Along with the cooking and cleaning and other boat chores a new and increasingly important task has presented itself. Mending, now mending has historically been a task done as a practical way to continue utilizing clothes and other fabric items which would otherwise be rendered useless due to wear. As a child my mother showed me how to sew and let me use her needles and thread to create Barbie clothes and blankets and such. As I got older I learned how to sew buttons and use a sewing machine. Finally in high school I took the obligatory home economics class and made myself a half way decent skirt.

Today, in addition to other boat chores I find myself needing to recall the lessons of my youth because today I’ll be mending. Currently Nicole has two pairs of pants that have developed holes in them, a sweatshirt with a failed zipper and a rain jacket that has a small rip on the front pocket. Paul has a rain jacket I’m replacing a zipper in and a sweatshirt that also has a faulty zipper to contend with. Boyd wears everything with rips so I’m getting off easy on that front but for me there is a sweatshirt with a ripped open pocket and some minor sundries.

I also have to create a cover for the grill and one for the anchor windlass. When all of that is done there are covers for the hatches and a project I am working on to create custom screens which needs to be completed before we get into a “buggy” spot.

I guess all of that play sewing when I was younger was good practice because now I’m better able to mend clothes and create custom curtains, pillows, covers and such for the boat as needed. It does make me think about the days of old when this was a part of everyday chores for the women folk, as with them then my days seem consumed with practical useful but time consuming chores. Better stop typing and go get out the sewing machine