Friday, March 23, 2012

Week 12




The second bag for Martha, this time 1939.


This one is my second iteration of the red and white 1475 bag from a few weeks ago. The sail is much softer and the top material is much stiffer, so this one does not stand up on its' own. It's probably also not as water-resistant, but it does have some spiffy topstitching along the upper edge.

 I also figured out how to get the rope through the grommets more easily. You put tape on either side of where you want to cut the rope. Then you melt the raw end so it doesn't fray. I had been leaving too long of space between the tapes.

At the boat shop, where I got slightly thinner and more colorful rope for next time, they have an awesome heat cutter. There's a heated flat blade and you just pull the rope down on top of it and it melts right through like a hot knife through butter. They use a wide piece of tape and just cut straight through rope and tape in one shot. Some day... for making butter slices when I open a fancy B&B.

3 comments:

MJ said...

AAAHHHHH!
That's my boat! haha

MJ said...

oh, was so excited about the bag, didn't read the post about your rope discovery. Next, I'll teach you how to "whip" the rope! (seriously!) : )

Alexa said...

Whip it! I'm not sure it will help with getting the rope through the grommets, but it could make a nice decorative element.

I looked that up and I actually know how to do it already. See method #2 here (http://www.ropeworks.biz/reader/whipping.pdf) See also the improvised handles on one of our trash cans and one of the sleds. It's just one of the many now-useful skills I learned in Girl Scouts.