I’m getting a late start on this post today. I’ve tried to have every post for 31 Days ready to go the night before, but not today. We just got back from a week-long trip to Tahoe, and I crashed early last night before I had a chance to write.

The trip was wonderful! We had a great time with family, taking hikes, swimming, and just hanging out. And, of course, I have a story:

On Tuesday, we decide to make it a beach day. (BB kept asking, “Where’s the ocean? I don’t think he’s ever seen a lake like that.) We take a picnic and blankets to Zephyr Cove. We park in the lot and walk about 20 yards to the sand. There aren’t many people – we’re there in between seasons – but it isn’t deserted.  We’re sitting on the beach, enjoying our lunch (I’m spoon-feeding carrots to BG) when I see something move out of the corner of my eye. In what felt like several long, drawn-out, foggy minutes, my brain slowly forms thoughts. “Hmm, look at that large animal…it’s not a dog…it’s barreling down the hill toward us…now it’s very close to us…HOLY (expletive) THAT’S A BEAR!” At that moment, the bear changes his mind and heads back into the woods. (I say “woods” – it’s a 10 yard wide wooded strip between the parking lot and the beach. Again, we’re not in the middle of nowhere!) Amazing. I’ve never been so close (10 feet maybe) from a bear.

Well, except for the time Husband and I are camping, and I wake up in the middle of the night, and Husband says, “Well, I don’t think it’s a bear.” You don’t think WHAT is a bear?! I was just snoozing away happily. “That breathing outside our tent. I don’t think it’s a bear. Probably a deer.” We still don’t know what that was, but I think that’s the best wake-up line I’ve ever heard.

Anyway, on to today’s project. A couple of years ago, I wanted to make a pumpkin t-shirt for the boy.

I used a thrifted orange t-shirt to create a pumpkin applique. I sewed the pumpkin down on a black t-shirt and did some extra stitching to add lines to the pumpkin.

This fall, I wanted to make another one. I chose an oak leaf because I love the shape, and because it’s really easy to sketch a stylized one.

I started by digging out the leftover mustard yellow t-shirt pieces from my cardigan. I sketched the design out with a pencil and cut it out.

Next I played around with the position of the leaf on a navy t-shirt. I pinned it in place and went over the vein lines of the leaf with chalk.

Starting at the stem, I stitched the leaf down, using 1/4″ edge allowance, and then stitched over the chalk-marked veins. (When the shirt is washed, the chalk with disappear, and the edges of the leaf with curl a little bit.)

This is such an easy technique, I’m tempted to make 20 more – a turkey for Thanksgiving, a tree for Christmas, a black bear for the good Tahoe memories.

The possibilities are endless!

——————————————————————————————————

This post is part of a 31 Day series. Find all the posts in this series here.

——————————————————————————————————

Want to receive updates by email? Click “Follow” in the lower right corner and keep up with how The Thrift Project is coming along.