Itwasntme
Veteran Member
I thought I would start a new thread with respect to materials supplies for those of you who do your own canvas work or interior furnishings.
I am talking about foam and I am talking about fabric, and also equipment, pretty much.
Just want to share my own experience.
I started out with the Sailrite sewing machine, which works pretty good, although it was pricey. I bought the LZ-1 for somewhere in the $700 range, although now they are almost $1,000. But this machine is really noisy. Easy to use, though. Worked good right out of the box. I also bought all my materials from Sailrite and small tools such as the foam cutter, the hot knife and the grommet, etc. tools. That was my course of action for nearly a decade. Projects turned out pretty good. I learned to sew from my grandmother when I was about 7 years old. The Sailrite videos are fantastic, though, on time saving details. I was living abroad at the time, and I would have things shipped to a friend's address and then take them with me in my luggage on occasional visits.
Last year I needed to do all the canvas work on a sailboat here in California, and had no occasion to fly and retrieve my things which are on the big boat on the hard.
Not wanting to spend a lot of money when I already had a nice machine, I bought a new Singer machine. Big mistake. It was not adjusted properly. Not worth using.
I now have an old Pfaff 360. Nice quality. It can handle thick fabrics like Sunbrella or canvas with ease. The only downside is that stitch length is limited. So it is hard to tack stitch, which is what you have to do when you make a zipper panel. You lay down a tack stitch that you rip open after the zipper is installed. But this sewing machine is one of the best made equipment I have ever used.
Now as for materials. Sailrite's prices are pretty good, and their customer support is excellent.
Because there is a Joann Fabric near where I live, I tried buying there and online. Granted, most of the fabric carried by ordinary fabric stores is not applicable to marine uses. Their notions selection is rather narrow. But their customer service is atrocious. For example, the last time I bought their fabric online, they sent my order in 1 yard increments. Not usable. Their prices are higher than Sailrite although they email 20% off coupons to you every day or so. I won't be ordering from them again.
I have had decent experience from fabricwarehouse.com for online, and downtown LA has some good selections available (although no Sunbrella).
I have been satisfied with foam from Sailrite, but usually can get better deals from a local place in Santa Ana.
I have also just bought foam mattresses on Amazon, and cut them to fit. It is nice to have an 8" or thicker mattress for the v-berth. This also usually costs a lot less than foam. The foam cutter does a good job and I use 3M Super 77 adhesive spray to glue pieces together for those really long pieces.
Something I have also done, when the existing foam is okay, I glue 2" memory foam on top and it really helps to made a more comfortable cushion.
I also love buying from Tandy leather. If there is a store near you, it is the best place to go for leather. The Costa Mesa store has very helpful people. I mostly go there for chafe material.
Anyway, this post is kind of rambling, but I hope it can be helpful. If you have any kind of ability to DIY, this is one area where it is definitely worth it to save some money or even make money.
I am talking about foam and I am talking about fabric, and also equipment, pretty much.
Just want to share my own experience.
I started out with the Sailrite sewing machine, which works pretty good, although it was pricey. I bought the LZ-1 for somewhere in the $700 range, although now they are almost $1,000. But this machine is really noisy. Easy to use, though. Worked good right out of the box. I also bought all my materials from Sailrite and small tools such as the foam cutter, the hot knife and the grommet, etc. tools. That was my course of action for nearly a decade. Projects turned out pretty good. I learned to sew from my grandmother when I was about 7 years old. The Sailrite videos are fantastic, though, on time saving details. I was living abroad at the time, and I would have things shipped to a friend's address and then take them with me in my luggage on occasional visits.
Last year I needed to do all the canvas work on a sailboat here in California, and had no occasion to fly and retrieve my things which are on the big boat on the hard.
Not wanting to spend a lot of money when I already had a nice machine, I bought a new Singer machine. Big mistake. It was not adjusted properly. Not worth using.
I now have an old Pfaff 360. Nice quality. It can handle thick fabrics like Sunbrella or canvas with ease. The only downside is that stitch length is limited. So it is hard to tack stitch, which is what you have to do when you make a zipper panel. You lay down a tack stitch that you rip open after the zipper is installed. But this sewing machine is one of the best made equipment I have ever used.
Now as for materials. Sailrite's prices are pretty good, and their customer support is excellent.
Because there is a Joann Fabric near where I live, I tried buying there and online. Granted, most of the fabric carried by ordinary fabric stores is not applicable to marine uses. Their notions selection is rather narrow. But their customer service is atrocious. For example, the last time I bought their fabric online, they sent my order in 1 yard increments. Not usable. Their prices are higher than Sailrite although they email 20% off coupons to you every day or so. I won't be ordering from them again.
I have had decent experience from fabricwarehouse.com for online, and downtown LA has some good selections available (although no Sunbrella).
I have been satisfied with foam from Sailrite, but usually can get better deals from a local place in Santa Ana.
I have also just bought foam mattresses on Amazon, and cut them to fit. It is nice to have an 8" or thicker mattress for the v-berth. This also usually costs a lot less than foam. The foam cutter does a good job and I use 3M Super 77 adhesive spray to glue pieces together for those really long pieces.
Something I have also done, when the existing foam is okay, I glue 2" memory foam on top and it really helps to made a more comfortable cushion.
I also love buying from Tandy leather. If there is a store near you, it is the best place to go for leather. The Costa Mesa store has very helpful people. I mostly go there for chafe material.
Anyway, this post is kind of rambling, but I hope it can be helpful. If you have any kind of ability to DIY, this is one area where it is definitely worth it to save some money or even make money.
