Mentors – A Thank You Note
Do you have sewing mentors? I've had several throughout my sewing career. I'd like to share my thoughts on their impact on my sewing and personal life. A public thank you note of sorts on the one year anniversary of The Seamless Sailor.
First, of course, is Mom. I grew up with her sewing or crocheting or crafting any number of projects despite various challenges of the family happening around her. I suppose it was her way of relaxing and something she could create. She grew up making things out of need on the farm in a little town in Ohio. Later more for fun and to share a home crafted item with others. She would offer me suggestions when I hit a snag in a sewing project as a teen. I often thought that I could figure Read more [...]
Originally appeared as a guest post for Women and Cruising Blog - October 18, 2012
Anyone else have canvas on her boat? Yes?! I do. Lots of it. Big and small. Canvas is important protective covering for your boat. It saves you money and time by protecting teak from the sun, keeping dirt out of your winches and instruments, and keeping you cool at anchor.
Can you guess how many different canvas items you have on board? Quick without looking. I counted 20+ unique items with some items having multiples in use at any given time on our Morgan sailboat, Magnolia. That doesn't count functional and decorative fabrics below. And I have plans to add more canvas on my growing sewing projects list!
How many unique canvas items can you 
It seems to me that there are a lot of sailors who out of necessity or creativity are engineering, patterning, and sewing canvas and other materials to create or replace functional and fun items for their boats. Are you one of those sailors? There are great resources on the Internet to help those of us sewing sailors, but I haven’t found a place that collects a broad set of resources in one place especially focused on creating practical canvas items for boating. Nor is there a centralized website that isn’t part of a commercial enterprise to discuss this type of specialty sewing. I’d like to start that place! Let’s collect the helpful resources out there, share tips and information, and encourage more self-reliance when it comes