Monday 17 February 2014

My Top Ten Crafting Disasters


In the latest post in my Creative Life series I wrote about the joy of failure in crafting, and how it can teach us so much. As a light start to the week here, as promised, are my top ten crafting/homemade fails:
  1. This mouse. When these sweet little linen mice featured on the cover of Mollie Makes issue eleven I knew I had to make them. The first one, see above, looks like he is suffering from some sort of overactive bladder. The other two continue to resemble the opening scene of the first episode of Game of Thrones. Grisly.
  2. My first ever pompom. I made it in the traditional way, with cardboard rings I'd carefully made from a cardboard box. Except I made the rings rather large, the pompom turned out to be a monster, and it moulted all over the place. Finally, it went bald like a sad little ageing pompom, and had to be consigned to the bin. Poor pompom.
  3. Buttons. Yes, I make buttons and sell them in my Etsy shop, but it wasn't always plain sailing. The first buttons I ever made were wonky, too thick and clumsy, and fell apart when you tried to, y'know, use them as buttons. I very nearly gave up button-making as a bad job.
  4. This peg bag. Oh, how well fell out during the making process. 
  5. A lavender heart. Thinking it would be rather lovely to hang handmade lavender hearts on all the coat hangers in my wardrobe, I made a job lot a couple of years back. Except I neglected to sew up one of them up properly and it leaked dried lavender all over my wardrobe. I was picking bits out of my shoes for weeks, but did feel strangely relaxed when it came to choosing what to wear each morning.
  6. A batch of mojitos. I love a good cocktail, and when I once attempted to treat friends to a fresh pitcher of one of my favourites, I was surprised when it was suggested I make a career change to dentistry. It seems I'd managed to make mouthwash. Very poky mouthwash.
  7. This cushion. A gift for my nan, who happens to have been a very talented sewer in her day, it turned out all baggy on one corner and I still can't for the life of me fathom why. Not good when you know it's going to be shown off to one's grandmother's bemused friends.
  8. Pretty much everything I ever tried to knit that isn't a scarf. I love knitting scarves. Scarves are safe. But each time I try to knit anything more sophisticated I end up running to my mum for help. She and, again, my nan, are excellent knitters so I really do feel I'm letting the side down. (Don't worry, I've decided crochet will be my thing, or it will be once I've finished my first crocheted... er, scarf. ...what?)
  9. Teacup candles. Ah, what a messy weekend that turned out to be. I bought dye for the soya wax, thinking I'd make my candles tea-coloured and give them as gifts to my friends. Let's just say I overdid it and had to tell everyone it was meant to be hot chocolate. Then they'd sniff the candles to smell the gorgeous chocolate scent, and I'd be forced to admit I'd forgotten that bit too... Oops. 
  10. A few weeks ago I made the below fairycakes as a joke birthday present for a work colleague. I tried to make the icing look as as garish as possible, but think I succeeded a little too much. 


So come on, do tell, what's been your worst crafting disaster?




5 comments:

  1. Aaaaaargh - Cliff on a cake! I'm sure that image will come to haunt me tonight in some weird nightmare or other! How reassuring to hear about your - er - mishaps. I have had ( and still have) many but the best one was an ugly doll called Festive - a Christmas present for my youngest daughter - that was so ugly it made her cry when she opened it. Oh yes my sewing skills at the time had the power to ruin Christmas! You can take a peek here if you want http://plainjane66.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-good-bad-and-deeply-unfortunate.html. Onwards and upwards though! (Oh Cliff .......) Jane x

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  2. They are not that disastrous....really. In fact is anything really a disaster in the crafting world? Surely it is just part of the learning process??

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  3. A far few disasters this way although they were just part of learning I guess. I have a quilt sitting in pieces at the moment, has been for a few year, all because I cut some triangles to wrong size and need to do it again. Should finish that.

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  4. Those cupcakes look awesome! It's like a combo of Cliff Richard and the gunge from all 90s TV shows :) I've blogged about my disasters before: http://hooklineandsinkher2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/when-crafts-get-ugly.html

    I think my fox and your mouse could be friends :p xxx

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  5. There have been many..but my needle felted art doll that looked like something out of a horror film has to be the best failure! . You can see it on this post... http://littledottybird.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/epic-craft-failures.html :)

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