KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE MY BLOW DRYER RUN!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Sewing Date



OOPS UPDATE! I forgot to say Happy Birthday to my lovely daughter Caitlin! Today is her 30th birthday, oh my baby is 30!!!!



Saturday I had a sewing date with my son, Colin. He asked me to help him sew a tent for his next hike on the Appalachian Trail in May.


Directions, check.


Supplies, check.


Pattern pieces, check.


It took forever to cut out the tent. You had to draw the curve on the green fabric and cut it out. The fabric was very slippery! Think trash bag material....



He liked my Gingher Scissors, should they be cutting this fabric????? I didn't even think about that one.



He did do some sewing.....



Even for an experienced sewer it was difficult to keep the edges together. After 4 hours we still weren't finished but almost! Now I can add "tent maker" to my list of accomplishments.
Now we know why it costs $300 for a finished tent. The beauty of it is that it only weighs 13 oz and you use your walking poles to hold it up on each end.



UGH! The kids bathroom is in major need of some sprucing up. The lavender is pretty gross looking and of course there are the toothpaste and feet marks on the walls that won't wash off any more. I would love to get rid of the tub/shower surround, the sink and toilet but that is not in the cards right now with a wedding right around the corner. The towel bars are already in the trash..... All that beige is so 1980's which is when we built the house. I picked a nice blueish green, I am mixing 2 paints together. I painted the ceiling all by myself, which is a big deal considering my neck issues and it looks perfect.
Except for finishing the tent there is not a lot of sewing going on.

Kelly

17 comments:

  1. Wow TENTMAKER!!! That is awesome! I feel your pain regarding the beige fixtures in the bathroom. Our house is almost a hundred years old but was redone in the 80's before we bought the house. Can't wait to see the blue-green of your bathroom! Have a great day! Hugs, Mickie

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  2. A family of many talents, I'd say! And what impresses me most is it's made so far ahead of the time it's needed!

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  3. Your post today remaindered me of my tent making days. I made a whole tent from a Frostline kit way back in the 70's. You and your son deserve a prize for undertaking this project. Trust me I know!

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  4. I have hikers in my family too! My husband bought a backpacking tent...thank goodness!!! Looks like a monster project. One year I made backpack covers out of that fabric. ;)

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  5. I just redecorated an '80s bathroom too. I hated the almond fixtures but couldn't justify replacing them. I think you will be very happy with the new color. I picked a green and it really spiffed up the ugly fixtures.

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  6. nice to know the son appreciates the sewing skills. do you have to seal all the seams on this? It can't be fun sewing with nylon.

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  7. I have enough trouble sewing on cottons LOL, kudos that the two of you made a tent!
    You are going to show us the newly painted bathroom aren't you?
    Just a thought, new fixtures on the sinks and new handles on the cabinets really update a bathroom without spending a lot..

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  8. Good job, tent maker!My dad was forever asking my mom to see crazy things for him but never a tent.
    I'm sure the bathroom will look great with fresh paint and a spiffy new curtain, then you'll only see the pale tile floor. Wish I lived closer, I actually love painting! but I must paint my basement soon - just had a floor here in Ill. Take care!

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  9. A tent!! I'm impressed!! That can't be the easiest fabric to sew. What a great feeling for you and your son to know he'll be sleeping under a tent you both made. Your bathroom will look wonderful when you've finished with it. I've been putting off painting our bathroom but we've decided when Spring arrives that's it, we start painting..

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  10. You are so brave! I would not have taken on tent making for sure. Great team work. I think he will always remember this day spent with his mom for sure!
    Happy Birthday to Cait! Hope she is having the best day!
    I am looking forward to the painted bathroom pictures. Ceilings are hard to paint. You are just amazing!

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  11. What a mother-son bonding experience. I'll keep you in mind the next time that I need a tent.

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  12. I never even thought about making a tent...except maybe for children. This is so awesome....sounds like something my son would come up with. You are an awesome mom....maybe even should be nominated for Mother of the Year for this!! ;0

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  13. Wow tentmaker! You should applique it madly like the Egyptian men do in Cairo... Just kidding.. Kudos for sewing with the slippery stuff!

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  14. Wow tentmaker! You should applique it madly like the Egyptian men do in Cairo... Just kidding.. Kudos for sewing with the slippery stuff!

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  15. Big job, making a tent! Very brave to start this. It takes some time and hard work to paint but it looks nice when finished I suppose. And feels cleaner;)
    Groetjes
    Annemieke

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  16. Good for your son! what a sewing challenge - worse than Halloween costumes!
    Bath spruce ups are so satisfying and doable - share the finish with us too!

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  17. Very cool! My son is also a hiker (the AT and PCT) and we have made many projects together for his trips. He usually dreams them up and I figure out a way to make it work but it's been fun making those memories!

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