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Friday, August 3, 2018

Plain to Pretty Black Umbrella Makeover

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

The next project on my craft list is another makeover, this time for an umbrella.

I found myself having to replace my umbrella, again.  This time I decided to invest in one I was sure would last awhile before breaking on me. 

A simple black Totes stick umbrella with a curve handle, let's make it prettier.

I got this Totes stick umbrella, which was a little more than what I usually pay for umbrellas, but is totally worth it.

It opens and closes easily, dries quickly when wet, has held up to winds that have snapped previous umbrellas, and has one of the nicest and softest feeling handles I have ever touched.

I intentionally got it in black because it both makes it less likely to get really dirty and makes it better as a sun umbrella (check out this article about that).

Plain to Pretty Black Umbrella Makeover

The downside is that it isn’t as pretty as other umbrellas, but that is way too easy to fix.  We just need to add some…

Wide black lace, it will be used for our new umbrella.

…Lace!

I got this wide lace ages ago from SAS intending to use it for an umbrella.  It’s just like the lace I used for the white umbrella I decorated before (that got super dirty looking before breaking on me, sigh).

I like it specifically because it’s a pretty non-cottony lace.  I don’t recommend cotton laces because they are very absorbent.  When you use an umbrella for both sun and rain, adding something that absorbs a ton of water will make it take forever to dry.  Not to say that this lace won’t take a ton of time to dry too.

Ruffling the lace with a sewing machine.

I started by ruffling the lace using my sewing machine by using the longest stitch length and setting the tension higher.

The circumference of the umbrella is 124 in. (315 cm.) and I needed twice as much lace to make my lace ruffle plus a little extra for overlap.  The quicker option is to choose a lace that is already ruffled, but that narrows the selection quite a bit.

Pin the ruffled lace to the edge of the umbrella.

After ruffling, I pinned my lace along the edge of the umbrella.  Looking nicer already.

Carefully glue the lace down with a glue gun.

Now, I could have sewn the lace ruffle on by hand, but I was feeling lazy about it.  So, I glued it on with a glue gun.

First, I carefully glued down the sections of lace between the pins.

The lace is glued down, and all the stray bits removed.

Then I removed the pins one by one and glued down those areas.

I went around a couple more times to glue spots I missed and remove those annoying strings left by the glue gun (I watched a lot of videos while doing all of this).

Add tiny ribbon bows.

Finally, I made some little ribbon bows to add along the lace (check out my video tutorial for simple bows if you wish).

The finished and fully decorated umbrella.

And now the umbrella, or should I say, parasol is finished and ready for use.

Close up of the finished umbrella.

It is looks so pretty and the lace ruffle gives it a very poufy look, however…

The now lacy decorated umbrella can still be closed!

…It’s not too poufy to close up!  I was afraid I would have to change the strap.

Here’s the updated list:

  • 3 piece outfit
  • Holder
  • First aid cases
  • Umbrella
  • Tea set
  • Tote

Two down, four more to go.  The next one should be up tomorrow, look forward to it!


Give it a try:

2 comments:

  1. Great idea - most umbrellas leave a lot to be desired in the cuteness dept. Lovely look!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely! I live in a place that is perpetually sunny, so seldom use an umbrella (but maybe I should for the shade). If I decide to get a sun umbrella, I now know how easy it is to make it pretty. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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