Texture Trials

Hello again.
This week was filled with trial balloons bags. Back in March I attended the Quilt and Sewing Expo in Cleveland where I bought materials to make some interesting bags that have two unique aspects - a novel closure and a fascinating texture surface. 

The top of the bag snaps pulls open when you pull on the little triangle tabs and snaps shut when you let them go...MAGIC! Some of you will probably have already seen this and are not going to be so fascinated with how this is done. I'm not telling yet!
But here is how all the fun lumpy texture was created. I had forgotten all about buying this until I was digging around in the drawer full of battings and interfacings and found it in the bottom.

This wild fabric was a fat quarter acquired at least two years ago and it also was drifting into oblivion before its geometrical pattern shouted out to me that it would work really great for stitching a bunch of lines without having to actually draw them. The directions are to place a light batting between the fabric and the texture magic product. They suggest drawing your lines on the product but I just stitch on my conveniently printed fabric. I really like the way it came out. Both sides look exactly the same.

The pattern is from Stitchin' Sisters (www.stitchinsis.com) and not my favorite type to work with. It is  an instruction sheet with way more words than pictures. I'm very visual but prefer stills to videos. I have made many bags but never one with a closure using this:

The green strip at the top of the bag is hiding one of these pieces of metal ruler. You put them in with the inside curve (numbers) facing inward. Kids will love this.

I usually manage to mess up the first time I do something and here are this projects mistakes:

The tabs on both sides slipped out of the topstitching. This could be fixed IF I had seen it before I sewed up the French seams on each side (aarrgghh).

So let's try another one.

This time I used two images from THE GRAPHICS FAIRY on a plain white cotton because I wanted the quilting to show up as the design. I have used this shadow effect before and it is fun to do. I used a Frixion pen to plan out the stitching pattern.

This is the stitched fabric before the steam iron shrinks it up AND erases the Frixion pen marks.

And finally my third attempt. I again stitched on the white Texture Magic because this fabric made my eyes cross. It turned the chevron print into a basket weave.

None of these was without mistakes. This third one, however, was saved by catching the errors in time for a correction.

QUESTION: When you are creating, are you able to get it right the first...second...third attempt?