Stories of reuse projects that didn't work as expected

We all have stories of things that we thought "oooh, I could do that with this, and it'll be great!" and it wasn't.... Tell us your stories!


My favorite "well CRAP!" story comes from when I was in college. I went to the 25 cents a pound used clothes place and found beautiful shiny white curtains. Took them home and made them into the dress for a elaborate outfit that involved 6 foot wide hoop skirts with ruffles and flounces. The hoops hung off a corset, and the dress was sized so that anyone who could fit in the corset could wear the outfit. It was LOVELY! I made the sleeves removable so the dress could be worn strapless, made a matching wide sunhat, had white lace gloves that went it, it was a gorgeous outfit! Several of my friends and one of my sisters wore it to various parties. (Incidentally, if you think it's easy to drive a VW Bug, which is both small and has a clutch, in 6 foot hoops, you are wrong!!)

But we started noticing it got less comfortable to wear... It itched. Badly. REALLY badly, and got worse.

I didn't know there was such a thing as fiberglass fabric drapes... The fiberglass fibers got into the corset, and every time you moved, it ground them into you. I ended up having to throw away both the dress and the corset. Really sucked, it was a beautiful outfit....


What is your favorite "well CRAP!" story?

I reused windows to make a greenhouse and the winds here have been blowing them out. Looks like crappy windows do not make good greenhouses in Wyoming.

I used wooden shelves to build something I needed outdoors. I did not realize it was "manufactured wood", and that the binder used to make it would dissolve in water.

I use bottles & jugs for funnels, mini buckets, and scoops, all the time, so I've gotten pretty good at judging which ones to cut, and how, in order to maximize their usefulness. Last year, I was building a week-long feeding system for my chickens, with pipes, and everything was great, except filling it. That was tedious, difficult, and took forever. I needed a HOPPER! But, what's a hooper, other than a big funnel, right? I got this! Orrrr, maybe not. For some bizarre reason... ok, we will call it a handle. Ahem. I just could not figure out how to cut it, to make it work. After killing half a dozen jugs, I finally gave up, and opted for a completely different system.

When we first moved here I had dedicated garden space, first time in my life, and I was thrilled to get started and compost. But we had no browns, so I decided I would just "rot everything" between two heavy plastic sheets. (I swear, I did take bio and chemistry, I just kind of... forgot.)
The one neighbor (who admittedly was a jerk and grumpy because my crazy dog used to jump on his roof) not only complained but threatened to call the bomb squad because nothing so smelly could possibly be anything but terrorism.
(I did feel a million percent vindicated, however, many years later when I learned of David the Good and his Fetid Swamp Water)

Pearl, your hoop skirt story reminds me of another hoop folly….

Every year when the days grow dark and the cold sets in, I try to make a private steam sauna with various degrees of success. One particular year I gathered thin cedar strips and wove a basket sauna with an opening in the top for my head. It looked kind of like a pomo style fish trap. I covered it in repurposed plastic rain ponchos then forced an old electric tea kettle into the “on” position, put a towel on a small step stool and prepared my spa. I disrobed, then lifted the lip of the basket and settled in for a nice steam.

Without going into excessive detail, the fish trap slipped easily over my head and the interior began to fill with lovely warmth. Of course as time went on the steam tightened the neck aperture. When I realized that the water in the kettle had evaporated, I stood up with the basket snugly tightened about my neck. Without the use of my hands (being trapped inside the basket) I could not loosen the outer slats to escape. I struggled to move around in my house by smashing my giant wet “skirt” through the narrow door ways to find useful extraction tools. Eventually, I managed to dismantle the neckline, free myself, and wrap myself in warm blankets to recover from the ensuing chill.

This year I vow to do better. Already I am gathering stuff around my house and snooping around the homes of my friends to find the right collection of stuff to make a tiny little steam tent. So far, I have a double sleeping bag (will the zipper burn?), an old 6 quart electric deep fryer and a cedar stool.

Of course as time went on the steam tightened the neck aperture. When I realized that the water in the kettle had evaporated, I stood up with the basket snugly tightened about my neck. Without the use of my hands (being trapped inside the basket) I could not loosen the outer slats to escape.

That sounds super scary, Amy. Glad you were okay! Seems like that could have been very bad. Hope your new version turns out safe and relaxing!

Kudos to all of you for having the humility to share your mistakes so that others can learn!

Amy Gardener wrote:

This year I vow to do better. Already I am gathering stuff around my house and snooping around the homes of my friends to find the right collection of stuff to make a tiny little steam tent. So far, I have a double sleeping bag (will the zipper burn?), an old 6 quart electric deep fryer and a cedar stool.

Zipper won't burn before you will, but the sleeping bag will get wet and require drying out each time or it'll rot.
I'd worry more about the deep fryer, 6 quart is way big, and they are hard to make stay low temp (made to go way above boiling.) If you bump it with your foot, and burn yourself, you are tangled in your tent, and jumping around would possibly burn you again. I wouldn't use that if it were me. Your little kettle was much safer. Thrift stores tend to have lots of the little kettles.