{"id":2163,"date":"2021-10-15T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2021-10-15T12:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/?p=2163"},"modified":"2023-02-03T10:47:24","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T15:47:24","slug":"sewing-a-boat-dodger-ultrafeed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/sewing-a-boat-dodger-ultrafeed\/","title":{"rendered":"Dresses & Bags & \u2026 Boat Dodgers?! Oh My!"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the time came to replace the dodger on Ellen Bell-Irving\u2019s 18-foot Maritime Skiff, she turned to her good friend of 30 years and fellow sewer, Pat Kane. Both women have a long history of sewing, but neither had tackled such a large marine project before. They put their heads together and put their trust in Sailrite\u00ae to provide them with the products, techniques and confidence to take on the boat dodger with an Ultrafeed\u00ae LSZ and Sunbrella\u00ae Marine Grade fabric. Read on to learn how their first foray into marine sewing went!<\/p>\n

\"Ellen
Ellen and her family use their boat for sailing around Casco Bay in Maine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ellen\u2019s center console boat, the \u201cAlibelle,\u201d is used for general transportation to and from the island where she and Pat met in the spring of 1988. The 30-acre island in Casco Bay, Maine was newly subdivided and they were building their summer homes at the same time. Their first homeowners\u2019 association meeting was the beginning of a new friendship. When they learned that their permanent residences were just a few towns apart in Massachusetts, summer parties turned into skiing trips and winter get-togethers. Thirty years on, Pat and Ellen still enjoy spending time together for dinners and family occasions. And, of course, for sharing their love of sewing.<\/p>\n

No stranger to sewing, Ellen felt comfortable repairing her old dodger. She learned to sew by taking a course in the 1970s. After learning the basics, she bought her first sewing machine: a Viking\u00ae she named Betty after her sewing teacher. \u201cI made a few clothing items and made pinch pleat drapes for my house,\u201d Ellen said of her sewing background. Over the years, Ellen also used her skills to sew costumes and clothing for her family. And when it had finally gotten to the point that a new dodger was needed, it was an easy choice to make it herself, noting, \u201cit\u2019s only seven pieces of material.\u201d How hard could it be, right?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ellen
Ellen is no stranger to sewing! Here she is looking at a zipper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well, turns out it was more complicated than anticipated. Realizing she couldn\u2019t do it alone, Ellen called on Pat for help. Pat, a professional seamstress, learned how to sew from her mother on a treadle sewing machine (\u201ceons ago,\u201d she said!). Her earliest sewing projects were clothes for her Barbie\u00ae doll. From there, Pat was hooked. \u201cI have sewn ever since \u2014 costumes for high school plays, uniforms, clothing for others, clothing for myself and family.\u201d Pat loves sewing so much, she made it her business. \u201cI took classes in couture work\u2026and started my business, Costumes and Custom Clothing, around 2000.\u201d Pat\u2019s business keeps her busy with custom theater costumes and bridal alterations; she even altered Ellen\u2019s daughter\u2019s wedding dress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
A professional seamstress, Pat is comfortable behind a sewing machine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Given their backgrounds, Pat and Ellen certainly had the skills required to sew a dodger. What they needed now was supplies. Ellen\u2019s research on Sunbrella fabrics led her to the Sailrite website, and another friend recommended the Ultrafeed LSZ to Pat: \u201cI heard about Sailrite from a friend who sails a 42-foot sloop. She bought an LSZ to make everything for the boat, and recommended it highly.\u201d Together, Pat and Ellen decided to place an order for a new Ultrafeed, which they named Maxine, plus Sunbrella Marine Grade fabric, the Sailrite Edge Hotknife and all the notions they needed to make their dodger. The Ultrafeed came so highly recommended that once it was delivered, Pat immediately set it up and started sewing tote bags out of old sailcloth. She definitely understood the hype: \u201cMy home machine would not sew this material, but Maxine sewed through it like butter. So fun!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the course of the winter, Pat and Ellen set up folding tables and turned Ellen\u2019s living room into a canvas workshop. Then they got to work.<\/p>\n

The pair watched Sailrite videos<\/a><\/strong><\/span> to figure out where to start. \u201cYour videos show how to create a pattern on the boat, but this was February 2021 and the boat was in storage in Maine,\u201d Ellen said. So they fell back on Pat\u2019s seamstress training. They took apart the existing dodger and used it to create a pattern. From there, they made a muslin mock-up and proceeded through a series of fittings. \u201cWe made a day trip to Maine to fit the mock-up. We marked it up, noting the positions of the snaps and other details,\u201d Ellen explained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Pat
Pat and Ellen are all smiles in front of their completed boat dodger!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Using the muslin as a guide, they altered the pattern, cut out the dodger pieces using the hotknife and sewed them together. They relied heavily on Sailrite\u2019s instructional videos for every step. Pat described their process: \u201cWe carefully watched the videos of dodger-making<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, especially the one about inserting a window into canvas<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. We paused the video, sewed, then restarted, watched the next step, paused and sewed. It worked!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pat and Ellen took the finished dodger to the boatyard in Maine for a final fitting and borrowed a tool from the boatyard to install the snaps. It was a perfect fit! They weren\u2019t the only ones impressed with their handiwork; \u201cThe boatyard owners wanted to know then and there if we wanted more work!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"finished
Here it is! The finished boat dodger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They may not be ready for more dodgers, but these two friends aren\u2019t done creating together. They\u2019ve got more \u201ccouture canvas\u201d projects they can\u2019t wait to start. Up next is a console cover for the \u201cAlibelle” and new cushions for the 25-foot Mako Ellen’s daughter and son-in-law have recently purchased. They\u2019re also making bags out of Sunbrella fabric to give as Christmas gifts, which Pat will embroider.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With so many projects on the docket, we\u2019re so glad Pat and Ellen have an Ultrafeed on their side. We can\u2019t wait to see what Pat, Ellen and Maxine the Ultrafeed make next!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who We Are<\/h3>\n

Sailrite is your one-stop DIY shop! We are a passionate crew of do-it-yourselfers who strive to equip you with the supplies and how-to knowledge you need to tackle your next project. Do you want to learn upholstery, leatherwork, canvaswork, hobby sewing, bag making or more? We have the fabric, tools, hardware, sewing machines and notions you need to master any DIY. And even if you’ve never sewn before, our tutorials and how-to videos are designed for beginners and experienced crafters alike.<\/p>\n

Start your DIY journey today: www.sailrite.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the time came to replace the dodger on Ellen Bell-Irving\u2019s 18-foot Maritime Skiff, she turned to her good friend of 30 years and fellow sewer, Pat Kane. Both women have a long history of sewing, but neither had tackled such a large marine project before. They put their heads together and put their trust … Continue reading Dresses & Bags & \u2026 Boat Dodgers?! Oh My!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[2],"tags":[27,29,50,26,20,37,70],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/pjimage.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/padSoq-yT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":802,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/seeking-the-blue-tales-of-a-lifelong-sailor\/","url_meta":{"origin":2163,"position":0},"title":"Seeking the Blue: Tales of a Lifelong Sailor","date":"June 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Sailing, sand and sun have been a part of Sailrite\u00ae customer Marina Batham\u2019s life from the very beginning. 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