"Ladies" Harrumph!
Mom taught me the basics of sewing early on, and I made my own "Gandalf the Grey" Halloween costume when I was nine years old. This was in 1964, when nobody had a clue as to who "Gandalf the Grey" was...
Dad taught me how to use a Sailor's Palm a couple of years later.
(Yes, putting a needle right through your palm hurts, but pulling that needle out again...)
A few years back, I made a Companionway Canvas out of scrap Sunbrella pieces from the dumpster nearest the nearest Sailmaker, a chunk of Broom, and with a couple of Grommets to hold it up. This sure beats having to put the Boards back in every time I go Walkabout for a few minutes.
Recently, I tackled the Sheets for the Aft Cabin. After a couple of nights getting tangled in some old ones from Home, I figured out a better way.
I bought a couple of Black Cotton Sheets from Target; Queen Size, and on sale for ~$12. You can get Plastic or Brass Grommet kits at Ace Hardware. I chose Brass. (Note: With Synthetic Fabrics, if worried about unraveling or tearing, set the hole with a Soldering Iron. Also, a dab of Soldering Iron at the ends of a small Synthetic Canvas tear can keep it from getting any bigger. Butane powered Irons are cheap.)
I cut and edged the Sheets to the right amount of oversize for the two odd-shaped cushions, and I put grommets in roughly every 12 inches along the edges. To put the sheets on, put down a sheet, flip a cushion on the appropriate Sheet upside down, tug into place, and lace the grommets up. Removal for Washing, (...Washing? Ha!), is the reverse process.
Now, about Black Sheets...
White is simply out of the question on a Boat. Colored Sheets involve Color coordinating, and Shams, and whatnot nonsense. No, Basic Black is the way to go. Plus, if it does get an ugly stain, say Rust, a Permanent Marker takes care of it.
The Settee cushions were next. These were easy- no cutting, sewing, or edging needed. Fold a Black Sheet in half, and put grommets in at the ends, one edge, and along the fold. One Sheet is now two, upper and lower.
The Forepeak I ignored; if anybody wants to sleep up there, they can clean it out themselves, and use a sleeping bag.
The Boat came with good Canvas covers for the Tiller, Grabrails, and Winches. These are cheap and ubiquitous enough that I wouldn't bother making new ones. However, I put a planar HDTV Antenna and WiFi hotspot on the Coachroof right above the Nav Station, so I took an old Winch cover, cut and sewed it to fit, and laced it in place. This may not work out in the long term, even though a Grabrail is just in front of it. However, there is no location within the USB3 Specifications to better place them. (No, you cannot Daisy-Chain USB3 Cables.)
One problem- The Lifting Keel. The Mechanism sits right at the Aft end of the Cabin table, and well... there it is. Putting a Canvas cover over it just draws attention. Inevitably, somebody will lift it to see what is underneath.
Many years ago, Mom got into Baking Bread. One Experiment, an Oatmeal-Potato Soda Bread went particularly badly. It looked like a Suntanned Brain. A clever Guest looked at it, and disappeared into the Basement below.
Just before leaving, he gave it back to Mom. He had painted in a Design with Black Ink, and then he varnished the whole damn thing. When looked at with the right attitude, the Design was quite rude.
That loaf graced our Dining Room table for years, with only the occasional lick of varnish.
If one looks at Beneteaus from my Boat's era, there always seems to be a loaf of bread on the Table in the Advertisements. Hmmm...
Now, look again at the Photo above. The Bookshelves. One strong gust, the Boat heels, and whatever is in them gets launched. I'm using Bungee Cords for the time being. The obvious solution is to make up some Lee Cloths, but then nobody can see my ...peculiar... tastes in Literature. Many use netting, but that always tangles in whatever is coming purposefully out.
OK, how about this? Lee Cloths, but with the centers cut out and clear Vinyl stitched in? I've replaced UV browned rear windows in Brit Car convertible tops before. It's not difficult.
¬erindipity