Craft Fail = Refashion Opportunity

Ever have one of those moments?  When you're in a craft store or fabric store and something just jumps off the shelf and into your hands, your mental gears start turning and you're just positive you can make something really special?  So exciting!  You run home, find one of the thrifty t-shirt purchases you've been making for moments just like these - beautiful fabric, nice shape, and only a dollar at the county swap meet - just the right thing to dress up with the iron-on transfer you just bought (at full price, because it was so pretty).

It says it can be ironed onto light or dark color fabric, as it has a white background so it should all show up. Out comes the beautiful black t-shirt.  I follow the instructions to the letter and wait for the results.  I can't wait to wear this out and let people know I did this!  :)

So imagine my distress when the iron-on becomes something more of a nightmare than a dream come true:

UBER CRAFT FAIL!

It ironed on, but only in certain areas. It bubbled.  It peeled.  But not everywhere, and certainly not when I tried to pull the whole thing off the t-shirt I was determined to save, even though it only cost a dollar.  It was the principle of the thing.  

Thoroughly disgusted, I tossed the shirt aside in my workroom and moved on to some other project.  I threw the shirt into the trash the next time I ran across it.  Then rescued it from there again minutes later.  I so could not admit defeat.  It's a problem I have.  

Months later, I was straightening up in my workroom making a spot for my new (used) purchase when I find another t-shirt I had found at a 99 cent store.  It was sized for a small child, and it was the only one of its kind, but I just had to have it - I figured I could do something with it eventually.  The lightbulb went on - the graphic that had drawn me to this t-shirt would just about cover the meltdown on the black t-shirt - I might be able to save it after all!

Stitching that is supposed to look like ribbons.  Only I forgot to
stabilize the upper t-shirt fabric before I pinned it and started
sewing.  Oh, well - Halloween was coming up and I figured it
would look more....Frankenshirt-ish.  

Oof.  More wonky stitching.  But it actually complemented
 the graphics.  

It needed a bit of something else.  Something to go with the red.
When you have nothing to lose, especially when working with
one humongous craft fail and two one-dollar t-shirts, go for
the gusto.  Go ahead and experiment with some of those fun
decorative stitches you have on your machine.
But next time, use some iron-on interfacing for stability.  :)

Looks appropriately Halloween-ish.

Strangely enough, all the mishaps seemed to
come together as a success at the end of the day.

Yeah.  Mostly.