Guest Feature 2: Worst Crafting Disaster?

Posted by Caley on January 28th, 2010 at 01:14pm

[Editor's Note: Vanessa of Maxx Silly sent over this great response to our Monthly Craft Question. Thank you for such a great response Vanessa!]

Crafts gone wrong….really wrong.

There are three incidents that come to mind when I think about craft projects / ideas that have gone wrong. These three incidents have taught me valuable lessons when it comes to crafting. Here they are:

Know your materials

Age 7

I was always a fan of large appliance boxes one the street. I loved when neighbors decided to buy a new fridge or stove. For me this meant one thing: PLAYHOUSE! My friends and I would cart the cardboard box to the backyard of my house in Queens. We would have a new place to play and it had to be decorated! As impatient youngsters we went through my dads supplies in the garage (not easily accessed but we found a way) and found some red paint. Too my knowledge this was just paint, which can change the color of anything. It was however, red automobile paint, the most permanents of permanents. Upon opening the jar with its foul stench it tipped over and red paint spewed on the concrete of the yard. Mom and dad were not happy that our yard looked like the scene of a crime and the precious box was soon taken away.

Lesson learned: Know your materials and how to use them

Listen / read directions

Age 13

Home Ec class in eighth grade. How exciting that we were going to sew our own clothes. Mom had taken me to the fabric store where I chose a thin white (mistake one) cotton with black polka dots. The outfit it would go with was already planned in my head. I followed my pattern and the teachers instructions to the T. Don’t pull on your fabric. Check. Go slow so your hem is straight. Check. Don’t sew one side of your skirt closed therefore making a pillowcase. Not checked. My excitement in my almost completed new skirt got the best of me and I was forced to unstitch the entire side I had sewn closed. This has fortunately led me to my wonderful skills with a seam ripper which still comes in handy.

Lesson learned: Listen to those who know what they are doing. Take your time. Don’t make skirts out of thin white cotton.

Invest Wisely

Age 32 (ongoing)

This lesson was learned just a few years back when I thought that making beaded jewelry would make me the next Harry Winston. I invested a great deal of time and money into buying beads and findings, tools, string, books and all sorts of things to make lavish necklaces and earrings. I now have a drawer filled with my supplies because I invested in a craft that A) I was not very good at, B) did not have time to invest in and C) in the end did not really love. I am not saying that all crafters should not try new things. We should, but perhaps invest in a few pieces rather than all that you can buy before moving ahead. Try it. See if you’re good at it.

Lesson learned: Test before you invest for the sake of your wallet, sanity and relationships (my husband still comments on my “jewelry design business”).

Happy Crafting!

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