THE EVOLUTION OF AN IDEA

This post has been 10 months in the making.  After each passing month, I didn't think I would ever get to this point where I felt satisfied with the finished product.  After a lot of trial and error, I was just about to give up, but then I finally stumbled upon a way to make the product that was reproducible and held up well.  Today I wanted to share how some ideas can take a long time to develop, but with some patience and perseverance, you can crack that code.

I've shared pictures of my beaded headbands before on the blog (here and here), but have wanted to wait until I finally had some listed on my Etsy site to go through what a long and arduous process it has been. 

It all started as I was walking around Anthropologie last August.  I fell in love with their beaded headbands, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay the hefty price tag and couldn't find any that were in the colors I wanted.

So I did what a lot of people do and said, "Hey!  I can make that myself!"  Things always seem so easy before you actually try to make it.  My mom and I constantly laugh at ourselves when I try to "save money" by making something ourselves and then just end up spending more money or fail to actually recreate the product.

So here it is--the evolution of an idea.

Attempt #1: My first attempt turned out fairly well, but only if you were looking at it from a distance.  Up close, you could see the patches of felt I had to glue over sections of the headband when I accidentally snipped the string around the edge of the band.  It was an ok first try, but not something I would ever feel good about giving someone else.

Attempt #2:  The headband above took weeks to create, so I figured there had to be an easier way.  This time, I just wrapped embroidery thread around a base.  It went a lot faster, but unsurprisingly, it started unraveling the minute I put it on.

not very sturdy or pretty to look at

Attempt #3:  After the debacle with Attempt #2, I decided I would be ok if I just glued more often as I went. This headband turned out a bit sturdier, but the backside was a huge mess of glue spots and it did start unraveling over time.

Attempt #4:  I was pretty proud of this headband at the time.  Looking back on it now, though, the ribbon I used as the base puckered too much and didn't look very tailored.  It still wasn't quite right.

Attempt #5:  Finally, success!  After settling on a base fabric, I still went through early versions of my final product.  Luckily this was the perfect activity to be doing while watching Mad Men episodes on Netflix in the dead of winter.

I know we often don't want to share our failed attempts or the not so great pictures, but I think it's important to know that not everything works out the first time.  Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error.  If it's something important to you, though, then it's worth it to keep going and figure out a way to create the vision you have in your mind.  I'm not saying these headbands are perfect by any means, but I do love wearing them and feel good about the product I've created.

So I guess I wrote all of this to lead up to the announcement that I've been anxiously waiting to tell you--new hand beaded headbands are now listed in my shop!  Check them out here!

What is something you've had to work on for a while to get a finished product you like?  Any failed DIY attempts?