More 'sea-ing' than 'sew-ing'

 

At Cabbage Key

Hans and I have cast off our dock lines and are cruising again.

We left St. Petersburg in January and are currently moored in Key West where we hope to leave in a day or two for the Dry Tortuga's. I don't know why but I'm a bit nervous about this next jaunt.

I did get a bit of sewing done before we left, especially when Hans stated just days before departure that maybe we should re-cover our cockpit cushions. Personally, I would rather sail with crappy cushions that I don't have to worry about getting dirty. But, these cushions were starting to 'shed' sand-like crap all over the place. I ended up making very simple envelope style covers for the easiest cushions but that's as far as I got. The remaining two will need to be 'fitted' and that probably won't happen for a very long time. I don't sew at anchor and when we are lucky enough to be at a dock with shore power, we have to do laundry, vaccum, take advantage of endless water to scrub the boat, provision, blahblahblah, which leaves no time for fun.

I also have a sailing blog for anyone who's interested in that lifestyle. Needless to say a lot more gets written there than here.

I may not be sewing much but I still very much enjoy reading everyone else's blogs about their projects.

 

Our chilly little pit during a cold spell. I made his coat out of left over fleece.

A bag I made from recycled sail cloth.

Another one

And yet one more.

Boring cushions but they do serve a purpose.

 

At a marina in Marathon. I enjoyed this for a few seconds before I had to get a butt load of chores done.

We hope to cruise until at least June. We have to be back for my son's wedding in July and we will have a lot of figuring out about what we're doing after that.

 

But for now, we're sailing Mon!

 

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It took a whole stinking summer to get this done

Once upon a time I lived in a house.

In the northeastern part of the United States.

If I wanted to sew all I had to do was walk into my temperature controlled spare bedroom.

I had fans in the summer, heat in the winter, and a sewing machine (complete with a thousand notions) that didn't have to be put away (as if in shame) every stinking time I used it.

I now live on a boat in Florida.

If I want to sew I have to dig through our guest berth (the garage) for any and all sewing notions including my sewing machine. This requires several trips, and no, we do not have air conditioning on that side of the boat and by the time everything has been hauled up to the salon/sewing area I'm saturated in sweat. And then there's the ton of fun I have trying to find a flat space bigger than 2 feet by 3 feet to cut out something bigger than a handkerchief.

Yes, we have an air conditioner hanging in our salon hatch but I may as well hire someone to breathe across a pile of ice on me for all the good it does. 

As for firing up an iron? Well, if you like lounging about in a sauna, come visit me.

I will never, ever get used to living in Florida (and I have no intention of doing so!).

Anyway, enough of my whining.

Awhile back (like at the beginning of the year) a young cruising couple had a baby girl and I really wanted to make something for them.  However, life and then weather got in my way and I only recently finished my project. I actually had a lot of other things I intended to make but she could very well be ready to enter college by the time I finish everything so I'm stopping now.

Excuse the order of my pictures but I have no patience with Blogger these days and I don't feel like spending umpteen hours trying to rearrange my photos.

This is a close up of a covered button that adorns the front of the little pinafore I made.
Butterick 5625

And here is the pinafore complete with hat and panties.

A view of the pinafore's inside contrast fabric.

Panties

Hat (I lined it)

Outside of the hat with a covered button on top.

These are fingertip towels I made into easy, slip on bibs.

Bibs

This sleeve saver bib pattern is F854 from Sew Baby.  
The only thing I don't care for is that it requires bias tape which I hate!
I made my own bias tape but I'm not sure how many of these I may make it the future.Perhaps if I have grandchildren?

Sleeve Saver Bib

I butchered a pattern for boys in order to make these nautical booty sandals for a girl.

Booties

Since this baby will eventually become a toddler while living on a boat I made her a place mat sized chalk board (from chalkboard fabric which luckily a local fabric store carries).

And just try to find chalk these days. Not even ToysRUs carries it!!! I found mine at WalMart.

Tic Tac Toe anyone??

By the way, the beautiful fabric I used for the pinafore set came from Cyndi of Cut-Up and Sew.  She gave me a stack of fabric when we hooked up over Memorial Day Weekend and it's all to die for!! I would have loved to make a purse or tote bag from it but all of a sudden I realized it would make such a  cute baby outfit.

And it did.

I'm very much ready for the heat to break which should hopefully be soon. I have a couple of projects in mind that I'd like to get done before we either head back out to sea or summer sets in again.

Still afloat

defrosting the fridge 

We're still sweating away here in Florida.  Not a lot of sewing gets done though as just plugging the iron in is too much for our air conditioner.

And then there are boat duties that take up time too. Our refrigerator broke but luckily a neighbor helped  us get it running again. Our head quit working and after spending days trying to clean out the exhaust hose we ended up replacing it.  I've been up the mast a couple of times to replace bulbs etc... and I'm going to have to go up again (even though I'm afraid of heights).

a very pampered pooch

Tropical Storm Debby

Wilbur goes to the doggy park during the week and you should hear him scream when we pull into the parking lot. I wish I'd had my camera with me last week when during a doggy birthday party he left his party hat on for at least a half hour and he ate his ice cream cup in a very gentlemanly way.








We were caught off guard by Tropical Storm Debby but we were very prepared for Hurricane Isaac who didn't even bother to show up.

Hans ended up tripping over a stern line when he tried to get on the boat and after landing smack on his butt he rolled all over the place in the water that had overflowed our dock. I tried not to laugh but c'mon!!!

Up the mast

"HELP!"

Poor Wilbur got stuck modeling a baby hat I made.














Cyndi from Cut-Up and Sew made Hans and me a quilt for our wedding and it's absolutely beautiful. Her pictures are much better than mine and you can see it here too. Needless to say I'm not going to let Wilbur near it and I'm keeping it in our guest berth. I've never owned a 'real' quilt in my life and I love it.

check out the couple in the canoe

Like I said, Cyndi's pictures are better than mine but I don't want to take it outside because it could get dirty.

I know I should post more often but I just don't seem to have the incentive for it these days. However I still enjoy reading everyone else's blogs so keep posting!

Still afloat and trying to sew

I must be the laziest person on the face of the earth. That's the only excuse I have for not posting in so long. Anyway, we're still living aboard our boat here in Florida and now that our air conditioner isn't battling 90 something temps I've managed to do a bit of sewing.

A long time ago I printed some nautical charts onto fabric and these prints actually made the trek from PA to FL with us. And as I've been itching to sew I didn't think I really needed to buy 'new' when I should be using up 'old'.

On the spur of the moment I grabbed my Nicole Mallalieu Belle Bag Pattern and came up with this.







It's actually pretty cute and one of the charts I used was of Tangier Island in Virginia (if you've never been there, you're missing out on a good time, but BYOB since alcohol isn't sold there).












Here's a side view. The solid fabric is a brushed denim of some sort that my mother gave me out of her ancient stash a couple of years ago.

I learned a valuable lesson though.

I purposely decided to use Velcro instead of a magnetic snap on the inner tabs that pull this purse 'inward', and that worked out fine, BUT, since I've made this bag many times before and didn't bother to re-read the directions, I totally forgot about the snap that needs to be installed in the facing.
Oops!
Too late.
So I thought, oh what the heck, just use another piece of Velcro.

Word of advice. Don't do it.

Using Velcro on the tabs appears to be okay, but unfortunately, Velcro in the facing of this bag won't hold any kind of weight. Really. I'm just thankful I wasn't making this for someone other than myself or I might not have figured this out.

What I'm saying is, don't use anything other than a magnetic snap on the facing.



Now that we no longer feel like we're living in a pressure cooker, we actually use some light blankets in the evening.

Whose legs do you suppose are peeking out from underneath this blanket?

Well, they're certainly not mine!

We're settling into a nice routine here in our marina and enjoying life on our boat. I'm now able to ride my bike one mile in order to get to the Gulf so I can then get in an hour walk along the shore. This is a hell of a lot better than fighting snow and living daily with dreary gray skies, and yesterday we finally broke free from our dock lines and went out in the bay for a sail.

And even though someone stole my newly purchased potted plants and tossed my cheerful Halloween pumpkins into the marina, I still plan on decorating our dock box for Thanksgiving.

Before and After

After ten days of motoring through the Okeechobee and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Hans and I finally arrived at our new home.

We are now an official live-aboard couple and our home is on a boat in a marina.

Due to family problems this has been the worst and most bizarre year of my life and I'm glad to finally get settled somewhere where I can try to get back to normal.

We no sooner got ourselves settled than we both had to leave for two weeks. Hans to France on business, and me back home. When we finally got back together I decided that something needed to be done to make our boat a bit more like home. When you're constantly on the move (sailing or motoring) a lot of aesthetics get left at the curb, otherwise you'd have a huge mess on your hands at the end of each day.


I attacked the galley first.

This is an overall before picture.

Cookbooks stacked on top of the pantry, and a plastic bin (hiding behind my bourbon) full of stained tea towels and a bottle of Crisco Oil.

After.

Cookbooks and pot holders (huge ones I made last year) are now stacked behind the bourbon, stained tea towels are under the sink where they belong, and my nice new tea towels (a wonderful present from a former employer) are above the pantry where the cook books used to reside.
The Crisco is in a cupboard.

Before.

A close up.

BTW, this is where we used to have a microwave but we got rid of it. You can only have so much junk on a boat!

After.

Sitting front and center is a cute little crab dip dish (a gift to Hans and me from my kids years ago), and a lighthouse/sailboat salt and pepper set from my mother. You can't leave this stuff out when you're on the move.

Before.

Those cookbooks.

After.

Tea towels and a Pyrex measuring cup.

I keep this list tablet at the helm station and I've used it several times since we've arrived. It was a gift from Cyndi (at Blue Bird's Wing).

You may recall that I was fortunate enough to hook up with Cyndi this summer and I consider myself very lucky to have met such a fun and wonderful lady!

I would also love to start sewing again but Florida's summer temperatures make it very difficult and I can't imagine trying to use a steam iron in a sauna. Our air conditioner is wonderful but it barely keeps up during the heat of the day.

However I do have a small project in the works so I'll keep you posted.

The move is on. So what could go wrong?

As I mentioned earlier, Hans got a job offer in Florida and we've been trying very hard to settle our affairs here up north before we jump into our two vehicles and head south in order to move our boat from the east coast of Florida to the west. God, it sounds so simple.

Hans has done a very good job of tying up the loose ends of our lives here, ie; the landlord, utilities, and making reservations for us at pet friendly hotels along the way, while I've been weeding through too much junk (who really uses the lotions pilfered from hotel rooms and why do we really need eleven chapstiks?), wearing a rut in the road to the Good Will, becoming great friends with a very sweet liquor store employee (who calls out, "Hey girl, how ya doing?" every time I slink in and ask for more boxes and only occasionally some alcohol), puzzling over why Hans still has a pair of black jeans with a waist band measurement he hasn't seen since the last century, and all the while sweating like a whore in church.

Damn, this has been a hot summer.

Things were moving along quite swimmingly until Hans came home Thursday morning after his very last hockey game here in our Big City, sporting a knee cap twice its normal size thanks to a run in with the boards. Keep in mind that Hans has a huge tolerance for pain and never complains. But when I asked if he needed an ibuprofen and he agreed that it wouldn't be a bad idea, my heart sunk as I knew I was now the only soldier remaining on the field.

He spent the day on the futon with an ice pack on his knee and a warm pitty at his side.


Sally Stitch didn't make the cut and was delivered to the Good Will. She had many chances to redeem herself but never quite followed through.

Now someone else will have to put up with her antics.



I'll miss her.











Here's Hans lying on the futon with his knee injury and a smile on his face.

BTW, that futon bought the farm last weekend during Baby Brother's stay and refuses to sit upright. It will now find itself on the street with our garbage next Tuesday morning.

One less thing to store.







Just a small amount of junk that's going into storage.























The ironing board also ended up at the Good Will. I'm not storing a ten dollar item.









The day after Hans injured his knee, I spent the day sorting, sweating, and packing. Then Wilbur woke me up at one AM with the pukes. He made it as far as the kitchen before he lost it but hey... it's only linoleum. When he woke me up at three AM with more puking I got him as far as the deck. After that he expressed an interest in some alone time and slept on the futon. However the next morning I found he'd had a serious tummy issue and tried to hide it in the corner of the living room (on the landlord's off white berber carpeting no less). It was diarrhea, and bloody diarrhea at that.

That's when my world stopped.

So in addition to my very expensive 'cut and color' at the salon, Wilbur got rushed to the vet clinic. Normally he loves the attention he gets at the vet's but he really wasn't prepared for things getting stuck up his butt, deep into his ears, and sharp sticks being poked into his flesh. After his second injection, indignation practically dripped off of him and with wild eyes, he forlornly oowoooed and ooowoooed his way around the examination room. When we left, with four prescriptions, he told his former favorite people that he just might not come back.

He then slept the whole way home and hasn't pooped since.

This was two days ago and while I normally like the aroma of chicken and rice, I don't care for it in the recycled form of dog farts.


A very sick pitty and I pray he poops before the day is out!

Today is Sunday, we finish packing on Monday, the movers show up on Tuesday, and we're on our way Wednesday.

I only hope Wilbur doesn't have an oops moment at any of the hotels we have reserved!

I'm serious!.

A bright spot in my otherwise crappy summer!

Cyndi over at Blue Bird's Wing recently had a give-a-way on her blog and I was one of the very lucky winners! If you click on her link and then click on my blog name, you'll get a much better picture of what I won.

This picture I took is awful, but the fabric is beautiful. Tons of fat quarters plus one full 1/2 yard.





My biggest fear is that I'll do something stupid and ruin all of it!





Also included in a very cheerful bag (and certainly not part of the giveaway) were: a diary, note cards w/envelopes, notepad, pencil case, and passport holder. All coordinating and all very cute! Honestly, I don't think I've had this kind of combo since I was a kid and it just made me feel good. Not to mention that they will all be put to good use.



I love to read Blue Bird's Wing and it's one of my all time favorite blogs. Cyndi has a way of making everyone feel like she's their friend, I just wish she were my neighbor!!


Do check out her blog because in addition to being nice, she makes beautiful purses, she has a great wallet tutorial, and she likes my Wilbur!!!



Anyway, Hans and I are moving to Florida next month, and if you want to know how I feel about Florida in August, read this post. Apparently Hans is an even better salesman than I've given him credit for.


We will be living on our boat in a marina and I'll post the particulars of that type of lifestyle on a future blog. Don't worry, my sewing machine and a good bit of my fabric stash will be going with me.



I found this nifty little sewing board at the Good Will for $3.00. It'll make the trip to the boat with us and you can't beat that kind of deal with a stick!

Cyndi also sent along two very tasty rawhide chews for Wilbur. I ended up spending most of my day running around with my daughter and couldn't get Wilbur to the doggy park but since it was so stinking hot I was thrilled to give Wilbur one of those treats instead.

Wilbur was happy too!

This crazy thing called life!

But first a bit about sewing.

I loved the Amy Butler fabric I used for my daughter's Ava Rose bag so much, I was thrilled to have enough left over to cut out a Phoebe for myself.



The main body will once again be the brick color.
The lining will be the yellow/green with a pocket.

The handle will be brick on one side and yellow/green on the other, and since it will also be reversible, each has a matching tab closure with a contrasting button.

I only bought two acrylic buttons for my daughter's bag but luckily I had some big button thingies that you cover with your own fabric and I think they look just fine.











Still not sewn and lying on my ironing board .

I want this purse to have some body to it so I will be adding fusible fleece to the main piece and interfacing to the lining.

I would have finished this today except Hans and I went for our first bike ride of the year. Yes, June is almost over and we had yet to go for a ride. I'm glad to report that this year our Big City completed its bike trail into our neighborhood but I fear Hans misses the good old days of fence jumping.

The temperature was perfect and after I took Wilbur to the dog park in an attempt to wear him out so we could leave him at home and not feel guilty, we were gone for over three hours. It was a great ride but soon after we got home I realized I had a huge rip in the seat of my capris! Like seam to seam! Thank God I was wearing panties but Hans swears that they must have torn after we got home as he didn't notice it during our ride.

So on to the crazy stuff.

It would appear that we are going to move to Florida sometime in August to live on our boat.

Florida in August!!

On a boat that has no air conditioning!

Hans received a job offer down there and at this stage of the game we really need to take advantage of it. Our recent foray into the let's try to live on the boat ended up eating deeply into our savings, and just try to find affordable health care at our age (it doesn't exist)! So we're going to give up our apartment, move the boat to a marina (it's currently on the hard) and live on it there.

After all, we bought the boat with the intention of someday living on it and now we will. We'll just be in a marina and I'm okay with that.
Luckily the marina we're looking at is very affordable, has Wi-Fi (free!), showers, laundry, a swimming pool, parking next to the slip, shopping, restaurants, and theaters within walking distance, and free ice and water.
And (drum roll here) the most important thing, they allow dogs!!!!!!

I'm hoping if I tell my family that they now have a free place to vacation during the winter, they'll be okay with it too.

Somehow I doubt it.






Poor Wilbur. "We're moving where? Are you guys nuts??!!"

Sewing at Sea Once Again.

We got back on the boat a very eventful 2 weeks ago. We sailed out of frigid Charleston, SC and finally (FINALLY!) arrived in Florida yesterday. And I have to tell you, anchoring in sub freezing weather isn't fun. But on the other hand it was better than some of the crazy things we've endured on this trip.

The worst thing that's happened so far is when Hans fell into the water at 4 AM while trying to retie our dock lines. The water was 46 degrees and we're very lucky that he only ended up needing seven stitches in his hand.




So here's my sewing machine in the salon area of the boat. I was fortunate enough to have a few free hours while on shore power one day and was able to get some mending done.



My sewing supplies are in a plastic caddy that I found on sale at Michael's. It's nice and flat and I'm able to store it upright in one of our lockers.

And since space is such an issue on boats I took a stab at coming up with a solution of my own.

This odd looking thing is a 'purse holder'. I found it at Target and thought maybe I could use it to store towels etc... but there is just no where on the boat where I can hang it.

So I tore the big stinker apart and restitched it.

I ripped the holders off of one side, left the others in place, and then pleated and stitched the length of one long edge.

I realize my information is sketchy so maybe this picture will help a little.


I now have pleated pouches that can hopefully be velcroed to a wall of our guest berth. They can hold socks, undies, swimsuits... which is kind of necessary since all the storage space normally used for clothing has been taken over with all our food provisions.

And I can use the remaining pouches (removed from the opposite side) to make another one.








Wilbur grew bored with my sewing and took a nap.


I've been waiting for some normal weather before I try to stick the velcro to the wall. When I do, I'll take a picture.


I have to say that I'm very happy I brought my sewing machine with me.

I only wish I actually had time to sew.