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23' mini-trawler
by Schucker

Janice aboard Seaweed,
living the good life afloat...

Trawler cruising on $14 per day is possible.
I'm doing it and you can too.

Janice Marois, nautical journalist.
Accredited member of Boat Writers International.

Here, I share my views on living aboard a small boat with very limited resources. Hopefully my successes will help others achieve the life. And yes, I'll share the things I did wrong too -- though not everything 'cause a girl's got to have her secrets!

  

Christmas is coming. Please be sure to use my Amazon links
when ordering your holiday gifts. Thanks so much!

Date: 8 November 2018. Sun Damaged Fabric Fix - Curtain Repair.

© janice142

As the sun rises each morning it shines on the port side of Seaweed. The dinette curtain is an amalgamation of two curtains. The bottom lacy part is attached to what was a lighthouse embroidered valance. Both are nautical themed. The valance portion was a very thin fabric. It did well until I washed and bleached it. Here is how I fixed the mess I made of that curtain.
 

After washing, I was left with an UGLY
HOLE ↓ in the top part of my curtain:
The lace portion is perfect. I love the seahorses,
starfish, queen conch shells and seaweed in the lace.


What I should have remembered: If fabric is "iffy" throwing it in a load with harsh detergent and bleach is not a good idea. The clothes I washed the curtain with had bits of fluff and fabric all through it. The mess actually looked similar to when I've washed a load with a Kleenex tissue in a pocket. Argh!
 

How to not mess up with
 Kleenex in the laundry:

Stop using them. I switched over to cotton flannel torn into 8" to 10" squares. That works right well and is much softer than even the best Aloe infused tissues. Plus I save money by not purchasing tissues.

Side Note: The fabric came from a
flannel sheet bought at the thrift store.

 

The problem with my curtain was that icky hole. The rest of the fabric in the top section was failing too. I didn't want to spend money on buying a piece of white cotton fabric so looked to my lockers for a solution.


As a long-time quilter I admit to being rather a nut for fabrics. For some reason I am particularly drawn to certain placemats and doilies. I had five and they would enable me to cover the holes and damaged fabric most of the way across the top of the curtain.
 

Ones like these ↓ are a particular favorite. I laid them
across the top to take a gander. Looks okay to me.
These are all thrift store finds and cost less than a dollar each.
 

The size was almost what was needed so I got out my sewing kit.


I do not use white thread when stitching on white. As a matter of fact I never match the thread to the fabric. My vision is such that I would rather see the thread easily than make a repair into an ordeal. For the fix I used a lilac (pale purple) thread.
 

This is Good Enough for now.
The fabrics I chose let through light.
 

If you click on this ↓ picture you
might be able to see my stitches.


Clicking on the pictures will open up a full-sized version of the photograph. Undo (Control-Z on a computer, Back Arrow on a tablet) returns you to the article. Almost all of the photos on my website will get bigger if you click or double-click as the case may be. I code them down to fit the size of your screen but leave the full sized versions in the background.



About 12" has yet to be repaired. I used the
fabrics I had and left the rest as-is until I get more.
 

Though not finished, I suspect
most folks won't even notice.

 
For now I have a Good Enough solution to the damaged curtain. I am happy that I was able to retain the lacy part at the bottom with minimal effort. I believe the reinforcement I added will enable me to get at least another year or three out of the curtain.


Thank you for reading.


Comments welcome and encouraged on the Sun Damaged Fabric Fix - Curtain Repair page.

Categories: Comfort, Money, Simplify,

 

Announcement: Folks who want to be notified when I post are welcome to become subscribers. I email readers every time a new article goes up. That's usually once or twice per week. If you'd like to be included via BCC* simply drop me a line to janice@janice142.com and I'll add you. It's free.

*BCC - Blind Carbon Copy. Basically no one but me will have your email address and the list of subscribers is not available.

Now this is not fancy. Basically I copy off the top three items in my Archive file. That way you can catch up if life gets in the way of your reading fun.

Secret: If you want to know what's what, start in the Archive. It offers you the title, first paragraph and topics (Categories) covered in each article published on my website.

Something a new reader might not realize: Almost every picture on this website can be clicked. The photo will get larger when clicked. Do that a second time and the picture should be full size. Enjoy...

My Cruising Kitty earns money each time you buy on Amazon through my links. It costs you nothing and helps supplement my cruising funds.

Thanks for your support, and heck, just for being here. I appreciate that more than you can imagine.
 

Paypal Tablet link:  CRUISING KITTY.

  

Pet of the Week: James
moving aboard MV Loafs and Fishes

Submit your pet's photo.
Please email pictures of your crew!

More canine, feline and feathered crew members can be found on the The First Mate Gallery page.

Archive

The Archive holds a chronological list of every item published on my website. It includes a brief synopsis (not just the title) along with the topics covered in each article.

Click on the title and voila: you're there. Enjoy!



Skipper, First Mate extraordinaire


Of course every boat needs a Deck Swabbie. Mine, born in 2008, is a papillon mix. She weighs in at five pounds.

Coming soon ...

 

Topics of Interest:
You can achieve a simple satisfying life



Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican!
His bill holds more than his belican.
He can take in his beak enough food for a week.
But I'm darned if I know how the helican.
(Poem by Dixon Lanier Merritt, 1879-1972.)

Aphorisms

For years I've been collecting short pithy statements otherwise known as aphorisms. If you're like me and enjoy the weird, go ahead and CLICK!

These are previously posted at the bottom of each article -- for new, you'll have to come visit again.



Seaweed is in St. Pete right now.
 

The above chart (#411) can be a wish book of sorts as you look over your domain and wonder where to go next. And yes, I do have the originals (sans red arrow) as jpeg's for download should you desire your own for closer perusal. Enjoy!

The Writer's Block

It's my belief that other folks who boat are some of the most interesting in the world. Inside every boater is a story. Let yours out! I'd love to post short stories, vignettes, or even longer articles that focus on some aspect of our life on or near the water. Suggested topics include:

1. I Remember When...
2. My First Boat
3. Who inspired you to be a boater?
4. Fishing Trips or Tricks
5. Or another subject of your choosing

For the novice, here's how to write: Simply pretend you're sending a letter to a friend. Tell about an event or a memory from years ago that you still recall.

Life has changed so much on the water since I was born aboard. Personally I'd love to hear your memories of life when you were younger. Boats were smaller, narrower, and much slower. Kids were kids and our families often shaped the adult we have become. Here are my two aboard the tow boat my dad ran for a time:
 


Your pictures would be wonderful too. I posted one of Boot Key Harbor taken in 2001 that has gotten quite a few downloads and really, that's not so terribly long ago... Do you have any photos to share? Email me.
 

Do you want to help out?
 

Often an article for the website will be completely written yet lack photographs. I like pictures and am looking for some for up-coming pieces:

  • Pets afloat (include pet and boat name please)

  • Any picture of boats underway or at anchor

  • Photos of people enjoying life in or on the water

Size: a minimum of 1000 pixels across please. If that doesn't make sense think bigger versus resized for emailing. I prefer the full-size version. Also, the name you'd like me to use when I add the copyright stuff to your picture. And thanks bunches!

My email address is janice@janice142.com


23' Schucker mini-trawler, circa 1983.

Thanks for visiting. If you happen to see my boat along the
waterways, give a call on Channel 16. I'm always listening.


click picture to enlarge

My home is not fancy by any means, however you cannot imagine how wonderful it is to come back to her after an expedition on shore.

If I can live this life, why not you too?


Skipper, First Mate
extraordinaire

Aphorism Alert: Begin doing what you want to now. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand, and melting like a snowflake. Marie Beyon Ray.

Contributions to my Cruising Kitty
via
are always appreciated.

Every gift helps.

The Cruising Kitty is what boaters refer to as spending money. There's never enough aboard Seaweed!

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