Polly

You and Tim will be missed.

A colleague once did a Christmas Assembly on commercialism, it began; "It's Christmas, it's Christmas, there are Easter Eggs in Tesco's"

Fairs fair, he may have given us the fun factor, but the underpinning of really hard work and hours put in was always there.

I went to sleep............

My friend's funeral is on Wednesday. Her village goes mad with Christmas lights, (Blackpool is a pale imitation) and she loved them. They will be on by then and will be on in the day on Weds as a mark of respect when her life is celebrated.

No the kids love the build up, I just think it shows how we are all big kids.

Giles did a cartoon like that too, which I cherish.

What, like Ambitious Broad The Model?????

Lettering looks just right.

Agreed Doug, but the SAS bit was very funny.

Actually the window was perfectly clean, there was a bit of condensation, but it was the weather that needed brightening up.

Got a good deal on the room, window cleaning was extra.

Just a few swans and cormorants pottering about.

Great! This thread is a super antidote! After some stressful weeks a friend died on Thursday last, dementia masking a much more serious condition etc etc now I am funeral planning, took a break to read this lunacy. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Great stuff! I loved the opening sequence, and it just went on being fun, we got Prime specially and it was worth getting after all.

These don't Grendel, my hand needles do but not the machine variety, actually I think they are just the same as the jeans needles I had....just had a different label on the pack. The cover is taking a brief pause, because I ordered a bigger eyelet maker with a beefier cutter than the 'hit it with a hammer and hope' kits I love to hate, and it hasn't arrived as yet- last heard of at Yodel, so go figure. The other cause of the pause is that the original cover has vinyl triangular anchor points for the bungees, and on reflection, I decided to go that route too so expect this to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday of next week. Once it does arrive I wiill get the anchor points attached and finally sew the front half to the back, I am leaving this as late as I can to reduce the weight of fabric I am manipulating.

Hi Stuart, I am using my Husqvarna Viking. It is a domestic machine but very well engineered. I am using size 90 leather needles; I ordered some tungsten coated needles but they haven't arrived so I defaulted to some leather needles I had in stock. Thread was bought from Hawke House, it's their UV stabilised standard thread they use making awnings and is excellent for sewing with and great value for money. I had to pad out a standard spool with tape as an insert into their industrial sized reel so that it runs smoothly on my machine, but that was a simple matter. My main issue is my own strength manipulating the heavy fabric, but I planned the work so that I could keep working sections apart for as long as possible.

Overlaying the old cover to double check hemlines and mark out eyelets and placing for bungee 'triangles' the Frixxion pen is excellent for this job.

Thanks for the info, J.

Not a very good size for tucking under the chin though...

I got locked out, and tried both Chrome and Safari on the iPad to get back in without success.

Er.........!!!!!!

One more picture. This one shows a couple of useful items I use with these stiff canvas jobs. The little clips (Rapesco Superclips) I got ages ago from Staples as 'posh paper clips' are great for keeping edges together for sewing, pins are a nightmare with this fabric. Also from Staples is the Frixxion pen, which allows me to draw marks directly onto the fabric, these marks disappear with a quick blast from the hairdryer. Not pictured are the usual scissors, tape measures, seam rippers etc to which I add a pair of pliers to grip threads I am unpicking.

Right on MM I have twin needles Ok pic 4'high tech' pattern piece and working notes on staggered seam lengths over the whole cover Pic 3Fabric and test stitching. Pic 1 front zip (sorry 'forrard' zip. Pic 2 the bit that goes round the mast, ref. Pattern piece already shown. sorry numbers edited to fit with the order they appeared in on the post ! Doh!

Many thanks