising a shirt

This tutorial has been long overdue, I’m sorry its coming late but I had to learn from the masters of the art before putting this up.(thanks ozee clothings).

First of all when customising a shirt, whether t-shirt, crop tops, shirts two things are involved , the materials used and the design for the clothing materials. Polyester or cotton is used, cotton is usually of more quality the medium used to reflect the design is another important factor there are ususally 3 types used
Flex
Flock
Luminous

Flex is a printing technique where the design is cut from a colored foil and then pressed onto the shirt under high heat. It is not as expensive as the other forms..

Flock is a printing technique where the design is cut from a colored foil and then pressed onto the shirt under high heat.  (more tutorial lessons on this later).
Luminous printing lights up the cloth, it is said to be more expensive than the others. (more tutorial lessons on this later)
Other mediums include, direct to garment (DTG) printing and sublimation printing which are more expensive and rare.

Also to succeed well in this business, one needs to be computer literate. The knowledge of corel draw skills, good colour combinations, good imaginative skills e.g such an individual must know that certain colours do not go together e.g two light colours yellow n white won't come out well.
If you are not a tailor you also need good tailors to sew your shirts. To the desired forms and sizes.

Below are a few steps to starting:
Get customer's measurement (size)
Get desired material (cotton or polyester)
Cut and sew to taste and size
Design on computer using corel draw
Insert flex, flock or luminous into the PLOTTER
The plotter is connected to the computer which has a software that enables it to work
Cut design through flex, flock or luminous depends on which you decide to use
After cutting, the PRESSER is used to paste the designs on the cloth.

In conclusion, customising clothes is a lucrative business although can be time consuming and stressful too. Be ready to learn from other people's works and creativity to excel.
Hope this article was beneficial..

Diary of an Ibadan corper 2

So I started work in the wonderful city of Ibadan , putting aside my transportation wahala, I settled down to enjoy serving my fatherland. I remember how much that statement (serve your fatherland) had haunted me when I first got posted to Plateau  (watch out for diary of a Jos corper). How does one serve her fatherland dutifully in this country where almost all the states have been infested by robbers, bad roads, kidnappers, ritualists and suicide bombers? That’s what I say to anyone who asks me why I left the beautiful land of Jos.

Settling down at my local government was another palava. How is it possible that one will never get anything done in this country with a bit of ease, without having bribed the officers in charge? When CDS  or clearance days approach every week I usually dread the long queues, the pushing, the stress.. not forgetting some annoying and corrupt NYSC officials who have sworn to frustrate your life whenever you are needed at the local government.

I remember my first payment voucher signing as a relocated corper in Ibadan north local government, I almost cursed that day. I got into this queue, you know those kinds of queues where you don’t even care who is watching , you struggle for survival, those kinds of queues where you make friends with the closest reasonable person, those kinds of queues when you do not know when you will get out? Those queues where some people just arrive from nowhere to tell you they were in front of you since forever, those kinds of queues where you are not the only one with lipstick stains on your cloth ? that’s the kind of queue I’m referring to.

That day, I realized the power of a woman. They came in different shapes and sizes, some with letters from the LGI, some came with their babies or pregnancies to get sympathy , all some had to do was flaunt their beautiful face and body, bend and whisper stuffs into the ears of the officer in charge and in a flash he stands up and leaves with them carrying the files where everybody had to sign. But then some young men who had none of these offered cash in camera. So yours truly who wasn’t ready to use any of these wiles, queued  and endured for about 4hrs  before eventually signing that day. leaving some others in the struggle, as tired, dirty and rough looking as I was, I managed to  get to the bus stop. My earlier feeling of relief drastically turned to anger and contempt at the crowd waiting for something to convey them to Apata where I reside even if it was a bicycle. Another struggle?  Here was I thinking I’d put my transportation problems aside…chai! God.... My heart sank.

I love November

Why is the 11th month of the year so special one would ask? Although according to Gregorian calendar November was the ninth month of the ancient calendar. (November from Novem which means nine). A lot of people who are aware of my love for that month have asked me several questions, it is not as if I can provide a definite answer to that question. As a matter of fact this may sound childish and naïve but my first attraction is the name of the month, I like the pronunciation, the sound of it… there is also this celebration mood that brews in this month… the thought of the new year ahead, the thought of Christmas in December, the end to the rains and the birth of harmattan.

The weather is usually beautiful for sporting activities this month. Although presently since almost everywhere in the world is suffering from messed  up weather conditions, climate and season and especially in Nigeria where we now have extremities of weather, November has not been acting like November but anyways I m still hopeful. The month has not ended.

 November ushers in the realization that the year is coming to an end, farmers already know if their year has been successful or not.  According to some scientific studies there are claims of empirical evidence suggesting that November-born children are likely to be overachievers in their own fields. (every month is special in their own way).

My November born pals have constantly wondered why I take so much joy in this month, it is not even my birth month but I’ve come to realize that it is the month that gives the opportunity to plan and prepare for the new year ahead. Come to think of it, in December one is so carried away with the merriment and activities such that a handful of people complain of being broke in the month of January.
Bottomline, this month provides great opportunities , especially for good planners, even religious bodies encourage fasting for the new year this month. You might say it’s a psychological thing for me, you might not be total convinced with the little I’ve said but really I just love November!

 I LOVE JANUARY  too (smiles)

The training season

The assumption:  when you and everyone assume that all that one goes through is a normal occurrence, no big deal.  Note: Nothing happens as a normal occurrence, nothing happens by mistake, everything that happens has been predestined, pre-planned and prepared by God.


The uncomfortable phase: when you begin to face certain situations, that appears abnormal and unpalatable. When you long desperately for a change.

The lamentation phase: when you get tired of the situation and begin to complain to everyone, every person that is willing to hear and join the pity party ; which obviously won't help you.

The pre-realisation phase: when you begin to see that this particular situation, the series of event has been experienced by you earlier and you probably reacted the same way you are reacting.
Note: God makes us repeat examinations which are majorly life lessons in the spiritual just as we repeat examinations in real life if we keep failing.


The non- challance phase: after realizing especially by the help and ministration of the holyspirit of God that the particular situation is a training and that life is in stages and phases, that one needs to pass successfully from stage to stage i.e  higher level in the spiritual, there comes another spirit which makes one forget and relax.


The post-lamentation phase : the same spirit that made one forget and relax, encourages more lamentations and complaints. Because if you do not react to the situation, if you do not react to the situation, if you do not study and prepare, for the examination, one will remain fixed at that point.

The realization phase : here is when you return to the point of realizing that you are still in the examination room and you cannot afford to fail again.
How then do you pass the exam? How do you convince your trainer (GOD) that you fully understand all of the lessons you have been taught?

Do something different : you have been complaining in the past and it has only brought you more pain. Why not call on the trainer? Plead with him to give a clue…. Afterall he sees it all.