Hoppo Bumpo (n): A children's game. Played by folding one's arms and hopping on one leg. Aim is to bump opponents, so that they lose their balance. Last person standing wins.


August 13, 2008

Sugar and spice and all things nice



I love my two little boys dearly. But just between you and I, I feel just a little wistful about the fact that there probably won't be a little Hoppo Bumpo girl in our family.

With this realisation, I have had to kiss the following things goodbye: hair clips; pretty trims ; peace and quiet; bluebirds; bows; 85% of the clothing selection in childrenswear stores; dollies; pink; mary jane shoes; swap cards; and almost every commercial pattern listed in the children's section of the pattern book. Apparently the major pattern companies don't do Y chromosones. Unless your small boy aspires to look like Hannah Montana.

Actually mine might. They are still in that beautiful age of innocence. A small window when little boys like pink, will dress in sparkly beads and bangles and think it would be pretty cool to wear lipstick. At this stage I could pretty much sew them anything I wanted to. They would love a tutu or a floral kimono top.

Note to self: Don't get carried away; this would be socially unacceptable.

So, it looks like I will be sewing lots of gifts for little girls. That way I can get my fix of frills and flounces. Still, I might just use Argy and Bargy for the fittings. That would be ok, right?

12 comments:

  1. I loved this one, it is so funny. I know what you mean about the boys clothes, I end up making a lot myself. My little boy is 3.5 so he is gettting into the bigger boys lcothing and I am not a fan. I also wanted to say I really love your blog and ideas, it is great. I know how hard it can be to get there every day with 2 young kids and you are doing a fab job.

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  2. Enjoy making girly gifts! When my son was 2 I bought him a teaset (I wasn't into choosing gender stereotyped toys)but he used the knives and forks as guns! Needless to say I gave up after that.

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  3. I forgot the best bit, you don't have to deal with teenage girl angst.

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  4. I have a similar problem, even though I have a girl...she has grown up, and now where do I stand?? With new baby nieces, and adopted nieces, and friends' adopted nieces, etc..that's where. I get my fix, and I'm happy. :p

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  5. I feel the same! I have been known to model girls clothes on my son (he's too young to know any better!).

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  6. Argy and Bargy would make great models for your frilly gifts. Feel no guilt, you must use what you have!

    And I think you'd better subscribe to Ottobre, if you don't already. They have a nice selection of boy stuff and some unisex stuff that's easily applied to either gender with fabric selection.

    And you forgot to mention that not only do all the childrenswear stores predominantly stock pretty girls stuff, but the majority of the boys stuff is made with crap fabrics and filled with awful printed motifs of motorbikes and uninspired trucks. BORING.

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  7. Take it from me, it is perfectly alright to use your boys as models! Just ask mine - they love it.

    I have three boys and 8 nephews and we just had our first niece! Can you imagine how my mum is feeling? Needless, to say, I am sewing tons of little girl stuff.

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  8. I suppose we all want a little of what we havent got...I sometimes think wouldnt it be great to have a boy with all the rough and tumble that comes with him and of course he would grow up to think the sun shone out of his mother's bottom and I would vet all his girlfriends and deem none of them good enough for my precious son.

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  9. Hiya,
    I randomly stumbled on you via pippijoe's fabric store, noticed you lived in Melbourne too (and the Eastern suburbs at that), love sewing and have an entertaining blog! I'll be checking back to read further installments :)

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  10. There hasn't been a girl in my husband's family for over 100yrs.

    I would have *died* of amazement if our 2nd one wasn't blue.

    I get my revenge by wearing the kiddy girly hairclips myself :p

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  11. It took me a long time to come to terms with never having a little girl. I don't think I'm quite there yet.
    I comfort myself with the thought that I won't have to deal with 14 year old girls, bathroom issues, unsuitable boyfriends, bitchiness of other girls towards mine.
    Most of what I make is girl friendly, I think its a reaction to not having one to dress up.

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  12. reading this post made me even more giddy with delight that I DO have a lil girl..*looks guilty*

    BUT just think about the upside you are gonna save a fortune on clothes, hair, makeup, bras,dolly magazines etc etc hahaa
    and you wont have to worry about that dreaded hormonal age of 14 when your daughter suddenly turns on you with "I hate you mum" hahaaha
    oh the jopys of having emotional girls........sneaks off to ooh and ahh some more over Iris' pink mary janes and frilly hair clips

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