simple tips for canvas people

[bobbin]

The Quick Fits are great, JoJo.  (not that I've patterned anything in close to 13 yrs. now).  Both shops I've worked for have used them.  But watch your fingers! those little suckers are nasty on flesh...

The guy I used to work for made a bunch of "cheaters" that he'd keep in his tool bag.  He'd set a female snap through a folded over pc. of bias binding so there was a small tap to lift the snap.  He'd use those to secure the patterning plastic over existing snap studs when patterning an enclosure.  They worked great, he could snug down the plastic and hold it in place securely and then continue working to get the best fit.  His patterns were a breeze to cut and stitch up.  We'd go over them together so I could verify areas of discrepancy, but once that was done I could crank out the work in no time flat.  He took a lot of the marine fabricator classes and he paid attention.  He was neat, meticulous, and I benefitted from the time I spent in his employ (never learned to bend frames, though).

He used Patio 500 or Coverlite to reinforce under snaps, June, tucked under a double layer of the acrylic or stamoid.

[Darren Henry]

All my outside edges are bound with acrylic binding and 1" poly web to support the snaps.I can still feel the studs.

[Mike]

Ive only used the pinswith can as you did t meen you've used the pins on plastic also bobbin right I also make binding  with snaps to hold the plastic on to a snap stud.

I once had a guy he was a NH state rep at the time he was talking to me about his boat we were standig next to the bow of a boat I was working on I had just removed a bow cover that had just been patterned and the pins were still on the boat.  I said be careful as be leaned on the boat. N then henproceeded to show me how hard it was to snap his cover on and had to bang hard on the snap he showed me.   Banging his hand down on a pin. " oowwww thoose are sbarppp ". 

[Peppy]

We use that rubber stop leak (or water stop) I too can feel the snap. I mark with chalk on the outside and use that as a guide. I like both of Mikes tricks but the chalk on the snap and water stop can get screwed up if the gasket gets trapped goofy underneath. I love the punch over the turnbuckle trick, but I find 60% of the time it won't work for me. Due to the boat or angle or whatever. I mark my turn buckles with an 'H' again just as a guide. Then flip it back and forth to see how it lines up.

I use the snaps in tape trick too, but I cut up old windows with snaps in them into tabs 2"x4" ish and keep a pile of them around. I really only use them when the tarp turns a 90* like onto a flat deck. I tape my paper pattern to the boat and 'tap' out the snaps so the paper is cut around them.

I guess my trick is the so called 'zipper trick'. Sewing a 3" piece of window material onto a zipper to give you a 'platform' to tape your pattern to when adding new canvas to old. Then you can tension that piece before you pattern so the zipper is pulled tight and reference marks can be transferred easily. When the patterns done you do have to take the zipper off though.

Works for me too. Why pattern when ya can use a blank?

Because you are patterning. But your patterning material costs $20 a yard. 600' of 60" paper costs $60. Is my math right: that's 3¢ a yard?

[Mike]

DI'D rather pattern a cover on a boat with a t top also and mess up the plastic in my case and not the canvas you can tape up your goof on theblattern and do it right on canvas.  Thebforst time untried to make a console cover on a centerconsole witha. Top was befor ei made patterns everything I did was made with a blank. I had one he'll of  a time trying to fit and mark the canvas with all the pipes. 

[fragged8]

jojo


Quickfit pins make life so much easier, give Miami Mike a shout
on here. He's a great guy and will hook you up with anything
you need.

Do remember when using quickfits or 'Ouch Damnit pins' ( you'll know why they are called that
when you kneel on one ) you need to put snaps into the centre front and centre back of your blanket
or you will rip out the quickfits. If its a really big cover you may want more than 2 snaps.

Rich

[Mike]

Here's one more time savings tip. Rich made me think if it just now.
I was installing oem covers around 96 when I tried what they had done.  Sewing a blank for a big cover it's a Lia to roll the lenght up to top stitch thebcenter seam so don't top stitch sea your first seam face to face then bind the seam on the inside of the cover.  This I've found make a vert  watertight seam. I make a half circle in a heavy material and with a snap I install the snap first then fold the material covering the cap of the snap cut it in a hack cirlce snd see it to one half of the cover  first the see the 2 and then bind. Fittin eighths blank I do like rich said a snap
on front  center throught the heavy binding and one in the rear.  Won't teat out. Fitting. 
Oh and a easy way to remove a snap in the canvas I'd easyi used to drill it out till someone showed me to use sidecutters or aka dike to pop it apart.