An open letter to Bilmo

[John Fenna]

Sir (and there are darned few I will call that - except the arresting Officer...)

I stand in awe of your prowess with the fabric and sewing machine!
As some will know, I have more than a nodding acquaintence with the dark art of sewing outdoor gear and have, in fact, just finished sewing a light weight tarp from the 100% cotton downproof cambric you put me on to. This is the same fabric I just sewed a shirt from (at that price I bought 10m!) and I reinforced seams and hems with a light acrylic webbing and guying points with ripstop cotton (the same as a gilet I recently sewed for myself.
My new tarp measures some 2.75m x 3.75m, a tad smaller than the full weight cotton canvas tarp I just commissioned from your good self which is 4x3m.
The tarp I had you make is fantastic, by the by, having kept me safe and dry over a weekend in West Wales where the weather varied from sunny, through breezy, to solid downpour ... at times all three at once.
The reason I stand in awe of your skills is as follows -
The standard of manufacture of the tarp I had you make is excellent with barely a wobbly stitch to be seen, while my effort is far from as elegant in comparison!
This is despite my DIY tarp being a fraction of the weight and bulk of the one you made for me ... I had real issues coping with the sheer mass of fabric, the weight pulled the fabric around like crazy - defeating even the best efforts of my poor old machine and it's "walking foot" attachment ... I doubt there are two stitches the same length in the tarp!
I am ever so glad I commissioned you to make the full weight tarp - I really do not think that my set up would have coped!


And I do not know how or why your prices are so low!

Respectfully yours
John

 

[Macaroon]

Generous praise indeed, and no doubt well deserved

 

[sandbender]

High praise indeed when its coming from you John.

 

[kristophish]

He surley is a craftsman. I have 2 tarps by him and a rucksack.

He's a badass!!

 

[Big Stu 12]

Nice to read, Thanks for that John, now you have got me worried.....

Just over 24 Hrs ago I ordered a Custom Tarp and a Custom Bed Roll from the accused Gentleman.......

I am now worried that the excitement of waiting for it to arrive will be too much for me...

Nice to see such praise, it makes a good choice feel even better

 

[Big Stu 12]

P.S.

The whole process, contact, and design of the ordered items was done with ease, in depth, and at a fast pace.........

 

[bilmo-p5]

Thank you for your comments, Gentlemen.

I am delighted, John, that your tarp meets with your satisfaction. Having a table ten feet long helps a great deal with long seams.

 

[John Fenna]

- I can see that would help!

 

[bilmo-p5]

- I can see that would help!

Unfortunately, it's only 4' wide so I do a lot of folding. The plan, when I have the money, the time & the inclination simultaneously, is to rebuild it at least 5' wide, a good 6" higher and with a 2' drop-leaf extension.
One day...

 

[John Fenna]

That would make it bigger than my whole sewing/gear storage room! - almost....
My "work/ cutting" table is the size of two wallpaper pasting tables side by side (aprox 6'x4') with a separate table (old kitchen table) for the sewing machine.... I can only stand on one side of the cutting table - and only along half that length!
Everything else is up against walls or shelving or the sewing table.... rather cramped for anything more than clothing size projects!

 

[Guyjames]

Lovely craftsmanship.

I'll drop you a line at some point Ian, because I have been trying to find someone to make a large roofrack storage bag for me.

When vehicle touring and camping I use an OzTent RV5 for my family and I. It is a superb tent but the supplied carry bag is not brilliant; I am hoping to commission a 2 metre long cylinder shaped bag with some sturdy fabric handles on the outside that can be used to secure the bag to the roof rack on my Land Rover - like a giant version of the old military issue 'sausage bag'.

I am quite old fashioned, and I love that there are still proper craftsman in this country making good quality items with love and care. I can't claim to have eschewed mass produced items, but I do believe that "if you buy cheap you buy twice", so I always buy quality when I can.

Keep up the good work!

Guy

 

[cranmere]

Ooh, downproof cambric? My ears pricked up at that one because I've been looking for some.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Ooh, downproof cambric? My ears pricked up at that one because I've been looking for some.

You have a PM.

 

[Countryman]

Well might as well tag my post Bushmoot gush to this thread as start another.

Bilmo my tarp was much admired at the Moot not least of all by me. Canvas has such a warm feel and my hootch was such a cosy place in crap weather because of it.

Laying in there it was easy to admire the care and thought you had put into it.

I think I ended up settling on a 4m x3m and this size was ideal. The extra tie points we discussed were fab in practice.

I suspect this will give me a lifetimes service but that doesn't mean I won't be chasing you for a bigger one for an admin area soon.

Beaut work mate. Much appreciated!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Big Si]

Ian's work is always second to none, he is a very knowledgeable gentleman not just on fabrics and sowing techniques, he tells very funny stories about his time sailing around the world, and the rest of his life. I have many articles made by Ian, some times from just a PM Message. He never fails to amaze me. He is also a wealth of knowledge on stoves from very early paraffin to gas. Last of all he is a very dear friend. I can't say any more than that.

Si