Found: Fancy striped umbrella, with flap problems

I've found umbrellas before, on sidewalks, next to garbage cans, usually after a rainstorm.  But I'd never one like this before.  Extra large, with two layers, and a really nice handle, why would someone be throwing it away.....





















Oh right, it had a gaping hole in the top layer.  Except really it didn't. What happened was that the fabric had ripped away from the ribs in two spots, creating a flap.  Not very waterproof, but super duper fixable.

All I needed was a needle, thread, scissors, and a scrap of fabric.  I used an old t-shirt, but you could use an old sock, dish rag, or piece of ribbon if you care about it looking nice (1/2 inch or wider should be fine).   I tend to not care about the appearance of my umbrella repairs, because when its rainy I just want the umbrella to work, not win a fashion award.

How to repair this umbrella in about 7 minutes.

Step 1:  thread the needle so that the thread is doubled for the entire length (umbrellas get beat up, so you could use 4 strands of thread).

Step 2: Attach the end of the thread through the hole at the end of the umbrella rib and tie a knot (photo below).  This will anchor whatever you sew to the frame of the umbrella and help it from sliding around too much.

Step 3: Fold your scrap fabric in half so that it goes over the end of the rib point, secure with a few stitches.
Step 4: Pull the umbrella fabric down towards the end of the rib and sew the scrap fabric to the original umbrella fabric.  I tend to leave a little slack so I don't pull the umbrella fabric taut, I don't want to put strain on another part of that layer and cause thread to break somewhere else. 




Step 5: Repeat steps 4 & 5 for as many ribs as needed.
Step 6: Sit back and enjoy your newly mended umbrella (sporting a repair that sort of looks like fangs!).

Alternate fix:  if you only have a needle and thread, but no scrap fabric, you can make very long stitches and secure the original umbrella fabric to the end of the rib through the small hole.  It would be hard to pull the fabric as tight as it was originally, but it would still be a serviceable umbrella.

Don't throw out those good umbrellas, repair and reuse.

Happy freestyling!

Umbrella Karma

I rarely buy umbrellas, mostly because it is super easy to find one that is slightly broken and fix it.  Don't believe me?  Just wait for a rainy day and walk around a city.  You'll see.  A needle and thread and maybe a scrap of fabric is usually all it takes.

Umbrella repair instructions aside, I had lost, an umbrella last summer by leaving it under a seat at a restaurant. It was one that I had paid for because I was out of town and caught in a downpour, bummer. I hope whoever found it will love it forever.  

The umbrella karma wheel turned when I found this in the loading dock one night.  

Someone was clearly cleaning house, who tosses a perfectly good teal umbrella?  Are you moving to the desert? Then USE IT FOR PROTECTION AGAINST THE SUN!  I do this all the time, it is wonderful.

Anyway, a lucky, and very useful, find.

Happy freestyling, and try to repair an umbrella next time you find one!

Steampunk Umbrella

all to pieces....

Umbrellas are a funny thing. Expressions of individuality or mass conformity, delicate but protective, valued at times but so often discarded in near-usable form.... enter the freestyler.  In anticipation of an outdoor steampunk festival [wait, What is steampunk? ] I was considering decorating an umbrella to use as a parasol.   Imagine my delight when I found a large red umbrella, or rather, the pieces of it (pictured at right), while out for a walk on a rather gloomy day. Luckily they had been discarded right next to each other in an otherwise empty bin. Yes, that is what I call luck.

Next steps:

1) figure out how to re-attach center handle to fabric part

2) decorate!

How did I accomplished this in freestyle fashion?

Comparing the broken umbrella to some intact, smaller, specimens led me to realize that I had to find some way of securing the center handle to the top white plastic ring of the umbrella (where all the 'ribs' meet). Close inspection revealed a place on the handle, about 4 inches from the pointy end, where there was a small circular hole opposite a longer oblong opening drilled into the handle.   There was also a small, but sturdy, pin sticking through the white ring. I decided to put the pink through the oblong hole and see if that would hold.  It did! This is shown in the picture as the 'tiny pin.' It is hard to see (especially when reaching over an open umbrella top), but I promise you it is there.

When there is a job to be done.....

  Wanting a little extra security for holding the pieces together, I used the handle from a Thai food takeout container to wrap around one 'rib,' through the oblong and round holes on the handle, and then around the opposite 'rib.'  This is labeled in the picture above as 'Free wire'.   These little bits of flexible wire are SUPER useful, so I save them.  Of course I could not have done this without some trusty tools. Curved needle-nosed pliers are pretty awesome at times.

For decoration I used gold fabric paint donated by Creative Roommate (who in turn got it from her mom).

Decorative motifs, from top right: Atlantic long-armed octopus, gears, a feather, random squiggles.

Ya esta! A freestyle steampunk-inspired umbrella, ready to shade one's delicate skin while out for a stroll.

In honor of mother's day this post is dedicated to my mother (who taught me to fix things myself), my godmother (who taught me about saving things in case they are needed in future), and Creative Roommate's mother (an accomplished musician who supports others in their artistic endeavors, no matter what medium). Thanks moms!