Anne and I realy struggled to create this pattern. Initially I thought that this layout would be much easier than the bimini extension, but my assumptions proved incorrect. Ultimately we broke the area down into right triangles and used some trig to calculate the basic dimensions.
The canvas shop that we initially spoke with about sewing the bimini has already ordered the fabric when we decided to switch to a hard top. So we went home with a 60" by 110" piece of sunbrella. As I mentioned in the C'est la Vie blog, layout and patterning are areas that I feel my skills have increased during this round of sewing projects.
Here are the 3 assembled pieces. The only waste material was the triangles that extend out left and right at the top of the image. Marking for my seam allowances can be seen in this image. I typically use 1.5" seam allowance. This large of a seam will accept grommets or other fasteners if they need to be added later.
Having a large workspace makes these project much easier. When making long seams I really envy those huge tables I seen at sail lofts.
Here is the tarp with all the seams and hems completed. The only thing remaining is to add the attachment straps.
The attachment straps are all 1" flat webbing with cam buckles. This is the standard for many applications on C'est la Vie. Since we had a section of red webbing and needed to purchase additional webbing to complete the project, I added a bit of flair by using the appropriate red and green for port and starboard.
This is the initial fitting and the set up on which the pattern was created. The bow attachment is to the windlass, the stern/mast attachment is to the whisker pole eye, and the outboard attachments are to the toe rails
I'm not pleased with the wrinkles. I believe with some additional experimentation on the set up we can eliminate the wrinkles. This set up provides the steepest pitch. The awning can be rigged much higher and guyed out to the life lines. This set up will cover a much larger area.
Port side view
port side looking forward
view from the bow sprit
Anne checking out the final fitting.
