But first...
A quick update on my Christmas crafting. I was all excited to post a tutorial on this fabulous fabric Christmas star decoration I was making. And then it turned into an epic crafting disaster. I followed this fabulous tutorial to make a star from The Lovely Residence. I had already made one out of paper, but thought it would be cute to do one out of two pieces of fabric sandwiched together with fusible web. What I did NOT consider was that fabric lacks structure...the result? One super saggy star. I haven't totally given up yet...I may try some starch or fabric stiffener. Or not. I mean that was an hour of my life that I'll never get back.
On to the countdown!
#7: Good adhesive
Originally I planned on this just being a glue gun...because no crafter can survive without a good (or super cheap Wal-Mart model) glue gun.
And, before I proceed, a couple of glue gun tips...if you can buy a multi temp one, that is the way to go. But if that is not in the budget (it wasn't in mine...I'm such a tightwad) buy low temp. Why? Because when you have to glue something and then hold it in place, you won't burn your fingers. (Or when you inadvertently glue your fingers together--much less pain).
I may be about 5 years behind everyone, but I just discovered this magical adhesive that is taking the place of my glue gun in a lot of my crafting. Fabri-tac!
Reasons Why I Prefer it to Hot Glue
1. No damn hot glue strings that leave you wound up like a mummy by the time you're done.
2. You don't have to wait for it to heat up (and no additional costs to your power bill!)
3. It is permanent, washable, and yet totally thin...you can't tell there's a wad of glue under there.
4. Excess glue doesn't show.
5. No finger burnage.
#6: Honest Friends
Having an arsenal of friends/family who will give you their unfiltered, honest opinions cannot be overlooked. Just because you think the new dress you made looks great, doesn't mean it does. Anytime I make something new, I picture mail it either to my sister or my best friend, Krystanne. Because I know they will tell me if I look like a 2-cent whore. It happens.
#5: Seam Ripper
Sometimes your greatest enemy can be a lifesaver. My greatest enemy? A seam ripper. It means that once again I was sewing without thinking, and now will spend the next hour undoing what took me 5 minutes to do. My recommendation is that you have at least 2-3 of these damn little things laying around. Because you will lose them, or your cat will steal them and hide them...not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.
#4: Ability to Admit Defeat
This ties in well with the seam ripper. When you get to that point where all you want to do is punch the next person who walk through the door, throw your sewing maching across the room, and/or curl up in the fetal position and cry...it's time to walk away (and yes, we've all been there). Another hint: if something's not working and you quit, fold it up, and think 'I will rework that when I have more time,' be realistic with yourself...you won't. So either save it and reuse the fabric, toss it, or pawn it off on someone else.
And with that happy thought, I'm off.
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