{"id":611,"date":"2019-04-29T08:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T08:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/?p=611"},"modified":"2023-02-03T13:45:11","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T18:45:11","slug":"mother-son-diy-duo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/home\/mother-son-diy-duo\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mother & Son DIY Duo"},"content":{"rendered":"

It all started with an idea. Kitty Ellis\u2019 son, Jeff Scheule, was renovating an old farmhouse and preparing for his soon-to-be wedding when he came to his mother with an idea. A big idea. What follows is the story of that idea and what would become a DIY bonding experience for mother and son.<\/p>\n

Years earlier, Jeff had seen a giant ceiling fan that resembled fishing rods with fabric as the blades. He was awed and fascinated by this unique creation. He\u2019d never seen anything like it. Kitty recalled her son marveling at the design: \u201cIt was the coolest thing I\u2019ve ever seen, Mom! I bet we could make one of these!\u201d<\/p>\n

Time passed and Jeff moved on to other things, but that fishing rod fan was always there in the back of his mind, lying in wait. Fast forward to 2018 when Jeff is renovating his farmhouse. Suddenly, the big idea reemerged. One of the rooms in his farmhouse was very large with an 18-foot vaulted ceiling, and Jeff knew exactly how to fill that space.<\/p>\n

So, right before Christmas 2018, Kitty received a call from her son. \u201cMom, when you come to Atlanta for Christmas, can you bring your sewing machine?\u201d When she asked why, Jeff told her they were finally going to build the fan. Kitty loaded up her conveniently portable Sailrite\u00ae Ultrafeed\u00ae LSZ and drove up from Florida to help her son construct his dream DIY.<\/p>\n

\"tote
A variety of totes Kitty has made. The ones on the left and top right she upcycled from used sailcloth and sail numbers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cJeff is very creative and is one of those people who makes things happen,\u201d Kitty stated. \u201cI had no doubt that Jeff would and could fabricate this thing.\u201d He rebuilds and sells boats as the owner of Atomic Marine and Machine in Buford, Georgia, and his craftsman skills don\u2019t end there. \u201cHe can tear down and rebuild a diesel or gas engine, rebuild any kind of car, engineer parts necessary for a project, and build additions to houses \u2026 he truly is an inspiration,\u201d she proudly explained. So she knew a custom-built, giant ceiling fan would be no trouble for her handy son.<\/p>\n

Kitty owns Halyards, a custom marine sewing business in Jensen Beach, Florida. She sews boat cushions, T-tops, repairs sails and the like. She learned to sew when she was 17 and hasn\u2019t stopped since. Kitty is the sailor in the family while Jeff prefers powerboats. \u201cI am the sailor who likes to let the wind take me to wonderful places,\u201d she recalled. \u201cJeff needs to get where he\u2019s going \u2014 fast!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"kitty
Kitty and her great-nephew, Olly Bell, at the helm of friend Barry Stedman’s Catalina Morgan 504 named IMAGINE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"kitty
Kitty in her shop in Florida. She owns three Sailrite sewing machines, including the industrial, straight-stitch Fabricator\u00ae.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Jeff\u2019s farmhouse, mother and son sat down together to plan out how they would build the fan. Kitty had brought her Ultrafeed and the Dacron sailcloth, basting tape, marking pens and other sundries she\u2019d ordered from Sailrite. Jeff had already purchased five fishing rods and a fan motor. \u201cAttaching the rods to the fan motor needed Jeff\u2019s good concept and innovation for the mounting system,\u201d explained Kitty. \u201cHe had already worked on that, so all we had to do was figure out the \u2018bend\u2019 radius for the fishing rods and how to fit the sailcloth to the rods.\u201d<\/p>\n

This part took some trial and error. They cut the sailcloth to the length of the rods and then added holes in the cloth to match up with the eyes on the fishing rods. They fit the fabric to the holes and figured out fabric dimensions. Unfortunately, their first fan \u201csail\u201d blade did not turn out, and they had to trash the materials and start over. That first sail had taken hours to build, and the team was spent. They called it a night.<\/p>\n

The next day, with fresh eyes and full of energy, they tackled the project again. They were able to correctly build all five fan blades and, best of all, they looked great. Jeff hung the ceiling fan with excitement and enthusiasm. He\u2019d finally built his fan. \u201cWe were looking up at our creation with total awe and amazement,\u201d Kitty recounted. \u201cIt was high fives all around! A fan 13-1\/2 feet in diameter with five beautiful sail blades \u2014 what a glorious sight to behold. We had done it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jeff-hanging-fan.jpg\"
Jeff mounting the 13-1\/2-foot fan constructed from fishing rods and sailcloth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They were so proud of their accomplishment and ingenuity in creating this one-of-a-kind DIY masterpiece. Until that is, one of the grandkids asked them to turn the fan on so they could see the blades spin. \u201cJeff flipped the switch and the blades started turning, caught the air, and the \u2018sails\u2019 swelled up like huge, puffy marshmallows!\u201d<\/p>\n

Only slightly discouraged, they took the fan down, disassembled the entire thing, and sewed the eye holes in the sailcloth almost completely closed. That did the trick. Jeff reassembled the fan, remounted it to the ceiling, and the blades spun without the sailcloth billowing out as if the fan were about to set sail.<\/p>\n

All in all, it was a great time and a fun way for a mother and son to bond over their shared love of DIY and working with their hands. With Jeff\u2019s mechanical and engineering background and Kitty\u2019s sewing skills, they were the perfect dynamic duo to tackle this project. \u201cThe sheer amount of pleasure one gets when doing a project like this is mind-boggling. Projects themselves are not hard, but there is always a learning curve. Just like when we threw away that first sail. It had to be done. The materials were not expensive, but the satisfaction of achieving a goal is priceless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jeff
Jeff and Kitty posing proudly with their one-of-a-kind creation. What a team!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who We Are<\/b><\/span><\/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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Start your DIY journey today: www.sailrite.com<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It all started with an idea. Kitty Ellis\u2019 son, Jeff Scheule, was renovating an old farmhouse and preparing for his soon-to-be wedding when he came to his mother with an idea. A big idea. What follows is the story of that idea and what would become a DIY bonding experience for mother and son. Years … Continue reading A Mother & Son DIY Duo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":612,"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":[9],"tags":[39,48,14,20,37,70],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Jeff-and-Kitty-with-fan-3245615378-1555618884540.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/padSoq-9R","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1510,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/home\/sewing-upholstery-ultrafeed\/","url_meta":{"origin":611,"position":0},"title":"Sewing Upholstery With the Ultrafeed\u00ae","date":"June 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"All DIYers, whether they're a sewer, woodworker, crafter or other, have the same thing in common. They love the satisfaction they get from accomplishing a project on their own. Cory Springer is no different. She owns a small upholstery business in Virginia, and one of her favorite things about sewing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Home"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/upholstery-collage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":713,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/automotive-rv\/driven-to-sew\/","url_meta":{"origin":611,"position":1},"title":"Driven to Sew: A Lifelong Hobby","date":"May 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The DIY spirit can take any number of forms \u2014 there\u2019s no end to what you can create with the right supplies, a good idea and a little extra time on your hands. That\u2019s exactly the same mindset held by Sailrite\u00ae customer and long-time crafter Louis Cossey. 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When Debbie Stitz saw that her son\u2019s boat was in dire need of new seats before salmon season in their hometown, she knew just the person to reupholster them \u2014 herself!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marine"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/03_Seats-could-not-be-used-Rotted-Wood-Tattered-Upholstery-4016610754-1569530994611.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1549,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/diy-clothing-ultrafeed-sewing\/","url_meta":{"origin":611,"position":4},"title":"Sailing Wife, Sewing Life","date":"July 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"At the age of 10, Bailey Heyman received her first sewing machine as a gift from her grandparents. What she didn\u2019t know was that this small gift would spark a lifelong passion that would change her life. Bailey is truly a Jill-of-all-trades, sewing everything she can get her hands on,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hobby"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_A75BE89E1490-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1245,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/hobby\/recycled-jeans-bags\/","url_meta":{"origin":611,"position":5},"title":"Peace, Love & Handbags","date":"January 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Sometimes you get an idea for something and it takes off. That's what happened to Laurie Carty. One day, she was looking online for purses and stumbled upon a crocheted fat bottom bag. She instantly fell in love with the classic hippie-style purse and thought the design and shape of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hobby"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/main-image.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=611"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2793,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611\/revisions\/2793"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}