Sarah Gonzalez

She'd nick the clothes, leave a little hole, but she'd show up with a little needle and thread set, hand sew it real quick.

You couldn't even tell the hole was there, she says.

And her boss loved that she could patch things up, actually.

But what the garment industry really prizes is speed.

Speed more than anything else.

And in the beginning, Maria was not so fast.

Okay, so when you first started, you were doing like 100 pieces a day, and now you're 700, 800 pieces.

800 pieces a day is a lot.

It's a lot.

Okay, look, I bought this.

I brought Maria a garment that was made in the U.S.

so we could talk about the work that goes into it.

It's a purple sports bra from a fancy, pricey American brand.

The nice, thick cardboard tag says, made in the U.S.A.

It sold for $62, and it's good quality, definitely.

You can feel it in the fabric.

But all Maria sees is the amount of loose threads that she would need to trim on a piece like this.

Okay, so you want something like this.

This is an easy job for you.

Like a piece of cake, you know?