The Christmas pod - The thirteenth door

Sometimes I really wonder if it has become worse with age or if I was simply born being geometry challenged. It sure isn't a time at school I am thinking of fondly.
As I had made two part pod earrings before, however, I figured I would be able to make a pod from three components as well.
There are beautiful pod patterns out there, but I wanted to make my own. Nothing too big or complicated of course, after all I had to make three components.

So I played around a bit and drafted a little Christmas tree in  a pot, with lights on the branches, a golden star on top, a garland all around, and baubles.
The plan was to put the same pattern on every component, but change the colors for the garland and baubles - which would be nice for using up some stash.

After the second component I got bored. It was probably not a good idea trying to push it through, I messed the third one up royally.
First, I ran out of the blue mix I had used for the other two, but I just couldn't be bothered to put in a bead order just for  a few blue beads, and no one would notice the change in the background, right? After all, this was just a small pod for myself.
Second, the spirit bead - a wrong bead used on purpose because only the gods are perfect - in the garland wasn't so bad. Only it was not really a spirit bead, I just had missed it, it had been the middle of the night and I had been already bored and slightly annoyed. One wrong bead wouldn't show, would it (especially not in a sea of different blue beads).
Then came the real whopper. Although I thought I had checked very thoroughly, I had made the wrong halves and only noticed then when getting ready to zip up the last piece. As loud laughter of a madwoman is usually frowned upon by the neighborhood at 1.30 a.m., I took a deep breath and put everything away.

The next day I gave it another try. Success! Now I just needed to zip it up and ... what was that? A one bead bauble in the first component I had made?? Why hadn't I noticed that before? I was so ready to chuck this whole thing, but I had come too far already. So I broke out the two wrong beads very carefully and added the right ones.
So far, so good. Just zip up the last piece and ... why do all the pods I see always look so nice and smooth and full and mine looked, well, not wrinkly exactly, but just not as nice? Did I have to stuff it? Was my tension wrong?
I really had it by now. This was no fun anymore at all. What would it look like if I just squished it? It was strangely satisfying to do so, probably because I let all my frustration out, and to make it stay that way I even sewed the parts together in a few spots. It's no pod, but it actually looks quite cute.

This had not been the plan, however.
Incredible but true, after all this hassle, I decided to make a second pod and stuff it. An easy pattern, not taking chances this time.
Another little Christmas tree based on the last one, only symmetrical and no different colors for each component, either. No snow and just a different background color for each side.
I was so sure it would go wrong again otherwise, and then I would have to drown myself in the Fils, our little local river.

I know that you are now burning to know if I managed without mistakes the second time round and I'm happy to say ... no. You hadn't really expected me to say yes, had you? ;-)
I had to break out a few wrong beads again, but at least I know how to do that instead of having to rip it all up!

All sides.

And this will show you the difference of the backgrounds a bit better.

I doubt there will be another pod soon, but who knows? After all I said the same things about the puffy stars.