Sewing Up a Storm (Tuggers Vol. 55)

By Lisa Taylor, Aramis #40 

I absolutely loved our first season with Aramis, but she just didn't quite seem like "ours".  The interior furnishings were all in nice shape but they were someone else’s furnishings....not mine. I had a few ideas but couldn't quite make up my mind until the East Coast Rendezvous (thanks to John and Jeanne Niccolls, Knock Off #66...remember, imitation is the best form of flattery). 

New signal pillows aboard Aramis

 I have heard many times from my husband, John, a shipwright by profession, the value of having the right tool for the job (usually while he's bidding on yet another plane, chisel or gouge from ebay) but it finally hit home for me when I was trying to sew 4 layers of sunbrella and 1 layer of Phifertex mesh with my trusty, 30 year old Singer sewing machine. 

New screen and curtains too

John quietly took note of my building frustration and surprised me with an early Christmas present, an Ultrafeed sewing machine, designed to handle multiple layers of canvas and even leather. My frustration was soon gone and I was on a roll. After completing new window coverings for the boat I went on to make pillows (note what they spell out) (http://www.maineharbors.com/flag.htm), a screen door, dinghy, outboard & fender covers, and in keeping with my...