Sometimes it's obvious what to do if you've made a mistake.
Last week, for example, I mailed a pair of earrings to a customer and left the backs (those earwire clutches that slip over French hooks) on my desk. I could have hoped she wouldn't notice, but instead, I mailed them out to her separately with a note of apology. I suppose I could emailed her and asked her if she wanted them, but that seemed a little silly in my mind. They were listed and photographed in my shop and she had paid for them. Why would someone not want something they had been promised and had already paid for? In my mind, sending them seemed like the only choice.
Three Options
With design work, the choices seem less clear cut. I was just reminded of this fact in an unlikely place: the article "Spin Subplots Like a Master Weaver" by Elizabeth Sims in the November/December issue of Writer's Digest. In the article, the author immediately claimed my attention by talking about her sister, a weaver. The author had asked her sister, "What do you do if you realize you've made a mistake after you're halfway through?"
Her sister described the three options: "You can throw the whole thing out and start over, you can undo everything back to the point your mistake started, or you can incorporate the mistake into your pattern and go from there."
My Latest Beading Mistake
This advice resonated with me because I have a beading project that's been stalled on my work table for about a month. It's a simple pin with a wood piece from MoreSkyeJewels that I've stitched around using simple peyote stitch.
As extra security, I added some super-sticky Tacky Tape around the edges before adding the stitching. I loved how this worked. The Tacky Tape held the beadwork tight and made it easy to have consistent tension. The first few rows were beautiful and I was feeling smug, having discovered a revolutionary beading technique.
Then I got off track, skipping beads and adding extras elsewhere. Even worse, I didn't notice immediately. (Perhaps now would be a good time to confess that I tend to watch TV and bead at the same time.)
If I hadn't used the tape, I probably would undo the stitching to the point where the stitches started to go off-kilter. But if you've ever used that tape, you know that's not really an option. At best, I would break the beads pulling off the tape; at worst, I'd damage the pendant.
I haven't figured out yet how to incorporate the mistake into my pattern. Layers of distracting fringe or a ruffle? A huge bow? Or maybe I can stitch it to a piece of ultrasuede, since the worst of the crooked stitching is the back.
While I'm not going to throw the project out, I may bury for awhile it in my pile of UFOs (unfinished objects). If nothing else, it will serve as a reminder never to tape my beadwork onto surface while I'm working, no matter how brilliant the idea seems at the time!
I'd love to hear your ideas about my mistake—or a story of one of your own!