When a Bad Thing Goes Good

What started out as an idea for a cheerful spring throw pillow for the couch took a turn for the better and became this fun bag.  One day, while looking around the living room and needing some spring colors to  contradict the gray of the sky, I decided to knit a fun throw pillow in a checkerboard pattern, with maybe some embroideried flowers or some such in the squares.  It had been awhile since I felted a project and I do so love felting and wool yarn so decided that was the way to go.  Looking out into our spring time yard (even though it was under gray skies), the yellow daffodils and purple viola's caught my eye.  Yes, purple and yellow would be just right for some spring sunshine, so away to the yarn store I ran. 

Back at home, I knit away in the evenings for a good week, then when the size was just right, I grabbed my trusty crochet hook and stitched all my individual panels together as well as attaching the back while leaving one long end open for pillow stuffing.  Down to the washing machine I went, cranked on the hot water and let the machine agitate all my troubles away.  Or so I thought. 

When I pulled the felted product out of that hot water, the shape had morphed (as will sometimes happen when felting).  One long end was flared a bit and would certainly make for a funny shaped pillow.  Hmmm.....what to do....

After just a quick minute of reflecting, I could see that this "pillow" would actually be the perfect shape for a bag.  A nice fun spring bag with bamboo handles and fun yo-yo flowers.  I cut little strips of purple fabric to make the tags to attach the handles with, dug through my basket of scrap fabric for the perfect yo-yo flower fabric and made stems and leaves from wool felt.  I happily stitched away the next evening, attaching the fun embellishments and am tickled purple with how this bag came out.  Sometimes projects that go wrong turn out to be the best ones yet.

Have your had a project that morphed into something even better than the original?  What was it?