PANDAmonium

I have always had an inordinate fondness for pandas. They are so adorable, unique, and are instantly recognizable with the distinctive black patches on its eyes, ears, and muzzle.  I have always been an extremely colorful person- in life and especially with my wardrobe.  In contrast, that is also the reason I love pandas for their simple black and white palette.

Fortunately for me, I grew up only 30 minutes away from the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C. At the age of ten my mother and I went to this zoo and we visited the Giant Panda Habitat exhibit.  That was the first time I had ever seen this particular type of bear.  Immediately I fell in love with pandas.

Martial arts is another love interest of mine.  As a kid in the 1990's, I loved watching Black Belt Theater on television every Saturday afternoon. Since then I have become a huge fan of  martial arts films and anything that has to do with my idol, Bruce Lee. One animated film I immediately connected with was Kung Fu Panda because it combined two things I was passionate about: martial arts and pandas.

So in honor of my love for pandas, Kung Fu, and of course Kung Fu fighting pandas,  I put together this easy and inexpensive sweatshirt.  I was even able to use remnants of the white shirt I used to create the "DEAD INSIDE" t shirt (for which I only used the sleeves). Since I cut out the front of the sweat shirt I was able to use that fabric for the panda's headband, nose, and eyes. The trim from the white tee was also used for the panda's eyes.  Every piece of material was put to use, making the saying "One (wo)man's junk, is another (wo)man's treasure" true to life.