CraftFail

The Jolly Cannibal Jack-O-Lantern Hot Pad

October15

by Care

So I joined a swap where you’re supposed to send seasonal-themed items to someone you don’t know. My swappy partner has a little girl. “Great!” I thought. “I can send something cute for the daughter!”

So I got to work.

I had this brilliant idea to make a little zipper pouch shaped like a pumpkin. Then I decided to make the zipper be the mouth of a jack-o-lantern! CUUUUTE, right? It started out quite adorable (if I do say so myself).

Then I decided to quilt it. And bind it. And add a loop.

Uh-oh. Sounding like a familiar, common household item?

jackolantern fail
Yep. Looks just like a hot pad, other than that zipper.

I lined it with this really cute pumpkin fabric, too.
jackolantern fail1
So now he looks like a jolly cannibal jack-o-lantern hot pad.

But wait — Now I’m really thinking. What if it was a hiding place for valuables, like jewelry? I could market it to college students who want to hide things from their roommates! Who would think to look in the hot pad? HA!

Maybe I’m not a failure after all — maybe I’m just a GENIUS in disguise!!

**Don’t worry, I won’t be sending this to my swappy partner’s little girl. I’m sure there is not a 4-year-old girl in the world who would be thrilled to receive a hot pad as a gift– no matter how cute it is! I’ll make something else…………

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posted under General Crafty, Holidays, Kids, Sewing, Wacky

29 Comments to

“The Jolly Cannibal Jack-O-Lantern Hot Pad”

On October 15th, 2009 at 10:04 am Eb Says:
Are you crazy? I think it’s super cute! :-) You should definitely send it to the little girl.
On October 15th, 2009 at 10:09 am That Kind of Girl Says:
When I first opened this post, I scrolled up and down looking for the craftfail — I assumed your gorgeous pouch was a shot of the inspiration project! Nicely done, even if it didn’t come out as intended.

Hmmm, now I’m thinking of the storage possibilities for a hot pad with a zipper. You could keep … recipes inside? Matches for in case your pilot light goes out? There’s potential here!
On October 15th, 2009 at 10:31 am Kaizerin Says:
Are you kidding? That’s awesome! Where’s the NOT FAIL button on this thing?
On October 15th, 2009 at 10:41 am Kim Walus Says:
I don’t think this qualifies as a Craft Failure at all. It’s too adorable. It could be a cute little purse if you add a strap or call it a really cute coin purse or treasure keeper. You could stuff it with lots of goodies too! I think it’s absolutely darling!!!
On October 15th, 2009 at 11:38 am piper Says:
the only problem is when the roommate USES said hiding place as a hotpad and singes all of the valuables hidden within.

oops!

i have to say, though. it is a very cute hot pad.
On October 15th, 2009 at 11:45 am pixie Says:
Aww! I think it’s cute! <3
On October 15th, 2009 at 12:32 pm blakely Says:
This doesn’t seem like such a bad idea to me.
On October 15th, 2009 at 12:53 pm Lisa Says:
I admit it, I laughed. But only when I hit the cannibal line.
On October 15th, 2009 at 1:58 pm Valerie Says:
Best intentions right? I think it’s adorable! A little like a hot pad, yes. But 100% adorable. Love the cannabilizing it’s doing. ;)
On October 15th, 2009 at 2:16 pm Karissa Says:
I have three girls – 4, 6, and 12 – who say it’s adorable and they would LOVE to play with it!
On October 15th, 2009 at 5:16 pm ambjer Says:
It is a really cute zippered pot holder though! You can slip your hand inside the zipper part!
On October 15th, 2009 at 8:39 pm Becca Says:
That’s adorable. I love it.
On October 16th, 2009 at 4:10 am Notagirlymom Says:
Definately an un-fail here. I thought it was too cute!
On October 16th, 2009 at 4:42 am Tammy Says:
Oh, that is cute! Just add a strap and you can hang it on a doorknob, too!
On October 16th, 2009 at 7:26 am Paula Says:
Very creative and cute! The only thing I would be concerned about is a plastic zipper could melt. :(
On October 16th, 2009 at 7:39 pm Erin Says:
i love tammy’s idea of making it into a doorknob hanger!
On October 17th, 2009 at 9:07 am Fanboy Wife Says:
I wish my pot holders were cannibals.
On October 17th, 2009 at 12:55 pm Care Says:
Thanks for all the nice comments, everyone! I did end up making something else for my swappy partner’s little girl, and my son has been hauling Jack O’ Cannibal around with a little flashlight zipped inside. HE likes it, so I guess it’s not a total bust!
On October 20th, 2009 at 1:44 am kicki Says:
what YOU as an adult see and what a 4-year old child see are usually two different things… :) Those pesky filters we adapt as we grow up hasn’t had time to set in yet when you are 4. They are able to see awesomeness in things we don´t even notice… a good thing to always remember when interacting with those mysterious creatures.
On October 20th, 2009 at 7:08 am TinaH Says:
for sure send ti to the little girl. She will tote it around like a purse! As a mom of five girls…trust me…she will like this!
On October 20th, 2009 at 1:52 pm Kathy Says:
I looked at the comments because I did not think it was a craft fail. I see that others agree. It is very cute and well crafted.
On October 21st, 2009 at 6:12 am rac Says:
Send it to me!!!!
On October 21st, 2009 at 7:31 am JuliaD Says:
Oh good god, I think that’s hilarious. Especially the second picture. It looks like your cannibalistic pumpkin zipper-mouthed pot-holder is getting a dental exam. Too funny!
On October 22nd, 2009 at 2:38 am alva Says:
I wish my pot holders were cannibals.
On October 23rd, 2009 at 1:46 am selina Says:
This is sooo cute! And you call this a fail?! I would love to see something you were really happy with, it would be AMAZING!
On October 26th, 2009 at 9:34 am Kristen Says:
Just wanted to share with you my Craft Fail experience from this weekend. So, I apologize in advance for the extended comment.

I attempted to paint pumpkins this weekend. My first attempt was with tempera paint which would not opaquely cover my pumpkin no matter how many coats I applied. After brainstorming a little, a co-worker suggested I try spraying the pumpkin with a workable fixative. I did, and it didn’t make the tempera paint work any better.

So, I decided to purchase some acrylic paint instead. Next I covered sections of my pumpkin with masking tape and with an exacto knife, I began to make leaf stencils for it. The masking tape however, peeled off the workable fixative which, didn’t pose a problem so I continued to paint in my stencils. After applying a couple of coats and letting my pumpkin dry I excitedly began to peel away the remaining masking tape only to find that it took a lot of the paint with it.

Needless to say, my dreams of a fall leaf pumpkin are dashed. However, I was able to successfully paint one pumpkin striped and one polka-dotted. So the weekend wasn’t a total loss.
On October 27th, 2009 at 12:07 am gaia gold Says:
I wish my pot holders were cannibals.
On October 27th, 2009 at 8:25 pm marji Says:
This would make a great Halloween tradition. Kind of like Easter baskets and advent calendars. Hide something fun in it for your kids to find on Halloween.
On October 31st, 2009 at 11:35 am elenka Says:
That is so cute! I love it, but to be honest, if I saw that sitting around, the first, FIRST thing I would do would be to unzip it. I wouldn’t hide anything valuable in there when I’M around!