Sunday dawned, bright and sunny. All that wretched snow was finally melting. After Japanese class, the sunshine made me feel invincible. I went home to make my Anthro-awesome headband. Mr. Foxy turned on the Olympics and made some snacks. I made tea, then laid everything out.
After admiring the ribbons, I pulled up the Project Wedding post detailing the how-to of making a vintage-inspired headband and got to work.
Let me sum up Foxy vs. Project Wedding for you:
Project Wedding wins by knockout.
Using the 5/8 inch ribbon velvet and 1/4 inch headband as per the direction, I attempted to sew the ribbon together around the headband. No dice. This is because the ribbon was not wide enough. I scared the dogs and my husband.
OMGWTFBBQ?
Thankfully, Bruce Variety had worked its magic on me and I overbought ribbon. There was a 3/4-inch wide piece that worked. Otherwise, you would have something else entirely to read today.
So I sewed...and sewed...and sewed the ribbon onto the headband. Velvet would have worked much better. The single-faced satin ribbon I subbed pulled and ran a lot as I stitched. For you perfectionists out there, go with velvet! Just make sure it is wider than 5/8 inch.
I am not skilled with the needle, as you can see. The directions assume a degree of experience, but I soldiered on.
Finally, the whole thing was covered...except the ends needed to be closed. There is information on how to properly close them, but I couldn't figure it out, so I improvised. They are hidden by your ears anyway.
Next stop: embellishment.
Project Wedding tells me:
"The floral trimmings and rosettes shown here were created from ribbons and strips of fabric simply by sewing a running stitch down one edge and pulling taught. Use a shorter length and sew ends together to create the smaller, simpler, rosette (shown on green and black headbands) or use a longer length of ribbon to create the floral look shown on the third headband. You can also sew seed beads to the centers for added detail."
The line "simply sewing a running stitch down one edge and pulling taught" made me snort, making it clear I needed a break. Simply. HA! I think not.
I ate some wheat thins and drank some tea.
The rosettes almost broke me. There was a lot of sewing, pulling, and wailing that went on. Nothing I made looked as nice or as finished as the images on Project Wedding. I found none of it simple.
The lace and organza was easiest to work with because it was fluffy and would have looked cute no matter what I did.
Then, I am to sew things on since, when "attaching your embellishments," only gluing what you can't sew "is a good rule to follow."
Right.
Dunno how to do that, either, but somehow they all got on without me hurting myself. I think it would have been smart to maybe get some backing, glue the embellishments on those, and then attach those pieces.
Just saying.
Then, at last, I was done.
It took me two hours. I spent $21 at Bruce Variety.
Project Wedding is a great resource. I am a fan of their overall tone, format, and information as a wedding planning site, so I was really disappointed.
The incorrect, misleading directions and unrealistic images certainly set up the novice DIYer for frustration and even failure. Honestly, unless you know what you are doing, there is a slim chance any piece you make is going to look as stylized and perfect as the ones pictured below.
I mean, really?
image via Project Wedding
I can say no more. Well, I could, but I won't.
I'll have next week's DIY challenge up later this week!
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