SHORE LINE STORAGE FOR THE AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE

I got tired of wrestling tangled shore lines out from the dark recesses beneath our Airstream Interstate's couch, so I started storing the electrical line and the potable water hose in the rear door pockets.  There was just one problem.

Ugly ugly - very ugly (channeling Robert Munsch).  

I decided to make a solution for this using the left-over remnant fabric I'd previously bought off a discount table for our Interstate's custom dog bed.

This is an extremely simple project and should take someone with beginner sewing skills just a few hours.  I have two door pockets in our T1N Interstate, and I worked out that I needed two pieces of fabric measuring about 28 inches by 46 inches.  Oddly enough, this was to within an inch of how much I actually had.  

The project basically consists of making a simple fabric "envelope" to loosely fit each door pocket.  Here are some general instructions.

First, square up the two fabric pieces to the correct size.  I use my ceramic tile floors as square guides. 

Sew a half-inch hem all the way around each fabric piece, all folds inward to the wrong side of the fabric (if it has one... the one pictured above doesn't really).  The pic above shows only two of four seams ironed in by that stage.  

Placing right sides together, decide how deep you want the envelope flap to be.  I ended up with a 17 inch deep envelope with about a six inch flap.  Once you've made your decision, sew up the two side seams. 

It seemed to be about the right size when I fitted it to the bulky electrical cord.  Now you see it...

One word of advice:  Don't make your "envelopes" too tight for the object you wish to contain.  You can always tuck in excess fabric if they turn out to be a bit roomy, or later on you may decide to use them for a larger object, so you will have the space available if you construct them generously. But if you make them too tight to start with, they will be more of a hassle than a convenience because you won't be able to easily slide your cords or other gear in and out.

...and now you don't see it. 

I used hook and loop tape for the flap closure.  I sewed the loop side along the flap edge, and then sewed the hook side to the front face.  

Much better than seeing bare cord.  Plenty of room in there if I want to use it later for other types of items such as maybe a small blanket, rain gear, sheets, etc. 

Every blog post needs a before-and-after money shot.  

One less eyesore to worry about, at a total cost of perhaps two dollars.  The value in this little project derives from the sweat equity, obviously.