I Love This T-Shirt. Now, Would You Please Cut It?

Madie Shaver set up shop at a table with tailor’s chalk, a ruler and a pair of sharp Singer scissors.

It took a few minutes to attract customers. “We had an example hanging up, and I was wearing one, but people were still confused,” she said. “But then one person did it, and everyone wanted them.” She estimated she cropped 15 shirts throughout the evening.

Ms. Shaver was running a cropping station for a live taping of “Celebrity Book Club With Steven & Lily,” a podcast that dissects celebrity memoirs, at the Bowery Ballroom in early June. She worked at the merchandise table, where fans could buy T-shirts promoting the podcast — and then immediately customize them.

Ms. Shaver, a friend of the hosts, works in marketing for the clothing brand Eckhaus Latta and has a degree in fiber with a concentration in experimental fashion from Maryland Institute College of Art.

“I would have them hold up the T-shirt and tell me where they wanted it to hit,” she said of the customers. “Then I would lay it down flat, use a ruler to make a superstraight line, and then just cut it.” The secret sauce was the tug she placed on the freshly cut part, making the item curl at the edges. “It looks a little nicer that way,” she added.