Tuesday, October 12, 2010

A Happy Accident

So I promised to tell you the story about the banner from yesterday's post. Did you ever have a project that just WOULD NOT end? Would not EVER end? The banner was like that.

I knew that I wanted to change the design of the banner by adding a pocket to the back of each letter. I wanted the pockets to be embroidered on (done "in the hoop"), rather than sewn on with a sewing machine. I wanted the pockets to be lined and to be made out of fabric, which is less stretchy than the wool felt that I used to make the banner pieces themselves. It took some trial and error to achieve the look I wanted without having the banner pieces become puffy or too stiff from so many extra layers. (We are using the trial-and-error-products as hot pads. Waste not, want not!)

Once I finally came up with a design I liked, I started embroidering. All was fine until I started on the letter O. The center (cutout) part of the O shifted and did not stitch out correctly. (And thus, another hot pad was born.)

I thought it was operator error, so I tried again; when it stitched out YET AGAIN incorrectly (ANOTHER hot pad) in the exact same way, I knew it must be a problem with the design itself. Of course I intended to contact the vendor...the ladies where I bought the design are very nice to work with, so I was sure it would be resolved without a problem.

However, I was in a frenzy (who, ME?) and I wanted the banner done and out of my hair. I pondered the issue, thinking I could just sew the O without the center cutout...but then it looked kind of like an inexplicable oval instead of an O. It finally dawned on me that I could prevent the embroidery machine from stitching out the center of the O and instead, put a design there. But what design?? Then I remembered a Santa face design I had, and the rest is history!
So look again, now knowing what you know about how the Santa-O came to be. Isn't Santa what just MAKES the banner?
See?! Lemons out of lemonade! A happy accident! AND NO MORE HOT PADS!
Thanks for visiting!

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