When Handmade Boy put a call out to see if there were interested bloggers for her “Boys Can Wear Pink” series…I jumped at the opportunity.  I couldn’t have gotten to the computer faster than I did to express my interest.  And for good reason too.  My friends and family have probably heard me complain about this enough.  Why not bring it to the blog too?

I think it is INSANE that we are so worried as a society about gender roles.

“You’re a real man if you do this.”

“Boys will be boys.”

“She’s such a tomboy.”

“Boys shouldn’t play with dolls.”

“Only women love to cook.”

“Blue is for boys, pink is for girls.”

“Women are caregivers, men are providers.”

:: sigh ::

Our family is set up in a more or less non-traditional way.  Only because societal norms say we are non-traditional.  Bennett has been a stay-at-home dad and the primary caregiver for Louis since I went back to work, three weeks after Louis was born.  He’s a wonderful father.  Amazing.  I feel like I pale in comparison sometimes to him in the parenting-side of things.  We didn’t choose for him to be the stay-at-home because he couldn’t work, it was financially necessary, my job was the only one with health care, etc, etc, etc.

We did it because it works for us.  Really well, in fact.

I just wish other people didn’t make it seem like fathers are the lesser of the two parents.  When people ask Bennett “what he does” or “what he’s been up to”, he almost takes a deep breath before he tells them.  He’s not ashamed of his role in the least bit.  He’s just tired of seeing people’s uncomfortable reactions to a man taking part in what America views as the “woman’s role”.

Anywho.  I’ll step off my soapbox here in a second.  What I’m trying to get at in a really roundabout way is that I have a strong disdain for things that are deemed for one gender or the other.  Look up “Gender Neutrality” if you’re ever wanting to read about it in a more eloquent way that I can put it.  We’ve always let Louis decide if he likes things or not on his own.  He has a healthy love for Barbies, My Little Pony, Marvel Superheroes, Star Wars, the color blue, toy cars, a princess wand and everything else a kid likes.

Interests shouldn’t have a gender.  Nor should colors.

Pink isn’t a color for girls.  Pink is a color for people who like pink.

Whew.  Now onto the fun things I got to sew up for Louis!!

First up was this totally rad shirt, made with the Patterns for Pirates “Jolly Roger Raglan” pattern.  I’m such a fangirl of P4P lately, it’s not even funny.  Her patterns are really well laid out and easy to follow.  And I love that her .pdf pages are non-trim…so you just have to print, glue/tape and go.  These raglans sew up so fast and there are so many different ways to make one shirt that you could literally fill an entire closet full of these without it seeming that way.

Louis ADORES this tee.  In fact, he’s talked me into letting him wear it for the past three days now.  In intervals, of course.  But still, it is a total win.  The fabrics are all from JoAnns and are super, duper soft and have a great drape.  I love that this shirt totally has an 80’s vibe to it with the paint-splattered colors.

I almost made this with black sleeves but Bennett stopped me and said there needed to be more pink.  So I made it happen.

Next up on this delightful outfit was The Basic Blazer pattern by Blank Slate Patterns.  This was my first go-round with sewing something by Melissa and I’m not going to lie, I’ll probably be back.  Her instructions were very detailed and even though a fully lined blazer is quite involved, it went together pretty quickly and easily.  I’m not sure if this pattern is meant to be reversible, but Louis wanted it this way and I couldn’t say no to this sweet face of his!

I had intended on this blazer being sewn as a khaki design (pretend that it’s been ironed) and having this totally awesome Star Wars Rebels fabric on the inside as lining but Louis had other plans. Which works for me because it is way more fun.  Just a little loud, am I right?

I did make a couple of changes to this pattern right off the bat.  I thought it was weird that the back bodice piece isn’t cut on the fold…it’s two pieces that are sewn together.  I don’t like the idea of having a seam go right up the back of this jacket so I just took 1/2″ off of the pattern piece and cut it in one piece on the fold.  Made much more sense to me.  I also skipped having a front facing piece and just made the lining the same as the main fabrics on both sides.  It ended up working just fine because Louis obviously wants to show off more Star Wars than some plain ole’ khaki.

In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, Louis is a huge ham.  HUGE.  Kiddo is not afraid of the camera, he’s just apparently afraid of making any face that isn’t silly.  But hey, here are some photos of his blazer right-side-out. 🙂

I did make Lou a pair of blue corduroy pants that were intended for this outfit but I felt that jeans were better suited for how much was going on with colors on top already.  I’ll have to do an entire post for just his pants…because they are adorable.  (Another P4P sew job that I just adore.)

Too many pictures?  Perhaps.  #sorrynotsorry</ p>

I kinda love this kiddo and his crazy little ways.

What do you think?  Would your kiddo rock this outfit as hard as mine did?  Where do you stand on gender roles and assignments given to colors?  I want to know!

The Boys Can Wear Pink series doesn’t stop here, that’s for sure!  Stay tuned all month on Handmade Boy’s blog to follow along with more “Boys Can Wear Pink” cutie-pies.  Plus, if you’re a sewist yourself, there are fun things you can win this month!

One yard of Stenzo Pit Stop Poplin in pink from Mabel Madison

$25 gift certificate, plus a surprise fat quarter from Phat Quarter Shop

One yard of solid cotton/lycra & one yard of coordinating fabric from Purple Seamstress

One pattern of choice from Paisley Roots

$20 store credit from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop

One pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates

One pattern of choice from Mouse House Creations

Bottoms Up Pants Pattern from If Only They Would Nap

One Pattern of choice from Titchy Threads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We also have a sewalong happening on Facebook. Share your guy in his pink gear on the Sew for Boys page with the hashtag #boyscanwearpink. There are no prizes or judging. Just a fun way to show off your work and get inspired by others. I look forward to seeing everything that is made!  Woot!