I decided that tonight was the night to work on the camper cushions. I took off the flowery top of one of the cushions and pinned it to the new material as my pattern piece.
I cut them out and found I had a lot more material than I needed. I am glad I did not pay a lot for it. I was pleased with how easily it was to take the old material off and thought "I am going to be able to get this done fast." I sat down at the sewing machine I recently brought home from my Mom's. She gave me the machine because mine has been acting up. I did some mending with it a week or two and it was running great. I had just bought a heavy duty needle for it and got it installed. I got a new bobbin out and then I just sat there. I had learned how to sew on this machine but it had been so long since I had used it that I forgot how to wind the bobbin. Luckily I had grabbed the users manual and soon had the bobbin wound. I was rearing and ready to go. I got about 1/2" done when the thread jammed up. It had all bundled up and jammed and made a huge mess. I tried it a couple more times with the same results. Well crap! Now what? I really want to get this project done before Memorial weekend and without a working machine I was going to be out of luck. I had already talked to a repair man since my machine had been acting up and he said it would take about 3 weeks for a repair because he is so busy. Out of desperation I pulled my machine back into place and said a little prayer that it would play nice enough to at least get the one cushion done. I didn't have a heavy duty needle for this machine and I was about to sew several layers of vinyl. I had very little hope and at this point I was thinking to myself "See what you get yourself into when you are over confident and impatient! This project is bigger than you are. You can live with the ugly flowers, it is just a camper and no one cares what it looks like. You have not idea what you are doing and this project is beyond you." Thank goodness i am very stubborn and did not give up easily. My machine decided to play nicely and worked almost perfectly. The regular needle was up to the task and other than the stitches being a little zig-zaggy instead of straight (I have no idea why) it got the job done and no one but me is the wiser. I decided I was not pushing my luck enough so I took apart the other three cushions and sewed them up too. I didn't want to take any chances that the machine would quit running nicely another day. After 5 hours I am tired, sore, and smelly. Remind me never to sew vinyl, it is not my friend. I have never sewn vinyl before and after literally wrestling with it over and over again I have no desire to deal with it again. It is stiff and sharp and would not do anything I wanted it to. It scratched and clawed and broke my finger nails and straight pins. I have never gotten such a great workout while sewing. I need a shower and bed now. I think all the frustration was worth it though. It looks a whole lot better.
Our trailer has a bit of a funky smell to it. I don't know if it is from the bathroom, water damage, or any of several other possibilities. The funk is infused into the cushions and material so I am doing a cleaning with baking soda and wild orange essential oil. My house smells fabulous. I mix the oil with the baking soda and sprinkle onto the cushions and covers. I will leave them over night but you really only need to for an hour or two. I will vacuum the baking soda off in the morning and flip the cushions and do the other side. I hope this helps a lot.
After 5 hours I am beat but am so grateful my machine decided to play nice and that I was born with a stubborn streak (yes, it can be good sometimes). I am grateful that I am a confident woman, willing to take on something new. I am so thankful for a mother that had the patience and took the time to teach her young daughter to sew and encouraged even the mess ups, so I could have this talent that is quickly being forgotten in this modern world where it is cheaper to buy what we want already made. I am so blessed.
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