A little ragged
When I carry a bag, it’s often a tote bag. Something that will carry my journal, a planner, maybe a book to read, my pens … All the things.
I’ll pause to say that some of my family and I would make fun of a certain aunt for having a really big purse with all the things in it. Little did I know that would someday be me! I send my heartfelt apologies for my judgment to all of the big-purse carriers out there!!
… Ok, back to the post.
If you are carrying all the things, sometimes it’s hard to find the thing you need. So I keep my wallet and other things I don’t want to disappear into the black hole of a big bag in a little pouch I got back when I participated in a make-up subscription service.
I’ve noticed for a while it’s getting a bit tattered, and I’ve thought about replacing it. Being a crafter, I thought, “Oh, I’ll make one!!” Along with saving money by using materials I’ve already paid for, it would give me an opportunity to practice!!
The vision
So I was going to make a little leather version of the bag picture above. Leather, with words ink-stamped on it and a zipper.
Oh, the zipper…
Now, I’ll admit, sometimes I’ll just jump into a project without planning much. I’ll have a bit of an image in my head and just run with it and deal with any issues along the way. I’m getting better about pre-planning, even mocking up projects with paper or other materials first!
I did a partial mock-up with paper, and I thought I was clear on how to get that damn zipper in there.
Let’s just say that was a failed experiment. but I still wanted the pouch. So I came up with plan B
Plan B
Working with leather is a bit intimidating. Once you cut the leather, it’s cut. If you sew it together and mess up, it has visible holes in it. So I often practice my leather crafts on projects for myself. It helps me refine the process for when I make it next time.
With my plan B project, I decided to delete the zipper. I also decided to keep the seams visible, instead of tucking them inside. I put flap to close the pouch and used a snap to keep it closed. I did still ink-stamp the pouch with “living daringly” and a couple of dragonflies.
Now, this isn’t something I would sell. The seams are messed up. I had a hard time keeping the leather straight on the sewing machine, even going slow. And the flap is … unique. If I had planned it in the original design, I would have cut the whole thing from one piece of leather. Since it’s an add-on, well, it’s not what I originally had in mind.
What’s the point?
So why am I writing about this? What’s the point?
- So often online and on social media, we see these perfect handmade products out there. For those of us still growing in our craft (is there anyone who isn’t??), we might get discouraged thinking we are supposed to just hatch with perfect products … Nope. It isn’t like that. Every person who is making awesome-looking stuff has at some point messed up a lot of stuff too. I’m one of them. I mess stuff up all of the time. I try to be authentic in my web presence and my life, so I’m not going to lie about it. Which gets me to the 2nd point.
- There is such a thing as good enough. For me and my use, this project is good enough, flaws and all. It holds my stuff. It’ll last a long time. It’s functional. Over time, the so-called flaws may become endearing to me.
- A caveat … Now, to me, this particular project is not good enough to offer others, but I’ve had plenty of projects that I felt I messed something up. Then I decided it was good enough to put it out there, and someone else loved it! I guess only the artist can draw the line of what’s “good enough” to offer to others. Obviously I would never want to knowingly offer something that is of subpar construction. (And for anyone who ever purchases something from me, if it is faulty I want to fix that!!) But those little idiosyncracies and “happy mistakes,” as Bob Ross might say? Those can be great and are part of buying something handmade.
- I’ve been thinking about offering small bags like this, and I have made some in the past. But I need to get my process down for how to make them well enough that they would best serve folks and their loved ones. Making this little Franken-bag was a great learning opportunity. And I know if I want to put zippers on them in the future, I better learn how to put a damn zipper on the thing!!
Closing Out
Wishing everyone well and a happy start to 2023. May we all learn to better embrace “good enough” when it’s appropriate. And 100% let go of perfection because it **does not** exist.
When is a time you did something and finally came to the conclusion it was good enough?