You made what?

Yep, for my first sewing project I made a cover for our 15′ rigid hull inflatable. To make the job more complicated it also has a steering station, throttle and seat.
The first step is to make a 3 dimensional frame out of fiberglass tape:

Anywhere the tape meets make up the corners of a flat piece of fabric. After you are satisfied with the design, mark the tape with dots (to outline seams), cover the framing tape with double-sided tape and use plastic to make a template.

The plastic becomes exact replicas of the fabric, so mark any necessary darts and transfer the dots onto the plastic. Then connect the dots and cut out the pattern.

Be sure to add a 1/2″ seam allowance (4″ for the bottom piece, to make the shock cord pocket) before you cut out your fabric. Then start sewing. I ended up with a lot of fabric!

Here is what the cover looked like without the engine or hull pieces:

And what it looks like completed. Not too bad I think! For a very detailed video of this process, check out this link.