Friday, November 09, 2012

It's Sew Time People!

Had I been a housewife in the 1950's I would have failed miserably.  I do not own a single tube of lipstick, I am a terrible cook who hasn't the first clue how to make a casserole, and the last time I sewed something was an obscure pillow project in junior high.  I think I got my first and only "C" in that class.  I was lucky to even get that because, to be honest, I give myself a big fat "D" in domesticity.  I'm okay with it.

That is about to change.  We are the proud owners of an awesome marine-grade sewing machine from Sailrite and I am super excited about the possibilities of this beast.  Not only can we use it to repair our sails, but this rugged machine (it can stitch through eight layers of Sunbrella!) is what I will use to make all sorts of goodies for our boat.  This puppy has the potential to save us a lot of money and turn me into a DIY maven.  For an idea of the awesomeness that is created with these machines, just check out the pictures on Sailrite's Facebook Page.  Amazing.  I'm going to start small, but armed with the Big Book of Boat Canvas, I plan to give my twelve year old self a little run for her money.

The first order of business is to make various lee cloths for Isla's bunk in the v-berth and a couple lee cloths that I can tie off to keep her contained in the main salon area and out of the galley.  I have a rough sketch and idea of how I am going to do this and - dare I say - I think it's actually going to look good.  I have decided to use phifertex mesh for this project because it's breathable, rugged, easy to clean and Isla and I will be able to see through it (I got two types: phifertex plus - the striped pattern - is not see-through and will be used for a decorative edge and regular phifertex - the navy blue - will be the middle bit) .  All my sailing notions (fabric, needles, facing and grommets) arrived yesterday and the plan is to start sewing tomorrow.  I will post more specifically about what I use and how I do it as I get underway.  There is no turning back.  This is happening folks.
Do not, however, hold your breath for a casserole.  That will not be happening.

4 comments:

NatGeoWannaBe said...

Have no worries about not being able to cook a casserole. In my opinion a casserole is a step BACKWARDS from not being able to cook at all. =)

Looking forward to seeing photos of the finished projects.

Unknown said...

B,

Reading your skill set you sounds like my wife! Without going into any detail it sounds like none of you can cook.

On board our yacht Laura, my wife is the navigator and most other things falls on me. It is not that bad we enjoy sailing just the two of us – luckily both of us can do most things onboard.

As most boat owners we got plenty “blue” and “pink” projects onboard. Your “sawing project” interests me. Laura keeps saying that I just had my old sawing machine I could make and fix lots of stuff onboard. Between us I would like to see that too. On my wish-list I got a Sailrite sawing machine – it might end up as a Christmas present. She also wants a pink gennaker. She would love the pink gennaker – the sewing machine might get me into trouble.

Please let me know how good the machine is!

Laura and Hans said...

You did a lot better than me! I actually got an 'F' in sewing on my report card and was later unfortunate enough to buy a house next door to my old Home Ec teacher. She was stunned to find that I now enjoyed sewing and commented on this. I didn't have the nerve to tell her I got an F in her class because it was so boring!!
I have a feeling you'll be whipping out all kinds of wonderful nautical things quite quickly.

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