Off Season Sewing Projects

While not busy being Dave's "boy" (fetching tools, feeding wires, and holding nuts), I've been working on annual sewing projects--restitching sun-damaged awnings and canvas covers. It's been hot work--there is really no place ashore to do this here in Savusavu, and my outdoor sewing area on Soggy Paws--on the dockbox on the stern--is full of arch paraphernalia, plus it rains often enough that it's not a good place to set up. So I'm sewing down in the hot cabin. It rains off and on, and we have to close up. One day I counted that I opened and closed the hatches 19 times!! It gets really hot and muggy in the closed up cabin, with a pile of sunbrella laying my lap. :P

This year I'm using the new "lifetime" PTFE thread, and hoping my stitching will last more than a year. The Sunbrella seems to last almost forever, but the V69 and even the heavier V92 polyester thread lasts only a year or two before it just turns to dust. I had been resisting using the new thread, because it is very expensive, AND hard to sew with. But over time I've realized how good it is--worth the money and the effort.

When we had our Bimini/Dodger made by Canvas Connections in Melbourne in 2006, Dave specified that they use the expensive Tenara thread. Boy, that was money well spent!! Today, 7 years later, that thread is still in fine shape. Where the less expensive v90 that I used on an awning 2 years ago, is worthless. So I'm sold on the $120 spools of Lifetime thread from Sailrite, even if it is expensive and a pain in the ass to sew.