Making things work…
By C.E. Grundler
I recently had to change computers, which aside from the normal data-related headaches, created a secondary problem: transportation. My previous and slightly smaller computer slid easily into an old field bag with a multitude of handy compartments. That bag was vital as I traveled between the house, the boat and on the road, serving as a combination handbag/organizer/portable office, but now I needed to find a replacement. True laptop bags were a bit too bulky for day-to-day use, especially if I wasn't carrying the computer, while most messenger bags and backpacks lacked structure and those critical divided compartments. I needed a replacement but hadn't had the chance to find one and instead resorted to using one of my daughter's old school bags, a frayed model bearing the Hogwarts crest, where all the contents settled in a pile at the bottom.
A few days ago I had planned to work on the boat but it was one of those cold, rainy spring days, so I decided to tackle some canvas repairs that could be done at the comfort of the kitchen table. My daughter was off from work and cleaning her closet of old and outgrown clothes for Goodwill. As I took a break from sewing I looked over the collection of messenger bags from semesters past. Most had been retired due to broken zippers, frayed fabric and other wear and tear. All were repairable and each might have been workable, but none were ideal for my purposes. One had a great interior for carrying my computer, Kindle and notebook, with ideal pockets for my camera, recorder, pens and pencils, but the top closure was awkward. Another had a panel with pockets for my gum, Chapstick and a pill box of aspirin and No-Doz, but the fabric on the bottom was worn threadbare. And one bag was in decent condition and the ideal overall size, though its interior was a single undivided space. However, were I to take the best portion of each bag, combined with some canvas and some time at the sewing machine, it wouldn't be difficult to 'design' the perfect bag.
And thus Franken-Bag was born. From the remains of three messenger bags, two new zippers, and the webbing and fabric from a 2003 Mustang convertible roof, I now have the ultimate utility bag, complete with every feature I could possibly need. I chose the convertible fabric from last summer's roof replacement over the boat's navy blue Sunbrella: the black made for a better match and tougher exterior. I re-stitched the seams with UV resistant polyester thread and reinforced all wear-points to hold up to the roughest treatment. It wasn't all that difficult, didn't take very long, and with one heavy-duty sewing machine and years of experience sewing marine canvas, the end result looks quite professional.
What I find most surprising about a simple project like this is just how much it surprises some people. My non-sailing friends find this sort of behavior baffling and a bit strange; they can't understand how or why I do it. I find myself wondering if it's an old-boat thing, where fixing and modifying is a necessary skill and there's always that little tweak, that next refinement to make something work just a little bit better. Or does it come from writing, where sometimes an entire chapter clearly isn't working, yet within it may lurk a few really great passages. Ultimately the chapter or even the entire story may wind up in the closet of mothballed ideas, but certain passages, characters and concepts might resurface years later and be given a new life. Is it really that strange that I enjoy finding new ways to make old things work?
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