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Old 01-03-2014, 05:16 AM   #1
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Default Sewing bolsters and fender covers for the boat

What sorts of sewing projects have you-all been doing on your boats?

Right before Christmas, I finally sat down and did a couple sewing projects. The first, I made two bolster pillows to match the curtains I made last year. The fabric is great–a black and white toile designed by artist Sue Coccia in her totem-style Animal Spirits line of cotton prints. This fabric has all sorts of sea creatures – crabs, sea otters, seals, stingrays, turtles, octopi, dolphins, sharks. Fun! I used a bright indigo blue fabric for the ends to tie into a pretty blue afghan a friend made for us this summer. Have I mentioned I love deep blues? The Coccia fabric also comes in a lovely colorful version, but I like black-and-white or blue-and-white prints.



Once into the spirit of sewing, I moved on to another project. Our boat’s fender covers were looking pretty ragged–and the fenders themselves are no spring chickens–so I picked up a king size knitted blanket at Target and made nine fender covers ranging from huge down to itty bitty. I still have four more to cover so I may be going back to Target for a matching twin size blanket. These new covers are replacing ones I made in 2009 from fleece blankets but this time I decided the knit blanket pattern was soft enough to use as a cover and its style matched the boat. In Hervey Garrett Smith’s book The Marlinspike Sailor there is even something called a “fender hitch” for covering round things. That pattern of hitch looks a lot like this knit pattern.

The blanket and marlin started out as a pile on the seat next to me. Soon I was sewing and at the rate of one fender every half hour, my blanket was quickly consumed.

The largest extra-huge fenders seem to often find themselves as guard duty to keep the inflatable Tinker Traveler suspended above the galley butteryfly hatch.

We have small fenders that aren’t used for the hull so much as for everything else on deck that we’re trying to protect, it seems. For example…the canoe vs the deck works out best with a fender between the two of them. If we ever were willing to install chocks for dinghy and canoe, the fenders would be “off duty.”

Other fenders await their duties:

Normal guard duty for the large fenders in a slip


Next sewing projects? More fender covers and the biggie–making royal blue cushions for our charthouse seats. David really doesn’t like sitting on the wood bench seats without a cushion. I’ve had the fabric for several months…OK, about a year! and I now just need to take the time to make the cushions.
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Old 01-04-2014, 08:18 PM   #2
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Last summer I replaced the curtains in the Drnkyn Mnchkyn, using a new shower curtain--hoping the mildew resistant cloth with work well.
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Old 01-04-2014, 09:08 PM   #3
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Bad link? Photo?
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Old 01-07-2014, 08:23 PM   #4
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BoBeep

You have entirely too much time to pretty up your boat and I must confess these covers and bolsters do look very smart. The project I've been on was a new dodger/bimini of Sunbrella with vinyl windows and it's almost done. The other job was changing out the luff tape on a 54' genoa luff. Trying to fold and bag the finished sail below deck by myself was much worse than all the seam-ripping and sewing. The dodger, even with the 8 zippers turned out quite well. Only a few winch covers and a bimini were the "practice" items but still, the further you stand away from it the better it looks.

Ivo s/v Linnupesa
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Old 01-08-2014, 04:41 AM   #5
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Dealing with big sails is no fun. My follow-on project was a combo: re-install the batten pockets and battens on the mainsail and varnish the main boom while the sail is off. 55' luff, 23' foot. bronze cars, heavy sailcloth = > all together over 100 lbs of sail. Ugh. Hubby and I wrenched it off and dragged it to the foredeck where I could measure the outlines of the old batten pockets to make new ones.

Too bad the person who removed the pockets didn't also recut the leech to remove the roach! Not a lot of roach but still needs battens which aren't there. I don't have the ability with my little sailrite clone machine to actually re-do the leech (and the heavy duty reefing clews there) so I'm putting the pockets and battens back on.

This sail, after getting its new battens will become the "spare" main and our "spare" main will be getting bent onto the newly varnished boom. Only three more coats of varnish to go onto the boom (It has 3 now) and that should last another few years.

I think I prefer covers and bolsters! Easier work to do.

Can you post some pics of your sewing projects? Its always fun to look at other people's projects.

Fair winds,
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Old 10-22-2014, 04:16 PM   #6
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I went to Target and looked at the Blankets. They look like if you cut them they would unravel? Did they cut ok?
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