Are you familiar with the term “crossover skills”? The idea is to leverage the skills you learn at one job and use them on the next, even though that job may not be exactly the same. For marine fabricators, applying their canvas and upholstery skills to the furniture and transportation industries can be an excellent [...]

Mathew Rice was frustrated last year when he couldn’t find anyone near his Fremont, Ohio, home who could make an enclosure for his Maxum 2800 Sport Cruiser without at least a three-month wait. So Rice decided to purchase the necessary equipment, get some training and do the job himself. “I told my wife, ‘I’m going [...]

Sunbrella® Performance Zippers feature tape made using 100 percent Sunbrella fibers, giving them the inherent performance characteristics of all Sunbrella textiles–UV and fade resistance, mold and mildew resistance and bleach cleanability–while the specially-designed WX zipper teeth keep wind and water out. The line also features IDEAL Fastener Corporation’s patented QRX technology for quick release with [...]

Phifer’s new 2018 GeoBella® cushion and Phifertex® sling fabrics lines are marked by water-inspired blues and greens and varied textures. The GeoBella line of high-end, performance cushion fabrics mirror the comfort of indoor furniture yet have the stability, strength and durability needed for high-traffic applications. Phifertex high performance fabrics for outdoor seating are woven to [...]

This Jeanneau 409 is moored in historic Salem Harbor in Massachusetts. The bimini features dual backstay cutouts to extend sun coverage aft over the helms. At Hood Canvas, we fabricate sailing biminis on a regular basis. By extending the bimini aft of the standing rigging, our customers get better sun and weather coverage [...]

In every theatrical production there are people laboring behind the scenes, working hard to keep things moving forward seamlessly. Generally unsung (at least by the audience), their efforts are integral to the performance’s success; indeed, without these folks the play would quickly fall apart no matter how well-written the script or how fine the actors. [...]

Crossover skills give upholsterers a variety of opportunities among the furniture, marine and transportation industries—and more skilled workers are needed. The president of the Professional Upholsterers’ Association of Minnesota proudly states that she was the fifth woman to graduate from an upholstery curriculum at Minneapolis Technical College in 1977. “It was considered a man’s field [...]

Infinity Woven Products LLC has introduced new designs to its Pattern Series collections of Luxury Woven Vinyl™ (LWV) flooring to the marine aftermarket. Manufactured and supplied in America, the newest designs are Current, Flax and Abacá, all created on state-of-the-art jacquard looms which manipulate individual yarns to form vibrant woven designs. Infinity’s LWV flooring is [...]