As I'm following the website, 'Max & Mickel's Easy, No-bake Pavilion' on making my tent. As per his post "Lubricate the needle of your sewing machine before each seam " I purchased 3 bottles of Sewers Aid (@ $4.55). With $6.95 shipping, the total was $20.60. Well worth the money if it keeps me from breaking needles!
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Post Script: One (1) bottle was more than enough Sewers Aid! I have 4 walls made, have yet to break or even dull a needle and have almost all of the first bottle of Sewers Aid left.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The Making of My New Tent - Thread, Velcro & Waterproofing
Got my upholstery thread, heavy duty sewing machine needles and Velcro today while at Jo Ann's.
For thread I got 3 spools (150 yds each) of darker khaki for the canvas and 2 spools of off white to stitch on the twill tape. I also picked up Vecro for the top of the tent wall corners and lower edges of the roof corners so they can attach to the easy up's frame. The original roof has Velcro and it should work well for keeping my canvas on my frame.
This evening I was reading emails from 1 of the Yahoo SCA encampment groups and there was talk about waterproofing tents. Someone posted a link for NikWax and after checking out their site I decided to purchase 2 - 500 ml bottles of Nikwax Tent and Gear Solar Proof instead of the waterproofing stuff at Academy. My thought was, considering the price, the extra solarproofing was worth the extra money. Hopefully while it's making my tent last longer it's also keeping the rays out of my tent, thus keeping it cooler.
5 spools of thread @ 2.49 11.98
1 yd ex wide Velcro 10.58
Sewing machine needles 5.28
1,000 ml Nikwax 28.93
_______________________________
Post Script: The Nikwax was a complete waste of money. It was of absolutely no value.
For thread I got 3 spools (150 yds each) of darker khaki for the canvas and 2 spools of off white to stitch on the twill tape. I also picked up Vecro for the top of the tent wall corners and lower edges of the roof corners so they can attach to the easy up's frame. The original roof has Velcro and it should work well for keeping my canvas on my frame.
This evening I was reading emails from 1 of the Yahoo SCA encampment groups and there was talk about waterproofing tents. Someone posted a link for NikWax and after checking out their site I decided to purchase 2 - 500 ml bottles of Nikwax Tent and Gear Solar Proof instead of the waterproofing stuff at Academy. My thought was, considering the price, the extra solarproofing was worth the extra money. Hopefully while it's making my tent last longer it's also keeping the rays out of my tent, thus keeping it cooler.
5 spools of thread @ 2.49 11.98
1 yd ex wide Velcro 10.58
Sewing machine needles 5.28
1,000 ml Nikwax 28.93
_______________________________
Post Script: The Nikwax was a complete waste of money. It was of absolutely no value.
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Making of My New Tent - Twill Tape
I ordered 100 yards of 1" twill tape tonight from Wm Booth, Draper. I will be running 2 rows down the length of each wall section. The placement of each will from the grommets at the top where the walls attach to the frame down and through a corresponding stake loop at the bottom of each 10' wall section.
Once the 'load tapes' are in place, I will use the remaining tape to bind my hem edges.
100 yds 1" twill tape $38
Once the 'load tapes' are in place, I will use the remaining tape to bind my hem edges.
100 yds 1" twill tape $38
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Making of My New Tent - Canvas Fabric
After buying a canvas drop cloth at Lowe's to use for banners, etc, I got to thinking about using them for my tent fabric. They're canvas and you can get 10 oz weights.
I was familiar with the brand Trimaco, so I called MyTarps.com, asked what brand drop cloths they sold and was told Trimaco. What I failed to realize at the time was that Trimaco uses at least 2 different types of canvas for their drop cloths. While the "SuperTuff premium contractor grade" drop cloths I purchased will work beautifully, I really wish I had known about their "quality heavyweight" Frama line. The canvas I purchased (sight unseen) is a coarser weave, while the Frama cloths are made from "tightly woven twills, sateens, drills and ducks".
Lesson learned.
4 - 12' x 15' 10 oz. drop cloths $138.88
Shipping & Handling $ 28.91
I was familiar with the brand Trimaco, so I called MyTarps.com, asked what brand drop cloths they sold and was told Trimaco. What I failed to realize at the time was that Trimaco uses at least 2 different types of canvas for their drop cloths. While the "SuperTuff premium contractor grade" drop cloths I purchased will work beautifully, I really wish I had known about their "quality heavyweight" Frama line. The canvas I purchased (sight unseen) is a coarser weave, while the Frama cloths are made from "tightly woven twills, sateens, drills and ducks".
Lesson learned.
4 - 12' x 15' 10 oz. drop cloths $138.88
Shipping & Handling $ 28.91
Monday, May 9, 2011
My Device
It appears that my device, which I submitted while at Gulf Wars this year, has passed through all the hurtles.
I'm grinning from ear to ear.
Although I know in medieval times devices were generally just given to someone, without their input and generally without much meaning, I chose the elements of mine to convey two separate, but very distinct meanings.
With my vocation being that of a grazier, I wanted my device to read similar to that of signs seen hanging in front of businesses of the time. Thus, the background stands for the fields where the livestock graze, the blue the stream from which they drink, the shock of wheat the grain grown for livestock feed (as well as human food) and the lamb for the livestock.
As a Christian my device takes on a very different meaning. The green represents the everlasting (like the evergreen at Christmas time), the blue stream a 'river of living water', wheat the 'bread of life' and, of course, the lamb 'the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ'.
I'm grinning from ear to ear.
Although I know in medieval times devices were generally just given to someone, without their input and generally without much meaning, I chose the elements of mine to convey two separate, but very distinct meanings.
With my vocation being that of a grazier, I wanted my device to read similar to that of signs seen hanging in front of businesses of the time. Thus, the background stands for the fields where the livestock graze, the blue the stream from which they drink, the shock of wheat the grain grown for livestock feed (as well as human food) and the lamb for the livestock.
As a Christian my device takes on a very different meaning. The green represents the everlasting (like the evergreen at Christmas time), the blue stream a 'river of living water', wheat the 'bread of life' and, of course, the lamb 'the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ'.
Friday, March 11, 2011
My Close Stool
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The design for my camping close stool was inspired by this chair.
The insert is a 5 gal bucket. A matching 5 gal bucket will hold the peat moss used for the humanure composting.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
My Homemade Inkle Loom
After extensively searching the 'Net for information about inkle looms I finally came up with a drawing that I felt would meet my wants and needs. One of those needs was to able to produce 4 continuous yards of trim.
Our prototype is built from scrap oak that was left over from a set of book shelves my husband built last year. After using my loom for several projects and getting feedback from a master weaver, it was decided that the tensioner should be made from a much larger dowel, the two uppermost dowels should be at least half again as large and the uprights should be double the thickness they are now as the back one is twisting when tension is put on its top dowel.
Our prototype is built from scrap oak that was left over from a set of book shelves my husband built last year. After using my loom for several projects and getting feedback from a master weaver, it was decided that the tensioner should be made from a much larger dowel, the two uppermost dowels should be at least half again as large and the uprights should be double the thickness they are now as the back one is twisting when tension is put on its top dowel.
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