Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (January 2011, week 4)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:08:53 -0600
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Friday rant: fabric stores and sewing
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252

Today there was a thread on what to use to attach one fabric to another. All kinds of glues were discussed. Sewing was mentioned a few times, and in two of those posts it was mentioned that fabric stores are the haunts of women, etc. Like the kitchen was thirty years ago.

I recently figured out how to sew. It didn't take long. I inherited my grandmother's 1926 Singer 101 and have put it to good use. I am a pretty good mechanic and woodworker, and I see no difference between those pursuits and sewing, or welding, or masonry to name a few.

I have not been in a fabric store in a long long time, but I'm sure I will be again. I am a known face in my local upholstery shop. In the last several months, my sewing projects have included

• nine hours of restitching a $2000+ pool cover • a kayak hatch cover like you can't buy in a store • a wheelchair cushion zipper, saving $200 • a roll to hold all the pieces of my westy's removable seat track covers • reupholstery of a kitchen booth seat • a padded cover for my bulkhead-mounted Olympian Wave III in my westy

and more.

This is already over 3 grand worth of savings not counting the number of small items I've repaired. If you are excluding the acquisition of a sewing machine (dirt cheap) to your tool set because you think sewing is beneath you, and you are already process-minded and mechanically inclined, you are missing out on something that will help you immensely.

I will soon replace the zipper in my westy poptop screen, sew a tyvek weather cover for my westy and sew a roll skirt for my kayak.

Anything you want to know about it is on a youtube video. You can get into it for less than $50. It isn't rocket science.

Jim


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.