Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 18

testosterone. It's the women who collectively
get together and try to solve
problems that help mankind. It's not
'My way or the highway'; there's compromise
and negotiation. "
Maisto believes many women are
naturally design-oriented.
" The women who were raised from
Katie Bradford of Custom Marine Canvas
in Noank, Conn., notes that she's often
wished for fabrication tools that are more
ergonomically suited for women's smaller
hands. Photo: Custom Marine Canvas.
young girls sewing and making their
own clothes have great potential in our
industry, " she says. " I would take a woman
who's been making her own clothes
for years over anyone with commercial
experience. Designing clothing requires
knowing darts, angles, contours and how
things come together; women are great
problem-solvers for diffi cult designs. "
Hitchings also sees an advantage to
being female in her industry.
" I've been pleasantly surprised by
the number of men who seem perfectly
comfortable having a woman work on
their boats, " she says. " Some appear to
prefer it. Occasionally a boat cover job
will evolve into a cabin cushion job, possibly
because the owner is more comfortable
asking a woman for boat interior
decoration ideas or possibly because
the owner's wife seizes the opportunity. "
Bradford agrees that being female
comes in especially handy when she's
working with couples as clients. Often,
the husbands seem to take charge of
the sail specifi cations while the wives
gravitate toward cushions and drapery
selections.
" The Mrs. will look at my beautiful
fabric books and light up because
someone is actually talking to her and
not just him, " she explains. " And I'm
very comfortable helping her through
that process of fabric selection.
" I've been in this business a long
time and I've seen almost everything,
so I do come across as knowledgeable.
It helps that I know what I'm doing. "
ADVICE FOR OTHER WOMEN FABRICATORS
ADVICE FOR O
OMEN FABRICATORS
" Ninety-fi ve percent of the time I'm dealing with a man,
but right from the start I ask for his wife's email address. I
never communicate one-on-one; there's always a thirdparty
cc on the email. It shows respect, and usually if
there are design questions, the wife wants to be involved. "
-Kathryn Maisto, Fairwinds Canvas LLC
" Have some business sense. And learn everything
you can about boats-particularly how they are
used, for pleasure, sport, fi shing, or work, and bring
everything you know about sewing. Guys learn what
they have to to make boat covers and cushions but
knowing how to tailor clothes-and especially how
to pattern complex shapes-will give you an edge
when facing tricky cut-outs, curves and bump-outs. "
-Shelly Hitchings, Somers Cove Canvas
" Networking through associations, trade shows, seminars,
conventions ... all have places to help women, and
they're open to disseminating information. You won't
fi nd the male attitude of 'This is my way, and women
don't belong here.' Getting involved with the IFAI has
allowed me to grow and given me opportunities I
thought were worthwhile and worthy. It offers wonderful
opportunities for a woman to branch out in her
career and make a difference in her industry. "
-Faith Roberts, Banner Canvas
" Attend conventions and stay up on trends. If you're
going to impart your knowledge to customers
and you want them to respect your experience,
the key thing is education. Also, fi nd mentors. I had
two really good female mentors who were a huge
help when I was starting out. I felt we could relate
better to each other as women in the business. "
-Katie Bradford, Custom Marine Canvas
18 Marine Fabricator | March/April 2022
8 Marine Fabricator
ch/April 2022

Marine Fabricator March/April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Marine Fabricator March/April 2022

Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - Cover1
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - Cover2
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 1
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 2
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 3
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 4
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 5
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 6
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 7
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 8
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 9
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 10
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 11
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 12
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 13
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 14
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 15
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 16
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 17
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 18
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 19
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 20
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 21
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 22
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Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 28
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Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 30
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 31
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Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 35
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Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 42
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 43
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Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 45
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 46
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Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - 48
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - Cover3
Marine Fabricator March/April 2022 - Cover4
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