Purchase in haste, repent at leisure...

I spent some time both yesterday and the evening before grappling with the task of adapting an idea from a magazine and realising that I shouldn't just look at the pretty pictures in magazines, but read the accompanying information.

It all started with this copy of 'Mollie Makes'...

(Issue 4 available digitally from Zinio)

...which had this very tempting little project in it...

...which led to this tempting you-might-like-to-buy-this page....

(which I didn't read properly)

...which led to this lovely purchase...

(which I waited patiently for, for about six weeks, winging their way as they were, from China).

But what I had failed to realise was that the pattern in the magazine was for 10 cm clasps...

...but eight of mine were a mahoosive 25cm, and the other two a more-than-generous 15cm.

So I set about creating my own pattern, based on the one in the magazine.  I was full of confidence.  How difficult could this be?

I chose one of the pretty fabrics I acquired recently and a complementary  clasp...

...drew round the inside of the clasp to get the right shape for the top part, added seam allowances, cut a long strip for the gathered puff part and a nice oval for the base, then set to.

But once it was constructed it was clear that all was not well.  It looked very odd... 

...and it would have been very difficult to get your mitts inside it to grab whatever lurked at the bottom...

So I kicked myself for using good fabric for a first attempt (don't worry, I will recycle it!), found a piece that I was less fond of (it's pretty but is a man-made fabric that frays very easily and doesn't have the cotton-crispness I like best) and set about version 2.  

I decided that what was needed was a flaring out from the base of the clasp, so created a bell shaped pattern for the top this time.   I overdid the length of the gathered part, so it was very full and quite difficult to stitch in place.  But I succeeded and was pleased with the highly gathered look, but not with the elongated shape of the bell-shaped piece, which was actually odder still than the first attempt!

And of course it still wasn't very practical in terms of opening up nicely to reveal contents. 

I then realised that if I placed the clasp low on what I'd created, it was approaching what I had in mind...

...so I set to with the seam ripper, and will adjust and

 re-stitch!

If I ever succeed, believe me, you will see the results here!

Meanwhile, next time I fancy a project in a magazine, I will buy exactly the right materials and notions specified!