Fish Extenders?

[wld4mky]

They are all very cute!

 

[ClubDis]

back to the drwing board!!!!! better to learn now than on board! thanks again!

There were 2 diff sets of instructions posted in this thread. I copied them down for when I go to make mine, but I didn't copy down who posted them (so thank you to the ladies who typed these up for us). Here they are.

-VERSION 1- (Photo posted had 4 pockets)

You need 1/4 yard of fabric, iron interfacing, wide double fold bias tape, and a 3/8" dowel 8.5" long.

Pockets are 11" X 5 1/2"
Back is 32" X 8"

Cut out backing and pockets then iron on interfacing.
Sew bias tape on top of pocket
pleat once on each side and pin bottom of pocket so that it is 8" wide.
baste, then pin bias tape on bottom and sew on
Pin pockets on backing and sew bottom of pocket to backing
Pin and baste around entire outside of project.
Pin then sew bias tape around outside edge of whole fish extender
fold top over leaving room for you dowel at top and sew along the inside of bias tape down each side to secure.


-VERSION 2- (Photo had 3 pockets)

Supplies:
2 yards of fabric (two colors – one yard each)
Double fold bias tape
Dowell Rod
Iron-On Patches
1 Package of Iron-On Interfacing
1 Package of Heat-n-Bond No Sew Ultra Hold 7/8 in. hem
1 Package of Heat-n-Bond No Sew 1 Yard
Various Colors of Ribbon

1. Cut fabric to be used as the body of the FE to be 8 in. wide by 58 in. in length. When folded the FE will be 29 in. in length.
2. Cut fabric for the three pockets, cut each pocket 11 in. wide by 12 in. in length. When folded each pocked will be 6 in. in length.
3. On the inside of the FE body piece and each pocket iron on the interfacing. Once cooled completely I ironed on the sheet of Heat-n-Bond cut 8 in. by 29 in. to the inside of the body of the FE.
4. On each of the 3 folded pockets I made pleats so that the pockets were 2 in.-pleat-4 in.-pleat 2 in. To secure the pleats I used the Heat-n-Bond Ultrahold hem. This was done on the cut side so that the top edge would be folded and clean.
5. Next I used the heat-n-bond hem to add 8 in. strips of the double fold bias tape to the bottom of each pocket.
6. Next I lined up the pockets on the body of the FE starting 8 in. from the top and then about 1 in. apart. I market the spots with a pencil and secured the bottom and sides of the pockets using the heat-n-bond hem.
7. Once all cooled. I used the double fold bias tape for the perimeter of the body of the FE which again was secured using the iron on hem.
8. Once cooled I ironed on the patches to each of the pockets.
9. I then folded down the top of the FE about 2 inches and secured to the back of the FE by the iron-on hem creating a little opening to insert the dowel rod.
10. Using the multicolored ribbon I made it long enough so that the FE would hang approximately 7-8 in. from a hanger.
11. For our names I bough iron-on computer paper and printed the names on the computer. Then I cut and surrounded the paper with double fold bias tape attached using the iron-on hem. Finally I ironed on the name piece.

 

[preedymtnwest]

Thank you, EVERYONE, on this thread! I got many ideas, and ended up mostly using Disgirl83's no-sew instructions (the second set above). It's our second cruise, but first time FE-ing, so I had to make one. Here it is. [I still need to add the dowel at the top but too excited to share it.]

 

[belle'ssister]

That looks GREAT! I don't sew and am not a bit "crafty" so I'll buying mine for our March cruise.

 

[preedymtnwest]

This was the "no-sew" one (the Heat Bond works great!!), but I owe it all to my Cricut!

As long as you have a receptacle for the goodies, I don't think it matters!

 

[BealsRwe]

Great job!

 

[ibouncetoo]

The FISH on the Dream:

 

[Disgirl83]

Thank you, EVERYONE, on this thread! I got many ideas, and ended up mostly using Disgirl83's no-sew instructions (the second set above). It's our second cruise, but first time FE-ing, so I had to make one. Here it is. [I still need to add the dowel at the top but too excited to share it.]

It looks great! I was away from the cruise boards for awhile, but since booking the Fantasy for 2012 I've back again!

I'm so glad my attempt has helped out for those that don't sew (or aren't great at it). We use ours just as a wall decoration in a spare bedroom right now, but I'm sure I'll be having to use my own directions to make a new one for the next cruise since our family of two is expanding. We have a little girl due in just 25 days!

 

[preedymtnwest]

It looks great! I was away from the cruise boards for awhile, but since booking the Fantasy for 2012 I've back again!

I'm so glad my attempt has helped out for those that don't sew (or aren't great at it). We use ours just as a wall decoration in a spare bedroom right now, but I'm sure I'll be having to use my own directions to make a new one for the next cruise since our family of two is expanding. We have a little girl due in just 25 days!

I CAN sew if I HAVE to, but I think this was so much easier and cleaner looking in the long run - thank you again for posting!

And congrats on the family addition!! WOO HOO!! Welcome, Disney Princess!!!

 

[Karen from VA]

The FISH on the Dream:

I did a search on this thread and didn't find any specifics so I am posting a request for folks to explain how they afix their fish extender to the fish to deter it from getting stolen? How are zip ties used? What other things have people done to secure their fish extender? Should I bring a back up in case mine disappears? Better to get an extra one then have mine disappear and ruin the FE exchange fun or is that too paranoid. I like to plan for the worst and hope for the best. The approach has served me well these many years.

We are booked on the Dream in the spring and I have ordered a fish extender from Gradysmommy on ebay. Do the Dream fish look materially different than the ones on the Magic and Wonder that would warrant a different strategy? I am getting our personalized door decorations ready but I after reading some postings I want to do what I can to make it difficult or deter the thieves and pranksters from taking the FE, the magnets or any gifts left for us.

How can you tell if someone removed something from the fish extender? Are their any best practices I can suggest to our group like implementing a schedule for deliveries so we can be sure that the gifts will be picked up soon after they are delivered?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.

Karen

 

[PizzieDuster]

Gradysmommy on ebay, she totally rocked! Hope DD liked the pillowcase, when I took ours down to Guest Services to get it signed, (I was a little late, didn't get down there until the last Wednesday I think!) the lady said she'd seen a lot of them this cruise and wondered where I bought them, I had to laugh and blush when I got to tell her that I made them for our FE group!

I ordered from Gradysmommy on Ebay too! LOVE IT!! It's been hanging on my oven for 1 month already so I can answer questions about "what is that?"
I put treats in it for my DD12 (lip gloss, etc) just to get her excited! She puts Halloween candy in my pocket Thank you Gradysmommy!!!!! We are enjoying it!

Now I am so excited to see all the different FE on our cruise! They all look great!

 

[ranidayz]

looks like the fish extenders will be accompanying us all on our cruises:

Okay, dumb newbie question here. Please bear with me

I've looked and looked on these boards, and I'm still unsure as to what a "fish extender" is. My girlfriend Lori and I have signed up late for this cruise (we don't have a stateroom # yet -- argh), but we have submitted our names to be on the roster -- and I'm not sure if we now require a "fish extender". That's fine ... if everyone else has one we want one too ... but help!

How do I get one/make one/buy one............and...........where do I put it? Ack!

I know, I know .... newbies!

Lenore

 

[KLS Georgia]

We were on the Disney Magic this summer - I think the fish hooks outside the doors are the same on all the ships so any advice you find should apply to all.
I don't believe we had any fish extender thefts on our sailing but we did experience gift thefts. As for the fish extender themselves, personalized FEs are less likely to be taken (Same for personalized magnets). To deter theft, get a large zip tie and loop it through either the material where the dowel is (if your zip tie is long enough) or you just loop the zip tie through the cord you have the fish extender hanging from or the dowel, and pull it tight. Of course, if someone wants to take the time to go get something to cut the tie they can, but using the zip tie will deter someone from making a quick grab of the FE.
As for the FE gifts, I don't have any suggestions. A good time to deliver them is late afternoon while folks are getting ready for dinner so the gifts are received before dinner. Anytime after that leaves a very large window of time. It would be the older kids that take these and they roam the ship from dinner time until midnight or after. Setting up a set time may work, but on one evening I ran into someone who told me they had just made their delivery and it was partially gone by the time we got back to our room.

I did a search on this thread and didn't find any specifics so I am posting a request for folks to explain how they afix their fish extender to the fish to deter it from getting stolen? How are zip ties used? What other things have people done to secure their fish extender? Should I bring a back up in case mine disappears? Better to get an extra one then have mine disappear and ruin the FE exchange fun or is that too paranoid. I like to plan for the worst and hope for the best. The approach has served me well these many years.

We are booked on the Dream in the spring and I have ordered a fish extender from Gradysmommy on ebay. Do the Dream fish look materially different than the ones on the Magic and Wonder that would warrant a different strategy? I am getting our personalized door decorations ready but I after reading some postings I want to do what I can to make it difficult or deter the thieves and pranksters from taking the FE, the magnets or any gifts left for us.

How can you tell if someone removed something from the fish extender? Are their any best practices I can suggest to our group like implementing a schedule for deliveries so we can be sure that the gifts will be picked up soon after they are delivered?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.

Karen

 

[Hedy]

I'm thinking I may pack an extra piece of ribbon to tie my Xms-stocking-turned-FE to the fish. (and then zip tie the ribbon to the fish).

 

[*love*2*shop]

Anyone here Open to making my family one of these for our cruise in Feb 2011?
I am not looking to spend a fortune though , sorry.... message me direct of needed...THANKS

 

[tjbaggott]

The FISH on the Dream:

So does this mean the door numbers are below the fish now and NOT on the door itself like on the Wonder and Magic? Will there be a place on the door to put the Wonderful Mouse ears we all like to put on? And if the stateroom numbers are now below the fish, everyone will have to make sure the FE hangs low enough so as to not cover up that number.

 

[carmie3377]

I had an FE from my last cruise but I had the phrase "Cruising the Magic with Mickey" on it so I had to make a new one. Unfortunately, my neighbor I borrowed the sewing machine from moved so I had to hand sew this one. Took me hours but I'm glad I did. It all started with this cute Toy Story Fabric I found. The pattern was a bit bigger than it had looked online, but it still worked great for us.

Then, I wanted to a cute saying on top. I started thinking of some of the popular quotes from Toy Story and of course "To Infinity and Beyond" came to mind. So, I had it "To Panama and Beyond" I thought it fit great, we're going through the Panama Canal but not stopping so we are going beyond!

DD came up with a great idea for the rod to hold the FE - what about Slinky Dog? Of course, that would be great. So I bought some party favor Slinky Dogs, a dowel rod, and some floral wire to come up with the Slinky Dog Holder. DH helped and we are so pleased with how it turned out. After it was finished, I wish I would have looked for a clear rod so it wouldn't be seen as much, but that's okay.

Now we needed something to hold and tie around the fish - a Barrel of Monkeys! "Buzz, the monkeys aren't working, we're formulating another plan!" now keeps popping in my head. Anyway, the other night at 10:30 we are off to Target to find a Barrel of Monkeys and we did! Again, we incorporated DH's help and it worked great. The real tie is fishing line and the Monkeys are tied on. Up close you can see the fishing line but not from just a bit of distance.

The lettering is done with my Cricut (upset my spacing is off on the lines of my title ) and Buzz at the bottom is a sticker.

So here is our finished FE and close up of Slinky and the Monkeys:

 

[Momfong]

I had an FE from my last cruise but I had the phrase "Cruising the Magic with Mickey" on it so I had to make a new one. Unfortunately, my neighbor I borrowed the sewing machine from moved so I had to hand sew this one. Took me hours but I'm glad I did. It all started with this cute Toy Story Fabric I found. The pattern was a bit bigger than it had looked online, but it still worked great for us.

Then, I wanted to a cute saying on top. I started thinking of some of the popular quotes from Toy Story and of course "To Infinity and Beyond" came to mind. So, I had it "To Panama and Beyond" I thought it fit great, we're going through the Panama Canal but not stopping so we are going beyond!

DD came up with a great idea for the rod to hold the FE - what about Slinky Dog? Of course, that would be great. So I bought some party favor Slinky Dogs, a dowel rod, and some floral wire to come up with the Slinky Dog Holder. DH helped and we are so pleased with how it turned out. After it was finished, I wish I would have looked for a clear rod so it wouldn't be seen as much, but that's okay.

Now we needed something to hold and tie around the fish - a Barrel of Monkeys! "Buzz, the monkeys aren't working, we're formulating another plan!" now keeps popping in my head. Anyway, the other night at 10:30 we are off to Target to find a Barrel of Monkeys and we did! Again, we incorporated DH's help and it worked great. The real tie is fishing line and the Monkeys are tied on. Up close you can see the fishing line but not from just a bit of distance.

The lettering is done with my Cricut (upset my spacing is off on the lines of my title ) and Buzz at the bottom is a sticker.

So here is our finished FE and close up of Slinky and the Monkeys:

WHAT A GREAT FE!!!!! So creative. Have fun on your cruise. Thanks for sharing.

 

[iheartdisney2]

love the fish extender!

 

[maria-fan-22]

So does this mean the door numbers are below the fish now and NOT on the door itself like on the Wonder and Magic? Will there be a place on the door to put the Wonderful Mouse ears we all like to put on? And if the stateroom numbers are now below the fish, everyone will have to make sure the FE hangs low enough so as to not cover up that number.

I just saw a pic. The numbers are on both! The ones on the door are still circular as well. I had the same thought! Ohh and one more thing. There are three diferent "fish" designs. One is a fish, one is a starfish, ans one is a seahorse. So what are FE's going to be called now!!!