Monday, February 6, 2012

New Awning - sewing and metal repair


It works!
We have a new awning! 
We have a functional awning!

 After years of not quite being able to get the Tin Pickle's awning to deploy properly, we did some investigating. What we discovered gave us a list of Things To Do Differently.

 Before we had even ordered fabric for making the replacement awning, we knew to 1) install the awning right side up, 2) be sure not to over crimp the channel that holds it at the top, 3) use a fabric that can withstand the sun, 4) use non-cotton thread to avoid rotting, 5) make the awning long enough so that it the upper awning support bars can actually reach the sides of the roller tube, 6) replace the missing left bar claw with a mirror image, not a copy, of the right bar claw, and 7) tension the awning pole enough so that the awning rolls up under the metal cover rather than sitting on top of it. That's quite an education that we have the previous owner(s) to thank for.