Finish It Friday…on Saturday!

My computer decided it didn’t feel much like working yesterday! Thanks to my techie husband, he got me up & running again and I can leisurely look for a new laptop instead of runing pell-mell to the nearest Best Buy…

So my Finish it Friday is coming to you on Saturday! The actual title for this post is…

Even the Pros Make Mistakes!

Now, anyone who really knows me understands that I wince at the thought of being called a “pro” at anything…but DH reminded me that since I get paid to do what I do, then I was indeed a pro (or at least I hope that’s where he was heading with that conversation!)

So your Finish it Friday session is a lesson on how to fix a goof. Sometimes, what you had in your head doesn’t turn out quite the way you planned and instead of chucking the piece, you need to re-think, re-use & maybe even re-purpose. In other words…make lemonade!

Lots of pics here & I will do my best to explain!

So here’s what I had: I flat finished an ornament on cardboard mounted to a fabric covered board then mounted to wool…cute right? Face it, the only thing that really looks good in this picture is my manicure. I not only did one of these, I did 2 of these & both got what I call the “butterfly effect”…thicker on the corners that the middle.

There are several reasons for this. 1. I should have used a thicker mounting board for the needlework part so it wouldn’t bend so easily. 2. I should have trimmed out my corners more when I laced it & then it wouldn’t be so thick in the corners. 3.While knowing I should have trimmed the corners more, I didn’t because this was stitched on a thicker even-weave which unraveled easily. With a little extra care, you can trim corners & lace even weave type fabrics…I just thought I would be able to get away with not doing it (apparently I didn’t)

So here’s what I did to fix it!

I carefully undid the lacing, mounting glue, and acid free tape holding everything together.

I pressed, trimmed the edges, and saved the bows, hangers & wool that I had already used.

I sewed fabric to the bottom of the ornament (I had some of the fabric left that I had used for the 1st try on the ornaments)

Next, I added a little trim of the wool I had already used. I just trimmed a strip with my pinked rotary blade, placed a little tacking stitch on either side. I re-used the ribbon hanger from the original ornaments and grabbed fabric for the backside of these pillow style ornaments. With right sides together, I sewed pillow style (remember my tip from last time), clip corners, turn & stuff!

Here they are stuffed, & ready to go. I actually like them better this way! My customer loved them. I did let her in on my little secret about what happened and got her permission to blog about it. The only thing extra that I added were the little poinsettia buttons at the top.

I hope you either picked up some tip along the way or will add this type of finish to your repertoire.

I finally got a chance to put up some Fall & Halloween decorations. The Halloween tree is new for me this year. I didn’t realize exactly how many Halloween ornaments I had!

I love this time of year. Today is our first real “Fall-like” day & it’s already October 5. 20 years ago today, my oldest son was born. We celebrated a bit with him last night & will again today with him & some friends from his group home. I continue to be amazed at how much he has grown & matured since he moved into his new home 6 months ago (6 months feels like 6 years!) He is at a good place right now & I am so thankful for that. This past year has had a lot of changes for me both personal & proffesional. I have my husband and my boys to thank for their strength & support. I’ve practically worn out my Kelly Clarkson CD (What Doesn’t Kill You…) Thank you for following this blog & I love reading your comments.

Happy Stitches,

Cathy