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What do these four photos have in common?

If you answered me holding DIY materials while doing projects…you would be correct.

If you also answered those nasty blue sweatpants…DING DING DING DING!  You are a talking fox.  No really…you are foxy 🙂

Those blue sweatpants are my go-to for cold weather projects…and I am officially saying goodbye to these dear old friends.

And now for a little eulogy….

 

Bluey S. Weatpants was a good friend of mine.  We met a little over 14 years ago…in the winter of 1999….the year I graduated high school….in the back room of Abercrombie & Fitch where I spent a season folding clothes and gazed dreamily at oversized black and white photos of half naked men.  It was an exciting time for us…we celebrated sliver-of-midriff-day together, singing Summer Girls by LFO, and did daily lunges.  We loved going everywhere together.  With Bluey I always felt comfortable.  And I knew he always had my back…side.  And we had common interests….micro paper tees, vintage pumas, and keeping our legs long and lean.

I am sorry to have to say goodbye to dear ole Bluey….but he suffered from bleach poisoning, spotted thigh, and finally bit the bullet when he came apart at the seams at his most vulnerable spot.  But he was dedicated to DIY up till the very end…a true partner in gettin-er-done….and never failed me (until he exposed my rear end to a room full of people…yeah…that happened).

Goodbye sweet friend (or should I say sweat friend?).  I will never forget you.  Rest in pieces.  (cue bagpipes)

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  2. Thank you for the laugh today! That was hysterical. It gave me flashbacks to a dear pair of blue track pants from A+F that I purchased during the same time frame. PS- I may never get that LFO song out of my head.

  3. Haha! This cracked me up! Don’t we all have that item of clothing we just keep hanging on to?

  4. I just threw out a pair of torn, mud stained, paint splattered, grass stained and stain spots pair of jeans. We’d been together since 2004, the beginning of my senior year of college. I met my boyfriend wearing them. He proposed to me when I was wearing them. We moved in together, and I was wearing them. When we bought our first house, I wore them to paint every room. They were my DIY jeans for a few years, too. Then, the man I thought I knew, the man I married, became a man that hurt me, and pushed me away from him, and didn’t love me. Slowly, those pants didn’t fit me anymore. Last fall he walked out. Last month, I tried them on and they fit. But instead of keeping them, I went out and bought a new pair, for my new life.

  11. Yep I have a pair like that. Actually 2 from the gap. But mine are maybe 4 years old and they look like this. #stuffisgettingmadecheaper And they have the crotch holes. I still wear them. #forthewin

  13. I never comment, but I must on this post! HAHAHA. I owned those pants too. Good by Bluey. I love you blog and your randomness cracks me up!

  14. Awesome. I have a similar pair of DIY pants. They were also purchased when I worked in a clothing store right after high school. When my husband told me he basically hated them, they graduated to painting pants and now they can almost stand on their own due to all the paint I have wiped or dripped onto them. But I think we might have five or so more years together. Hope you have another pair waiting in the wings!

  15. I have the same pair of sweatpants, from my same time working in A&F, but mine are a light green. They are too short for me but I won’t stop wearing them. I feel your pain in letting go.

  17. Sad! I hate when I have to part with a favorite piece of clothing… lets be real, it is always a pair of sweatpants.

    Can we hear more about the story of them splitting in front of a room full of people?!

  19. Long time lurker, first time poster. This post “spoke” to me! I had to lay to rest my favorite work shirt yesterday (much to the joy of people around me who have threatened to trash it many times) and I wrote “An Ode To My Work shirt” after I tossed it in the rag bin. I thought I was the only one who eulogized my old faithful’s!

  20. Oh my gosh – too funny, though if it were me, I’d stitch him up and continue to wear them!

  23. Hahahahaha! I loved the references to A&F. Oh to be young again with no real cares in the world! 😉

  25. This made me tear up…reminding me of my own dear departed DIY sweatpants! They lost their battle with paint stripper. Thanks for sharing!

  26. I have pants like that! Well, they don’t look like that, but I’ve had them forever and a day and they are a mess, but I haven’t given up on them yet. I haven’t found anything that is as comfortable enough to replace them with. Is it crazy to patch sweatpants??

  27. Makes me think of my beloved coat from high school “Coaty.” He is ragged and yucky (and blue!) but I still have him. I might make him into a blanket. (He’s so soft!)

  30. HA! As another former A&F employee, this post made my day and brought back lots o’ memories. They really did make the best sweat pants though…

  32. This is too funny because I have an old pair of sweatpants that are in far worse shape than these. I’ve hung on to them to do all my painting in! We’re talking the elastic band is coming out at the seams and I’m still holding on to them for some reason!! Bwhahahaha

  33. Ah man! Poor little guys. It looked like they had a good life and saw many of an adventure.
    I will be sad when my go-to sweats from 2002 run their course.

  34. I have the exact same ones!! Except they are in gray not blue but exact same style likely from ’97 haha.

    No joke happy to send them to you as a new mom gift if you’d like 🙂

  35. hahaha…this post sounds exactly like me. I also worked at A&F back in the day, and still have far too many of their clothes lingering in my closet. Definitely had a few pair of sweats just like those!

  36. Hahahaha! Rest in peace faithful blue sweatpants. Say hello to Dark Gray Gap sweatpants in heaven for me. She is the one with the same hole and bleach stains as you. I miss you Gap Sweats you gave me the best 11 years a pair of faithful old sweats ever could( RIP 2002 – 2013).

  37. Abercrombie sweatpants were the best!!! I applaud you for letting go. I have one pair left from about as many years ago in much worse shape in the same…region…but I refuse to give them up because they’re so comfy. I can only wear them at home, of course 😉

  38. I had those pants – same color same era and I miss the comfort too . RIP blue sweat pants !

  40. Aww, I just tossed my favorite yoga pants for getting big ‘ole grease stains on them and never coming out (clearly, I wore them for things other than yoga).

    Maybe Yoga and Bluey will find each other in the great comfy pants beyond?

  42. RIP Bluey. I just said goodbye to my favorite pair of jeans after wearing them 2-3 times a week for 5 years. Sadly my pants exposed a different part of my anatomy (shout out to the cute undies I was wearing) to a very full grocery store. Maybe we can have a joint funeral for our beloved pants.

  43. I just had a brilliant (at least I think so) idea…..make some booties for LJ out of the unstained fabric! Or you could make a hat,vest, pants, or scarf to dress up some stuffed animals.

  44. I have a sweatshirt in similar condition… my friends stole it so I can’t wear it anymore. 🙁 they don’t understand.

  45. How funny! I had the exact same pair from my stint working at A&F too….and I worked the exact same year! I refer to that job as the one where I somehow received more from a random class action than I ever earned with my measely one shift per week! Did you get that too?!

    Beautiful new baby! Congrats!

  46. I had a favorite pair of Hollister khakis that I wore to death. When they finally fell apart, I carefully cut them up and made a really heartwarming scrapbooking page from them. I wrote a eulogy too!

    I will give your sweats the moment of silence they deserve. <3

  47. I feel your pain girlfriend! I still think about my fav pair of American Eagle jeans circa 2006 from time to time, sniff sniff. On a happier note, I just love seeing pics of LJ. He seems so alert already. How are your nights? Hope the breastfeeding is going well. Bryn (also mom to an LJ-Lenard Joel)

  48. Wow! I can’t imagine still fitting into something from highschool lol. Gotta love well worn in pants like that. I remember my parents were super cheap with clothes. Kmart jeans were it. My best friend’s rich aunt came to town and took us to Gap. She bought me a $50 pair of jeans and she was better than the pope to me. queen of england. president of the us. whatever. I remember they were a size zero. I’ll never forget how cool I felt the one year I fit into them lol!

  50. Can’t wait to see how you will cut these up and use them in a project somewhere around your house!! #ummmmimnotkidding 😉

  52. We always got hand-me-downs…so when I turned 18 and was able to be hired by Abercrombie, I spent all my paychecks on clothing! I never felt so cool either 🙂
    xo – kb

  59. I was at my pastors house and up on a ladder….I squatted to get a roller from a friend handing it up to me…and yup…there she blows.
    xo – kb

  62. I had to give up my tracky dacks, we call them that in Australia last winter after they had also seen a lot of DIY. They knew the drum on how to climb ladders, didn’t mind the odd splatter of paint, but I could look at them and know where ever colour paint was from what I had painted. They actually developed holes in them because they had become so thin. It takes so long to break a new pair in though.

    LJ is gorgeous congrations to you and your family.

  64. what a funny post! Like that you say it as it is…
    Have a question…. have the exact similar pants….but after years of washing and drying they seem to shrink…and get shorter in length.(how did u manage not to…or do u air dry them)
    😉

  65. Aw! I totally get this. Mine were grey Gap sweatpants from 2001. My husband repeatedly told me that they gave me “south bottom” which is a compliment to neither me not the sweats. They went to the rag pile a couple years ago & I haven’t found anything I love as much so I no longer own sweatpants. Nothing can compare. ;*(

  67. So sorry for your loss! I guess it’s been a case of concious uncoupling. 😉
    Last month I had to part with my most favourite pair of shoes. Man… all the places we’ve been together…I miss thee my beloved brown brogues!

  68. I love how much you loved those sweatpants. I am a complete hoarder of clothes; my favourite black trousers have been worn around once a week for 8 years, I have promo socks from the Sydney 2000 olympics, I have the blood donation tshirt from when I was 17 and (1999) and simultaneously threw up and fainted after donating my pint (I blame my dad, he said eat the biscuit and you’ll be fine).

    When my favourite gig tshirt got retired after 10 years (It was see through after so many washes) I framed it and used it as a basis for my craft room decor. *sigh* I’m glad I’m not the only one who cherishes clothes. Some friends go on huge shopping sprees each season for stuff that won’t last. I only buy stuff I love and keep it for years.

    Also, congtatulations on the birth on your beautiful boy. Xx

  69. Sigh. It’s hard to split with old friends.

    This made my morning. Hiarious. DH has a red, holy, pizza delivery shirt that is his work partner. I almost threw it away when I was looking through old photos and realized that he wore it for the delivery of all 3 of our children. Guess I’ll have to pack HIS hospital bag next time too.

  70. Katie, you crack me up! On a completely unrelated note, I loved the gown you wore at the hospital. Where did you get it? It was ever so much prettier than regular hospital gowns!

  71. Oh, my heart is in TATTERS for you. I hope you are able to STITCH the HOLES this tragic event has created in your life and your soul is on the MEND. Haha! Ok I am done.

  72. Ha, ha thanks for the laugh!

    I still have my “painting” pants of almost 14 years. They’re yoga pants which were only very briefly used for yoga and have been present to witness the painting of many rooms (some a couple times over) in two different houses. Yep, they have a stains in every paint color I ever used. I wear them proudly and hope they never die. (The same sentiment applies to their accompanying t-shirt.) 🙂

  73. I had forgot all about LFO!!!! Made my Friday.

    Too bad I still remember all the lyrics… It is as annoying as it was when it first aired. “I like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fithc, Chinese food makes me sick…” Hahahaha

  76. I have those same sweats! (different color) I love them, my husband wants to burn the, but they’ve been great companions through my pregnancies.

  80. Oh I do the same too! Well maybe not to the same degree, but I do take pictures of sentimental things that I’m about to throw out – makes the parting process easier.

    Bye bye Bluey! 🙂

  81. I must comment because I can totally relate to your post! I too, owned and loved and wore for far too long an ancient pair of A&F white sweatpants for all of my dyi’ing. they were the best pants. until i literally wore them out in the butt. A&F just does not make those amazing sweatpants like they used to!

  83. Lol – I think we all have a pair of THOSE pants. My aunt had a pair of purple sweatpants she couldn’t bear to part ways with that we still tease her about. Love it!

  84. So funny! I had those same exact sweatpants that eventually became paint splattered with a hole in the crotch. I might even still have them stuffed in a closet somewhere in our house.(And I, too worked at A&F for a brief stint.)

  85. It was borrowed from a friend. She asked if I had a gown…I was all like “umm…my wedding gown?” and she brought this beauty over. It was a gift to her.
    xo – kb

  86. I step on the heel and do lounges 🙂 Or I take them when they are just ever so slightly damp and pull the legs longer 🙂
    xo – kb

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