Wednesday 4 July 2012

Any umbrellas, any umbrellas to mend today....


It should be a very straightforward task should it not - here is a damaged umbrella in need of a new coat,  has a lovely Lucite floral handle and I just so happened to have the fabric that goes perfectly with it.  But no - it took HOURS of rowing discussion with my sister to decide upon the best fabric combination - we went through every possibility but could not decide.  I didn't want it to be all the same fabric and I very much wanted to add doilies into the mix.  Too many cooks.....I ended up NOT recovering the umbrella and it has been put to one side whilst I have a rethink....




Do you also find it tricky to make decisions such as this?

Toodle-uma-luma-luma
Toodle-uma-luma-luma
Toodle-aye-ay
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10 comments:

  1. thriftwood4 July 2012 at 12:23

    Sounds fab ... would you be able to use it in the rain? I'm thinking it's purely for decoration or do you have a secret way of weatherproofing ... very intriguing and can't wait to see results! xxx

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    1. The Custards6 July 2012 at 08:47

      Thank you as always - I could weatherproof if need be (spray used for canvas tents from Millets) but such brollies would be used for beach promenading or light shower work! Years ago I also used vintage scarves to recover an umbrella and silk dries pretty quickly...not sure where that is now sadly! I will keep you up to date with all umbrella making activities!

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  2. wendyroomcreations4 July 2012 at 13:58

    I've often thought how nice it would be to jazz up a brolly but wouldn't know where to start. However, I did see on the Superscrimpers programme that if you spray an umbrella with any old hairspray it restores its waterproofness, so to speak. Mind you I am not quite sure how long that would last. Does it depend on it only being light rain or does it work in a downpour also? Philippa x

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    1. The Custards6 July 2012 at 08:50

      Thank you Philippa - this is an easy thing to do (I cannot make complicated or difficult things). Just take your old umbrella apart - make the new cover and then stitch back into place - have a look here at the last one that I did http://thecustards.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/vintage-fabric-umbrella-at-last.html (sorry I don't know how to do this properly!). You can buy a spray for canvas tents to waterproof it. Please let me know if you make one

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  3. Anna @ Miss Beatrix4 July 2012 at 14:40

    Ah yes, I think it was athriftymrs.com (who showed the tip on Superscrimpers) where I saw how to repair an umbrella, but as thriftwood says, this all seems very intriguing, as I always thought it must be a very complicated business to cover one. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out in the end. x

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    1. The Custards6 July 2012 at 08:52

      Thank you Anna - no, not complicated, very easy to do (though less so if the umbrella is a fancy shape). This post here may help: http://thecustards.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/this-is-brolly-all-tattered-and-torn.html
      I will be setting up 'Umbrellas are us' very soon!!!

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  4. Unknown4 July 2012 at 16:01

    I find it the most difficult part....deciding!! What if I get it wrong, you see.....
    saw you in Homes and antiques, what a lovely home and a lovely photo of you :-) x

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    1. The Custards6 July 2012 at 08:53

      Aww thank you - can you see that in reality I am gritting my teeth in that photo - I hate having my photo taken....

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  5. Wendy4 July 2012 at 19:54

    I love lucite! Saw some fabby brooches at a fair recently....£40 each though. Ouch. Still, great to look at. Maybe one day when I feel flush I shall treat myself to one.

    Like your choice of fabrics for the umbrella - really lovely.

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    1. The Custards6 July 2012 at 08:54

      £40!!! Carumba!!!! I will polish my old brooches off shortly I think (they are now going to form part of my pension plan!!).

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