New Spare Tire Cover

17 Sunday Feb 2013

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Recycle.Reuse.Repurpose.

Miss Trilly’s original cushions were backed with heavy cloth-backed vinyl, which was like new. I have been brought up to never waste anything, so I made a spare tire cover for her out of this Naugahyde material. This time, Mom’s old Singer had trouble with the stitching, refusing to catch the bobbin thread. I hoisted my cast iron 1970s Kenmore machine up to the work table and wound the heavy duty thread on its bobbin. With just a little tweaking of the two tensions, I was sewing again. A roller foot prevented the heavy fabric from sticking and binding. From then on, the sewing was easy.

The mount for the tire was an impediment to simplicity and I had to cut out a section to allow for the metal frame. The hardest part was the attachment system. After trying out a couple of methods, I settled on reusing a nylon strap inserted into a casing. Feeding the 3/4″ nylon strap through this hem was very difficult. I ruined two aluminum knitting needles in the process! Gathering and securing the strap while the tire was mounted was not easy either. It is a good thing that this cover will not be taken off and put back on frequently! We are very happy with the result. It fits like a glove.

Here is what the back looks like…

Today, we moved Miss Trilly to a covered area where we can remove her from the trailer––the first step in replacing her axle. The canopy is just the right size. The trailer fits perfectly.

Happy travels!
Clark & 9ah

New Seat Cushions

11 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by clark9ah in Miss Trilly

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Tags

DIY, interior refurbishing, sewing, Trillium trailer, vintage trailer

Yesterday, I am proud to say, marked the completion of new upholstery on the seat cushions. We are pleased with the textured Crypton fabric and are certain it will wear extremely well. The color complements the buttercream of the trailer’s gelcoat. I chose a very elegant Barrow fabric with a leaf pattern for the seat backs.

Crypton Textured Earth for the seats:

Barrow M8221 Chameleon for the back cushions:

My mom’s 85-year-old Singer sewing machine performed the majority of the stitching. She says it was Singer’s very first electric model. I was unable to get the tension set properly on my much younger and fancier Brother machine. It does a myriad of decorative stitches, but apparently doesn’t like heavy duty thread. The old Singer handled it just fine. I decided to make cushions with a top and bottom welt, so it would be nice to have a welting foot to make the sewing a bit easier, but I am making it work with a zipper foot.

And here is the result…

Next, we will build up foam to make a deeper wrap-around back cushion for each front dinette seat. The flat cushions do not provide enough support as they are. The small table there was designed to drop down to make up a single bed, but we will never use it that way. Instead, we will create an attractive and inviting sitting area. This table will be utilized constantly, so the seats must be comfortable and functional.

Miss Trilly came with a new, one-piece foam mattress to fit the large, aft settee. It is very comfy! We will leave this mattress in place with the bed made up. Perhaps we will also have throw pillows there for lounging. You are probably wondering why I am going to the trouble to recover the cushions for this area. Just in case we decide to use the area as a table sometime in the future, we want everything updated while the fabrics are available and I am set up to sew.

We have ordered a new Torflex axle. The next post may be about the axle installation! Stay tuned…

Happy travels,
Clark & 9ah

A New Sweetheart

27 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by clark9ah in Miss Trilly

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Tags

Travel, Trillium trailer, vintage trailer

We met her the first week in December 2012. The very second we set eyes on her, we were smitten. A sweet buttercream “glass egg” trailer, she charmed us with her clean good looks and splendid health. All her systems were in working order––remarkable for her nearly thirty-four years of age. As she welcomed us inside, we found her diminutive size perfect for us. We were completely taken over with the excitement and anticipation of getting to know her and enjoying her companionship.

Clark and I are still amazed that the chaos of the universe managed to bring us to her––and to her caretakers, Lloyd and Judy. They welcomed us and made us feel like special friends right away. We spent hours talking and found we had much in common. We told them how we were camping with our other vintage trailer, a 1948 Higgins. Lloyd, especially, was excited to meet our old pal. Next day, we towed him down from the campground and introduced everyone. We don’t think Mr Higgins was too upset upon meeting our new love. He had plenty of his own admirers that day! Then, apologizing for our disregard, we abandoned him to cozy up overnight with our latest infatuation. She was everything we had dreamed of and we were like kids snuggling with a new puppy!

It was time to leave our new sweetheart behind. She would wait for our return. We had come to the dance with another partner––dear Mr Higgins was our companion. Waving farewell to our new friends, Lloyd and Judy, we drove away without her, Higgins following obediently behind Zuzu, our trusted Trooper. Our new love would be safe in the hands of those who had been caring so well for her.

Three weeks later, we returned as promised. We made her an official member of our family of vagabonds and towed her home to California, happy to be once again wrapped in her cozy embrace. We call her Miss Trilly, an endearment of the proud Canadian Trillium family name. She is a 1979 Trillium 4500, a vintage fiberglass trailer. We introduce you to her now, as she was when we first met. Isn’t she simply lovely?