Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Earned my wings

Thanks to Peter's generosity, I have a really nice Vespa patch. I posted about this last September.

Thanks to time off during the holiday season, my wings are now permanently and prominently displayed on my summer riding jacket.  All it took was a little hot glue to hold the patch in place temporarily, and then a few tedious hours of sewing to make sure that the patch looks its best.
This emblem really strikes a chord. Many riders on Modern Vespa and on their blogs have said that their Vespas give them wings. My Vespa really did let me earn my wings, both figuratively and literally.

Thanks again Peter, my wings patch is very much appreciated.

Unfortunately, for the time being, my jacket and helmet spend the short days of winter languishing in my closet.

11 comments:

Trobairitz said...

The patch is looking good on the jacket.

It may be in the closet for now, but it'll be race ready for when the weather gets better.

David Masse said...

So true Brandy, and I got heated grips for Christmas. It's a bit of a project to install them, but I'm savoring the fiddling with the bike. It's not the off season until I dive in to the innards of the beast in a farkle installation quest.

Unknown said...

David:

You're doing very well. I mean, -6 lbs in a week. I am up +2 since Christmas, but down -1 the past week.

It's just that salad this time of year isn't appetizing. We had salad twice last week and I went -2 but then I gained +1

Not that it matters but I presume this is "naked" weight

bob
Riding the Wet Coast

Dar said...

Happy New Year David! I am glad you have your wings! I too feel as if I have them everytime I hop on the bike. I jokingly said to my hub that it is the closest I will ever get to flying a jet, in fact it is my land jet. Lovely sew job. Have you ever looked at the fuseable sewing stuff, makes patch placement much easier, it is a sheet that you cut out the size of the emblem and use and iron. There is also something called liquid sew works quite nicely as well.

David Masse said...

Bob, the key for me is zero carbs, or as close as possible to zero. That means almost nothing white (bread, sugar, flour, rice, pasta, etc.) and some portion control, although that's not really key. That's why I like this diet. I don't really have a sweet tooth so it's not really a hardship. Years ago I got used to coffee and tea without sugar and actually like it that way.

For instance, I can lose weight eating bacon and eggs, or ham and eggs, as long as there's no toast or jam, or pancakes, or syrup.

It isn't perfect but it works like a charm, at least for me.

And yes, when I weigh myself in the morning I am only wearing glasses (to be able to read the scale reading), my watch (to be able to tell the time), my wedding ring (it doesn't weigh much anyway), and a sterling silver chain and blank amulet (because... it's a long story).

David Masse said...

Thanks Dar, I'm no seamstress for sure, and the sewing is laughably slow, and involves much squinting and the occasional pin prick.

Patches generally have a kind of hot glue backing that makes some folks believe that they can just be ironed on. After doing a little research I found that that's rarely the case.

I vaguely knew about fuseable sewing stuff but have never tried it. I'm guessing you have.

How does it stand up in rough use (like on a bike, exposed to wind, sun, rain, etc.)?

It sure would make the job a lot easier than poking around with a needle and thread.

I do use a glue gun just to keep the patch stable on the fabric as I fiddle with the sewing.

RichardM said...

Nicely done. As you noted, wind and rain will tend to get under a patch unless it is pretty securely attached. But, you need to remember to seal all of the seams on the inside as you now made a path for water to seep into the jacket. Along the cotton thread through the holes that you made.

David Masse said...

Richard that's a really good point. Unfortunately none of my jackets are even water-resistant and that black jacket is a BMW Airflow that is like wearing an air conditioner at anything over 15 miles per hour.

If I did have a waterproof jacket, if there was a liner like on my two jackets, I wouldn't be able to get at the stitches from behind. I wonder if Dar's idea of using fuseable fabric would do the trick? I definitely have to try that.

VStar Lady said...

Nice wings ... glad to see them firmly attached.

Coop a.k.a. Coopdway said...

I like the wings David. They'll be flying in the wind before you know it!

David Masse said...

You're right, we're about sixty days from the start of the next season, give or take.

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