Make a Dirt Shirt

Dirt Shirt RR 1156x650 Mark Godfrey

Not sure what to wear on Earth Day? How about a T-shirt with a planet-loving slogan printed in mud?

What You Need

  • blank T-shirt (white or light color)
  • old newspapers
  • 4-5 handfuls of dirt
  • bowl
  • water
  • spoon
  • sticks and leaves (optional)

What You Do

  1. Place several layers of newspapers inside the shirt to keep the mud from soaking through to the back of the shirt.
  2. In a bowl, mix the dirt with water to make mud that is about as thick as paint.
  3. Think up an Earth Day slogan you would like to have on your T-shirt. (Examples: I Dig the Earth; Earth Day, Every Day; Dirt Shirt for the Earth.) Dip a stick or your finger in the mud and write your slogan on the shirt.
  4. You can also coat items such as leaves and sticks with mud and use them to make prints on the shirt.
  5. Let your artwork dry. Shake off any caked-on mud before proudly wearing your dirt shirt. The design will fade in the wash. But you can reapply!