Every now and then I buy a product knowing full well I’m going to use it “wrong.”

Or maybe… just differently.

When I first saw Nichol Spohr’s Halloween Felt Stitch & Create Collection, I immediately fell in love with the shapes. The stitching? Not so much. I know plenty of people find stitching relaxing, but I’ve learned enough about myself to know it isn’t where I find my creative joy.

So, I gave myself permission to ignore that part.

Instead of reaching for embroidery floss and a needle, I treated the dies like any other die set. They became tools for cutting felt, layering shapes, and building texture without a single stitch. Suddenly, the collection felt less like a sewing project and more like paper crafting with an unexpected material.

That’s one of my favorite reminders in this hobby. Just because a product was designed with one technique in mind doesn’t mean that’s the only way to use it.

Some of my favorite projects have happened because I stopped asking, “How was this intended to be used?” and started asking, “How do I want to use it?”

Sometimes the best creativity happens when you politely ignore the instructions.