Subversiv syslöjd rides again!

Hej everybody!

I haven't posted in a while, but I've been reading the group regularly
even if I haven't contributed. I have held my second "subversive
sewing" workshop/thingie though at a local gaming convention. A friend
told me "the best thing about this is that we can do whatever we want.
There's no "must" and everyone can just sit and craft and have a good
time." :-)

One thing I do wonder about, however, (and maybe someone here can
explain this) is what is the thing guys have about projectiles?!!!
Girls and women, when faced with a cup of beads, think "aha. I can
make a necklace or sew them on my clothing, etc." The FIRST thing guys
(of any age) do is try to construct some type of catapult or
slingshot! And believe me when I say that I have NEVER before seen
someone sew a slingshot. :-)

Erin
(feelin' jolly today)

"Erin" wrote in message
...
Hej everybody!

....

One thing I do wonder about, however, (and maybe someone here can
explain this) is what is the thing guys have about projectiles?!!!
Girls and women, when faced with a cup of beads, think "aha. I can
make a necklace or sew them on my clothing, etc." The FIRST thing guys
(of any age) do is try to construct some type of catapult or
slingshot! And believe me when I say that I have NEVER before seen
someone sew a slingshot. :-)

That doesn't surprise me.

We had three boys and two girls, I fostered and cared for other children.
The girls were constructive, the boys destructive. Girls would build
something with lego, bricks - anything - boys would knock them down.

I've seen the same thing on the beach when girls build sandcastles and boys
jump on them.

It can't all be nurture!

Our own boys wore me out, racing about everywhere making a noise with
anything they could find while the girls were gentle and quiet

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Erin" wrote in message
...
Hej everybody!

...

One thing I do wonder about, however, (and maybe someone here can
explain this) is what is the thing guys have about projectiles?!!!
Girls and women, when faced with a cup of beads, think "aha. I can
make a necklace or sew them on my clothing, etc." The FIRST thing guys
(of any age) do is try to construct some type of catapult or
slingshot! And believe me when I say that I have NEVER before seen
someone sew a slingshot. :-)

That doesn't surprise me.

We had three boys and two girls, I fostered and cared for other children.
The girls were constructive, the boys destructive. Girls would build
something with lego, bricks - anything - boys would knock them down.

I've seen the same thing on the beach when girls build sandcastles and
boys jump on them.

It can't all be nurture!

Our own boys wore me out, racing about everywhere making a noise with
anything they could find while the girls were gentle and quiet

I dunno about 'gentle and quiet,' but....it wasn't my DAUGHTERS who got
tickets for firing a weapon within city limits----because of the potato gun
they aimed at the neighbor's cat. It wasn't my daughters who decided to play
'camp out' and set fire to the neighbor's back yard. (different neighbor.)
It wasn't my daughters who....never mind. I'm astounded that they managed to
grow up without landing in jail.

I invoked the "mother's curse' on them so often that now they are afraid to
get married.

At least, that's the excuse they use.

(grump.)

On 7 Dec, 02:34, "Diana" wrote:

It wasn't my daughters who....never mind. I'm astounded that they managed to grow up without landing in jail.

Well, in all fairness it wasn't my little brother who decided to turn
the (only) bathroom into King Tut's tomb, complete with "mummy
dust" (talcum powder)! Nor did he nearly set the house on fire doing
dumb things with candles while trying to create a spooky atmosphere
(just like on Dark Shadows). :-)

Clearly an imagination is a dangerous thing. . .

Erin

"Diana" wrote in message
news:rq16j.27961$o_6.9504@trnddc08...

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Erin" wrote in message
...
Hej everybody!

...

One thing I do wonder about, however, (and maybe someone here can
explain this) is what is the thing guys have about projectiles?!!!
Girls and women, when faced with a cup of beads, think "aha. I can
make a necklace or sew them on my clothing, etc." The FIRST thing guys
(of any age) do is try to construct some type of catapult or
slingshot! And believe me when I say that I have NEVER before seen
someone sew a slingshot. :-)

That doesn't surprise me.

We had three boys and two girls, I fostered and cared for other children.
The girls were constructive, the boys destructive. Girls would build
something with lego, bricks - anything - boys would knock them down.

I've seen the same thing on the beach when girls build sandcastles and
boys jump on them.

It can't all be nurture!

Our own boys wore me out, racing about everywhere making a noise with
anything they could find while the girls were gentle and quiet

I dunno about 'gentle and quiet,' but....it wasn't my DAUGHTERS who got
tickets for firing a weapon within city limits----because of the potato
gun they aimed at the neighbor's cat.

No! Not really?

It wasn't my daughters who decided to play 'camp out' and set fire to the
neighbor's back yard. (different neighbor.) It wasn't my daughters
who....never mind. I'm astounded that they managed to grow up without
landing in jail.

Yes sigh We always felt that we were bringing up juvenile delinquents. I
shocked on of the boys when he was a teenager by telling him that he'd end
up in jail if he didn't behave better, I'd make sure of it. He was shocked
into changing his attitude.

Now he has teenage sons - serves him right :-)

I invoked the "mother's curse' on them so often that now they are afraid
to get married.

What's the mother's curse?

Mary

"Erin" wrote in message
...
On 7 Dec, 02:34, "Diana" wrote:

It wasn't my daughters who....never mind. I'm astounded that they managed
to grow up without landing in jail.

Well, in all fairness it wasn't my little brother who decided to turn
the (only) bathroom into King Tut's tomb, complete with "mummy
dust" (talcum powder)!

Oh, now that I like!

Nor did he nearly set the house on fire doing
dumb things with candles while trying to create a spooky atmosphere
(just like on Dark Shadows). :-)

Clearly an imagination is a dangerous thing. . .

Yes., Two of our boys (13 and 15 at the time) found an empty car petrol
tank, the younger one held it between his legs while the other stuffed the
spout with dry leaves and put a match to them.

Weeks in the burns unit, skin grafts - but oh how life-changing! They both
are obsessive about fire safety now.

Mary

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Diana" wrote in message
news:rq16j.27961$o_6.9504@trnddc08...

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Erin" wrote in message
...
Hej everybody!

...

One thing I do wonder about, however, (and maybe someone here can
explain this) is what is the thing guys have about projectiles?!!!
Girls and women, when faced with a cup of beads, think "aha. I can
make a necklace or sew them on my clothing, etc." The FIRST thing guys
(of any age) do is try to construct some type of catapult or
slingshot! And believe me when I say that I have NEVER before seen
someone sew a slingshot. :-)

That doesn't surprise me.

We had three boys and two girls, I fostered and cared for other
children. The girls were constructive, the boys destructive. Girls would
build something with lego, bricks - anything - boys would knock them
down.

I've seen the same thing on the beach when girls build sandcastles and
boys jump on them.

It can't all be nurture!

Our own boys wore me out, racing about everywhere making a noise with
anything they could find while the girls were gentle and quiet

I dunno about 'gentle and quiet,' but....it wasn't my DAUGHTERS who got
tickets for firing a weapon within city limits----because of the potato
gun they aimed at the neighbor's cat.

No! Not really?

Yep. You take some compressed air, a length of PVC pipe (the plastic
water/sewer pipe stuff) and a potato. You do something arcane with them. You
try to shoot the potato as far as you can with it. You are absolutely
guaranteed to miss the cat.

And upset the neighbors. It makes a very. big. bang.

It wasn't my daughters who decided to play 'camp out' and set fire to the
neighbor's back yard. (different neighbor.) It wasn't my daughters
who....never mind. I'm astounded that they managed to grow up without
landing in jail.

Yes sigh We always felt that we were bringing up juvenile delinquents. I
shocked on of the boys when he was a teenager by telling him that he'd end
up in jail if he didn't behave better, I'd make sure of it. He was shocked
into changing his attitude.

Now he has teenage sons - serves him right :-)

I invoked the "mother's curse' on them so often that now they are afraid
to get married.

What's the mother's curse?

You were just celebrating the success of it yourself, Mary. :-)

OK, everybody, all together: stand, put your hands in the proper position
(You have a choice; either with the index finger pointed at the subject, or
both hands thrown in air...) and begin:

"When you grow up I hope you have children JUST LIKE YOU!!!. "

There. Doesn't that make you feel better? (grin)

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Erin" wrote in message
...
On 7 Dec, 02:34, "Diana" wrote:

It wasn't my daughters who....never mind. I'm astounded that they
managed to grow up without landing in jail.

Well, in all fairness it wasn't my little brother who decided to turn
the (only) bathroom into King Tut's tomb, complete with "mummy
dust" (talcum powder)!

Oh, now that I like!

Nor did he nearly set the house on fire doing
dumb things with candles while trying to create a spooky atmosphere
(just like on Dark Shadows). :-)

Clearly an imagination is a dangerous thing. . .

Yes., Two of our boys (13 and 15 at the time) found an empty car petrol
tank, the younger one held it between his legs while the other stuffed the
spout with dry leaves and put a match to them.

Mary?

You win.

That's almost worthy of a Darwin award. I'm very grateful that they didn't
meet all the requirements for one!

Weeks in the burns unit, skin grafts - but oh how life-changing! They both
are obsessive about fire safety now.

Mary

"Diana" wrote in message
news:QPa6j.3981$UG1.641@trnddc01...



Clearly an imagination is a dangerous thing. . .

Yes., Two of our boys (13 and 15 at the time) found an empty car petrol
tank, the younger one held it between his legs while the other stuffed
the spout with dry leaves and put a match to them.

Mary?

You win.

That's almost worthy of a Darwin award. I'm very grateful that they didn't
meet all the requirements for one!

No idea what it is!

Mary

"Diana" wrote in message
news:sOa6j.3980$UG1.3037@trnddc01...


....


I dunno about 'gentle and quiet,' but....it wasn't my DAUGHTERS who got
tickets for firing a weapon within city limits----because of the potato
gun they aimed at the neighbor's cat.

No! Not really?

Yep. You take some compressed air, a length of PVC pipe (the plastic
water/sewer pipe stuff) and a potato. You do something arcane with them.
You try to shoot the potato as far as you can with it. You are absolutely
guaranteed to miss the cat.

And upset the neighbors. It makes a very. big. bang.

But that's not, strictly speaking, FIRING a weapon - there's no fired
involved. It's like using a longbow - you shoot it. If The Authorities said
'firing' they should have been challenged :-)

....


I invoked the "mother's curse' on them so often that now they are afraid
to get married.

What's the mother's curse?

You were just celebrating the success of it yourself, Mary. :-)

Ah, I see :-)

OK, everybody, all together: stand, put your hands in the proper position
(You have a choice; either with the index finger pointed at the subject,
or both hands thrown in air...) and begin:

"When you grow up I hope you have children JUST LIKE YOU!!!. "

There. Doesn't that make you feel better? (grin)

Hmmm ...

A grand-daughter has just (yesterday) moved in with us. She's so much like
her mother at 20 - but not as argumentative. Her mother (our No 1 child)
once said to us that she hoped she could bring up her children just as we'd
brought up her and her siblings.

Now that really DID make me feel better, after all the rows we'd had :-)

Mind you, she didn't - or rather her husband didn't share her values :-(

Mary