Freedom is Calling - Page 16 of 25 - Blog about following the call of freedom

What would I have done without Hot Needle Queen?

EW April 28, 2024

Yes, she is the queen of the needle and generously offered to do the sewing work on Big Paul’s textiles. So, I drove to visit my friends Hans and Gudrun in the Stuttgart area for a few days. By the way, Hans was one of the companions on the Africa adventure I mentioned in an earlier post.

There were mattress padding, fitted sheets, curtains and mosquito screens to be individually crafted and customized. I guess, we both underestimated the scale of the work.

I can not thank Hans und Gudrun enough for their hospitality, patience and hard work. As a novice working with thread and needle, I got mainly involved in measuring, preparations of zippers, fabrics, edges …

Getting results

It was such a great feeling, when we finished the first pieces! Gudrun really did a great job! Here our “Bed of Roses”, as we named the mattress padding.

Mosquito screen for the backdoor

The mosquito screen for the backdoor was quite a challenge and it took us many trials to figure out a functional design. In the end, it looked fantastic and best of all: no biting critter will be able to take the backdoor route inside!

Mosquito screen for the side door

Finally, we designed a mosquito screen for the side door, which turned out to be even more difficult do be crafted.

Well, we succeeded!

You can see the result on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/lMcRJ7oBKKM

That’s it for now. More to come.

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On Vampires and Beds of Roses

GEF April 28, 2024

I’m impressed. My partner has returned to show me Big Paul’s clandestine metamorphosis. Outside, the van looks the same. Just another van. But when you open the door …

Our friend Gudrun has done wonders on the sewing machine. It’s awesome!

We are so grateful for the incredible job she has done! Without her and her multifunctional sewing machine amateurish needleworkers like us would have been lost in the sewing jungle!

Thanks to her help and versatility, we now have a nice, comfortable bed that we can easily turn into a convenient seating accomodation when we want to work with our laptops or just chill out.

Fun fact: It's a bed of roses

Some of the necessary materials had to be bought new. When the guys went shopping for cloth, they found a robust bed spread on sale that made an appropriate padding between the wooden slatted frame and the mattress.

The pattern – well, at first glance it needs getting used to. It reminds me of old, cozy English inns, where well primped elderly ladies sip their afternoon tea. Surrounded by a decor so delicate, flowery, romantic – and ostentatiously pink.

Our bed of roses is a real snug thing. Roses without thorns, we suppose. Thinking of all the needles and pins that were used and removed … hopefully ….

Another highlight: We have curtains.

The double sided material is dense enough to have an insulating effect and protect us from intrusive gawkers.

Keep the vampires out!

And above all, we have removable mosquito screening.

Nothing is more sleep-depriving and nerve-wrecking than hungry mosquitos attacking at night.
So, when we travel to those notorious areas, especially in the north, where these vampire legions are lurking, we will be able to keep this nuisance at an unavoidable minimum.

Now, Big Paul feels really cozy and has a homelike touch. Actually, when you look at it, it’s all about simplification and efficacy, but on a very comfortable level.

And while there is still some snow around in the Alps, we look forward to warmer days.

Well, we are not ready yet, there is more work to be done on the car. But our first camping trip with Paul is getting closer.

That’s it for now. More to come.

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A Lot of Driving

EW April 21, 2024

As the headline indicates, I drove many miles this week.

After finishing a replacement of the upper separator wall, which you can see on YouTube (https://youtu.be/KH7YBoYA10I), I got on the road towards the Alps, where I was greeted by snowfall. I picked up the foam matress and drove on to the Stuttgart area to visit friends, who generously offered their help with the sewing work to be done. And here we are, planning, cutting, sewing …

So, it’s going to be a short post today for the work that still lies on the table.

If you’re curious what will come out of this, as am I, look out for my post next week.

That’s it for now. More to come.

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April Energy

GEF April 21, 2024

The transitory month of April is one of my favorites. You can have all four seasons in a couple of days. While apple trees, Japanese quince and lilacs are in full blossom right now, snow has come back in one fell swoop.

Well, transformations rarely are linear. And anything can happen at any time.

Transforming Big Paul is just a great example.

In the beginning, it was just another old Postal Service van. The loading space greyish, dull and worn.
Preparation and cleaning was quite a job in itself and our patience was put to the test.

This is the nagging phase in any bigger project, where you are often tempted to give it all up. Because it is so much work, you invest so much energy and don’t see much progress.

In a way, it’s like snow in April.

Breaking through

Fortunately, we both are stubborn enough and we know, the reward will be great.
And we know by experience, the breakthrough will come suddenly and fast.

As for Big Paul, the lean period is over.

Although we are still far from saying „done“, the atmosphere inside the car has completely changed.

My partner has done a great job building the fundament for our new mobile sleeping-office-storage-room.

All of a sudden everything looks so fresh and new. And it fires up imagination.

For the next step we have wonderful support: A friend, who can do magic on a sewing machine, is helping us with all the necessary covers, curtains and other cloth.

We are soooo curious …

That’s it for now. More to come.

Be well and if you like share this post and