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.


September 03, 2008

Waiting room reading

Yesterday saw an unexpected visit to the hospital with Bargy. Our GP advised that we might like to pack a bag just in case Bargy was to be admitted. Now being as I have never travelled anywhere lightly in my life, this put me in a bit of a spin. I spent an hour frantically jamming clothes, nappies, toiletries, toys, storybooks, drinks, chocolate and other essentials into a bag. You know how they always advise take two things out when you've finished packing? Well for good measure I threw in two Burda World of Fashion, pattern magazines.

Thankfully we were back home by the end of the afternoon. The Burdas would, however, have stood me in good stead should there have been any long periods of waiting around.

For example, I haven't yet tired of admiring this coat. I can stare at it for ages. I have been rather imagining myself heading off to the races with flowers in my hair and decked out in this coat. (We'll just call that the sleep-deprivation speaking.)

Apart from the fabulous eye-candy pictures, I do love the accompanying text. Being as I cannot speak German (which was a klein problem on that weekend by myself in Frankfurt ... but that's another story), I can never be sure whether I get the giggles from the elaborate descriptions or the translation. There are liberal references to patterns being witty, cunning and saucy, which I find most amusing.

But bordering on riotous, is the scene awaiting you in the middle of the magazines. Yes, the patterns.



Complete pandemonium: pattern pieces for various garments are printed in green, red and black atop one another; labels in four languages jostle for real estate; and the sizing is indicated by mind-bending line patterning. There are solid and broken lines. Short dashes and long. Dots and circles. And every permutation of these possible. (The scene is rivalled only by this out-of-print treasure).

To be honest, if you worry about me misguidedly heading off to the races, dressed twenty-years too young and shoe-horned into a petite-cut coat - don't. You can rest assured that I will never get my head around tracing off that saucy green dot-dot-dash line.

13 comments:

  1. I hope Bargy held up as well as the reading material. I love the chocolates and other essentials - it really is an essential. I was have flash backs of trying to make my first men's shirt off a Japanese pattern, no engish even offered, it made the Burda look even organised.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, I hope Bargy is ok - was it a bad case of little man-cold?

    Those patterns can appear very daunting when you first lay eyes on them. I haven't seen the Burda mag, but have tackled a few Japanese patterns (no English) and Ottobre mag patterns. Ollie thinks they make great road maps!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh no, hope Bargy is feeling muchos better. I hate being at the hospital with little ones.

    I think I feel a case of me going cross-eyed while looking at those patterns coming on.. WHOA!

    Better to be prepared than turn up missing something I say! (And that's my mantra when packing to go away).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Having just done the hospital run - I can only hope Bargy is ok, cos it aint no fun. Unlike that Burda pattern, hours (no make that days) of fun to be had there!! That is one scary pattern.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hope the Burda helped Bargy feel better too. And that Burda looks almost as confusing as the Ottobre. I sat on my Ottobre mags for months before getting up the nerve to trace a pattern off that train wreck. Thank goodness for the grid reference and lovely colours though.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, add me to the chorus - I hope Bargy is OK.

    I think I would have to use the patterns for collage. It's the only way I'd be able to make use of them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for all your kind comments! Poor old Bargy has pneumonia, but hopefully he'll be on the mend soon.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh that's terrible! Best wishes for a speedy recovery for the wee one.

    The last thing you need is crazy Burda-line mayhem! They look out of control to me.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I hope poor little Bargy is feeling a little better today.
    That pattern just makes me think...eeekkkkkk!

    ReplyDelete
  10. good you know what its pneumonia!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Poor little pet... Hope he's on the mend soon.

    I'm sure I'd look FABULOUS in that coat... but I've never managed to trace off an APRON pattern from a Burda Kids magazine that I earmarked last xmas. It too was very retro and cheeky... but impossible to decipher from all the other lines!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hope Bargy is well. It's good to hear that he at least didn't have to stay overnight. Love that magazine, there is NO WAY I could deal with those patterns, I have enough trouble cutting out a pattern to start with (I prefer to measure and draw).

    ReplyDelete
  13. How terrifying for you all! Hoping he gets better soon!

    (I love Burda too!)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for dropping by! I love hearing what people have to say. Leave a comment if you like.