Little Man Wears Pink

Hey all,

I am participating in the Handmade Boy's 3rd Season of Boys Can Wear Pink. I am so happy to be sharing this project with you, and to have a place to express my feelings about a subject I feel deeply passionate about.

I don't know if it comes from being a mom of a boy, a girl, and another boy; or just part of my mom DNA that makes me happy to see my kids not be limited by traditional gender bias. I love seeing my daughter be proud of her strength and speed. I love seeing my oldest son show kindness and compassion. We have talked about how they can be whatever they want to be, and they are constantly and courageously pushing limits.

Shortly before little man was born we moved into a new neighborhood. One day that summer shortly after we moved, Ryder was cruising as fast as he could in his Cuddle Monster Motto Max (that I had made for Season 1 of Boys Can Wear Pink). When the self determined queen bee of the block, that is a few years older than him, asked him why he was wearing pink because that is a girl color. He came inside in full tears, we talked about favorite colors and how silly it would be for a gender to "own" a color and clearly his outfit wasn't a girl's outfit because I made it for him (one thing I know about Ryder is he has real courage and pride in my sewing ability, and if any kid makes fun of something I have made those are real fighting words).

I was doing dishes in the kitchen when he marched back out there and told Ms. Queen Bee politely and confidently that boys can wear what ever colors they want to; that this was his cuddle monster biking outfit. I was so proud. I continued to be proud of Ryder as he defied societal norms and proudly wore it until it was way too small. I am constantly amazed and so grateful for the example he is setting for Miss B and Little Man.

I knew with this project that I wanted to make something that would be flexible enough for Little Man to chase and play with his big brothers. I also struggled with a direction for a long time. The vest I had pre-cut a few weeks ago but was unsure of what to pair it with. For the vest I used the Aztec Vest from See Kate Sew, I decided to leave out the zipper because I was worried about putting in a zipper with the softer Jersey compared to the sturdy sweatshirt fleece. I am digging the open feel of the vest because he is all about independence in dressing for the outdoors.

Then finally after looking at my knit scraps I decided on the Brindle and Twig Harem Coverall. I have to admit I own a few of their other one piece outfits but have never sewn them because of my fear of snaps. I loved this pattern from the first time I saw it, and being on kid number 3 rompers are my favorite (one thing to wash, no coordinating to worry about).

I thought about incorporating bright pink into the cuffs but then I remembered that Little Man, though not as bad as his sister, is a messy eater. So I went about assembling the romper not sure what exactly I was going to put on the front to help incorporate pink, I was about 95% percent done when I saw this small scrap of pink cuddle soft that Little Man always seems to find in my fabric stash. I knew it would make the perfect addition as an appliqué. When I thought over my struggles with regular appliqué two years ago, it seemed like a great time to try reverse appliqué. Though it definitely isn't perfect, I feel pretty good about it. This was my first time appliquéing on, and the thickness of the cuddle soft was a little difficult. I free handed the heart and liked the way the tilted heart looked (hearts are often reserved almost exclusively for girl's clothing, so I thought this was another stick it to the man).

We went out to our neighborhood park for pictures and for the kids to enjoy nice weather and clear air (something we have been really struggling in Utah the last few weeks). When a little 10 year old boy said,"Ryder, why is your brother wearing girl clothes?"
I went some what into Momma bear mode and used much the same logic that I had used before with the little girl.
Ryder cut me off quietly and said, "It is super cute and it is his Valentine's Day outfit," very matter of factly.

When we got home he was talking to another friend about it. How it is so dumb that some people think there is boy and girl colors, there are just colors.

He ran by me saying, "Mommy, Hi!"

It is such an amazing experience to see my kids grow up and see my boys practicing to be good dad's as they try to pack their baby dolls around. Having my oldest feel safe enough to ask for a Ken doll so he can play "husband" or nice guy friend to his sister's doll. I am so glad to have good kids that set example for their little brother...

...Well for the most part, but sometimes they do leave him in a lurch.

Note:Both Ryder and I were right there to catch him when I captured this picture, he really wanted to try the monkey bars so I figured the best way to help him move past this desire would be to give him an opportunity to try hang.

With Love,
Scary
PS. Before you go, check out these cool prizes and other awesome ideas.

Prizes

Issue of choice from One Thimble

Pattern of choice from Swoodson Says

Pattern of choice from Mummykins and Me

Pattern of choice from Handmaiden’s Cottage

Boy Pattern of choice from Create Kids Couture

$20 credit for Patterns for Pirates

$20 gift certificate to Mabel Madison

Season 3 Participants

Monday: Handmade Boy, Paisley Roots, Phat Quarters, Wild & Wanderful, Max California,

Made by Jack's Mum, Call Ajaire