The Creative Process OR If At First You Don't Succeed. A forgot to post from Sunday, 2 September 2018.

For the last week I have been trying to make hummingbird brooches similar to those beautiful ones made in the Ukraine. The artists there make such lovely products. My "experiment" with making them hasn't fared all that well.

I created a pattern on copy paper using Pinterest to get a rough idea of what a brooch should look like. I always put a couple stips of packing tape on the pattern before it's cut out to make it durable. You know, just in case the finished prototype is something marketable.

The first hummingbird didn't turn out all that great and took two days to make. Made of wool felt, glass beads and ribbon, it's about two and one-half inches long. While it does rather resemble a hummingbird, in my opinion it is not good enough to sell.

Fortunately, even creating something not deemed worthy is a learning process. From this experiment, I learned what was needed to re-shape the pattern and how best to adjust the beak for sewing.

After this failed attempt, I took another look at the bird brooches I so admire and took notes. The artists I like best are using silk ribbon, leather, cotton, two different sizes of sequins, silk embroidery thread and Swarovski beads in addition to glass beads.

Silk ribbon, silk threads, Swarovski beads and leather are definitely not in this budget. So... I looked around to see if there was anything on hand for substitution.

The second attempt at hummingbirds turned out a little better. The pattern adjustments have made helped make it closer to a usable product, but not quite ready for the assembly line yet.

Found some sequins while on a necessary trip to Megalowmart. They were in budget range ($5.00), so they hopped in the grocery cart almost on their own.

The problem with buying bulk sequins is having to sort through them to gather enough of one type of sequin to make whatever project you're working on. Separate sequins are going on my craft supply wish list.

Hummingbird Two is from cotton batik, polyester ribbon, small sequins and glass beads. It also measures two and one-half inches. Know anyone who wants a brooch for $120.00? Me either. At twelve hours in production, that is what would need to be charged to make $10 an hour.

Ever heard of three strikes you're out? Here is a photo of the uncompleted third attempt at making a hummingbird brooch.

You can see it's much larger than the others measuring about 4 1/2 inches from to to tail tip. It needs another wing and a few more tail feathers, but I simply don't have the heart to finish it right now. The feathers take a long time to make.

With so much time spent on production, it's not commercially viable. Perhaps it will be finished and make it into someones stocking for Christmas.

In the meantime, I hope y'all have a wonderful day.

Remember to count your blessings!