Boat Canvas Work

Finally finished sewing canvas for our 30' Catalina sailboat..................and...............finally remembered to bring my camera to the boat.....DUH! Here are the photos. The only thing I didn't make was the bimini. Everything else was fabricated on a portable Sailrite machine. Full Moon Canvas Company is now in full swing...............WOOHOO! Watcha think?

WCAA Southeast NC Chapter launch

Creative Drapery Designs is proud to announce we have a WCAA Southeast Chapter launched in Wilmington, NC. We had our first meeting yesterday with the fabulous Jenna Abbott (WCAA National Presient) in attendance. She came all the way from California. Great feedback from everyone. Spread the word...........next meeting is May 29th with Jeanelle Dech from the CHF Academy presenting, "Finding Your Niche".

Outdoor Living class at CHF

Last week I spent 4 days at the CHF Academy in Charlotte, NC learning all about sunbrella and boat canvas. What a great class. We learned how to construct umbrellas, box cushions, awnings, outdoor grommet panels, porch roller shades, and power boat vinyl seats. Boy.....am I gonna get that Sailrite hummin..........

Mini Northfield Weekend in New Bern, NC

What a great time we had........10 of us Northfield volunteers reconvening in New Bern, NC last weekend. Went sailing, worked a little in Elaine Hinchman's workroom, toured the town, ate lots, drank lots, laughed lots. SO MUCH FUN! Okay---here's the lowdown on the photos.......all 10 of us. Elaine Hinchman, Beth, Denise (a Pillsbury bake-off finalist), Laurie Canning, Sarah Dunlevy-O'Neill, Nancy Letts, Tommie Timblin, Lorraine, Susan Schurz, and Sue Sifakis. Me donning Elaine's "Jazzy Girl" workroom apron, some of Elaine's gorgeous cornices, don't ask about the next photo, and some of us sailing. Michigan in September.......oh yeah!

Florida Keys--Feb. 2010

What a vacation we had this past week.................spending the time on our friends 42' Pearson Sailboat (Providence). We sailed, motored on the dinghy through the mangroves, went snorkeling, did the bar room tour in Key West and ate the most AMAZING meals cooked by the owners of the boat (Barb & George). We nicknamed the trip the 4 B's............Barb's Bed & Boat & Breakfast.

Light Weaves Solar Shades

Another first for me............Light Weaves Solar Shades from Graber. One of my New Bern tennis friends needed to keep the summer sun & winter cold out. This is the end result. Pretty cool huh? She chose a fabric that keeps out 97% of the UV rays. Overlooking a creek that feeds into the Neuse River is her lovely home. They operate with a hold down beaded chain. The box valances cover up the roller. Not too bad to install. The box valance doubles the install time. It took me almost 4 hours solo to do these 6...........they had to be level. The best thing of all is you can still see out when they are down :)

Hard Cornice Boards

These are my first ever hard cornices for Porter's Neck Country Club in Wilmington, NC. Lots of muscle power to jigsaw OSB board, join all the pieces together, pattern match with a fabric that has a horizontal repeat as well as a vertical one........AYACARUMBA! But they turned out really nice. The install was a bear but I was able to get the club's sous chef to help me. Isn't he a cutie?