See, I had these pants, purchased years ago with my fabulous sis-in-law, Jen, but now way too threadbare to wear anymore. And the 6th birthday of my nephew, Jen's son Peter, was quickly approaching.
Now usually I'm a bad aunt and send nothing, but this time would be different. I started cuttin' up those khaki pants and added in some orange fabric, plus the belt that came with the pants (not shown in top photo). When I showed Ken this front side with a pocketed flap and asked if it could pass for a boy's shoulder bag, he said no and seemed to wonder that I even needed to ask.
And when I flipped it around to the back side, he just laughed and shook his head. Apparently, my big bright orange monogram was not helping with the masculinity.
But see, here's the thing. Before I sewed a single stitch, I did my due diligence. I googled "army bag" and assured myself that girls aren't the only ones who can wear flappy, strappy
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Granted, mine isn't camouflage but greyish-khaki is close enough, isn't it? And bright orange accents, while ridiculous on a 33-year-old man are fine for a 6-year-old boy, aren't they? Maybe if I surrounded it with "boy" toys? Hmmmmm, still not convinced.
So I sent off some photos to Jen and asked her. She sent back an enthusiastic "I love it! And so will Peter!" Yay - that's all that matters! Decided to add just a few more accents -- the leftover end of the belt, and a few stars that were supposed to be "camoflauge" but I didn't pay attention to what area of the fabric I was cutting them from, so they look mostly just black.
Tucked in a few CDs we burned for Peter's listening enjoyment -- "The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk," downloaded from LibriVox.org -- and off it went.
So Peter, hope the big 6 is great. Happy Birthday, little man!
A very clever hand-made gift. I think making the CDs was a great idea which I am sure he will enjoy! (If you had monogramed it with PS then Jen could have used it if he doesn't--as a little bag of extras, like at the end of a letter.) ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute PS idea, Mom! You so cleva!
ReplyDeleteThat's great! To ease your mind even more, I'll just add that my son would definitely enjoy it. He would fill it with all the junk mail that he stashes around here. The boy LOVES the stuff!!
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with kids and carrying stuff around?!? But, thanks, Dee for the added assurance!
ReplyDeleteOh and how I wish I had some extra time to whip up a mail bag for Samson, Jr, like the one my friend LiEr made a while back: http://ikatbag.blogspot.com/2008/12/outgoing-mail.html (4th photo)
I love this bag! I replied to your email but the first time it came back so I tried resending it and I think it went through but I'm not sure - let me know if you don't get it.
ReplyDeleteI so relate to being more confident sewing for girls than for boys. I always feel bad that I sew gifts for my nieces (like the donut shop set) and their brothers get nothing handmade. When I broached this to Dave, he explained that boys (for dress-up outfits anyway) like to wear their outfits out and ride bikes and climb trees whereas girls like to wear theirs in more careful ways and preen in front of a mirror and get in character indoors more than boys. So whatever we sew for them has to be practical enough to be like normal clothes rather than costumes. Interesting! I never knew that. I guess I've neither had sons nor been male myself, so I'm not bashing myself on the head for not knowing. Just as well I didn't sew the boys their Hobbit feet then, I guess!
ReplyDeleteBut enough about me - I say that bag you made is very cool. The strap is so hip! I bet you made it yourself with a grommet setter! And orange says to me "hunting" so that has a nice rough-it-out, outdoorsy, non-Princessy touch. The CDs - brilliant!
LiEr, so true about the difference (as far as I know, having no sons but two brothers...)
ReplyDeleteAnd while I do have a grommet setter, the strap is actually made of the belt that came with the pants. Easy peasy.
Oh, and welcome, MaryAnne! I did get your email -- big thanks!!!
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