Sunday, April 29, 2012

New Patio Umbrella

100_4117

This weekend my son pressure washed my deck and I am getting the itch to get my plants outside and do some digging in the dirt.  I have a little “sitting room” on my deck and always have an umbrella out there to keep the spot cool and shady.  This is what my umbrella looked like this spring!

photo

I bought this umbrella for $2 at an auction last spring.  My previous umbrella had been the victim of high winds, so I found this one cheap…I disliked like the green but at that price, I could live with it!  So…anyway it sat out all winter and the fabric was falling apart, but the frame is still great! I thought it might be worth replacing the fabric, but I couldn’t decide what kind of fabric to use.  I priced fabric and found it would take too many yards to make this a reasonably priced redo. 

100_4053

Well, I was at Home Depot and saw a drop cloth! I don’t know why I had not thought of a drop cloth before.  I cut apart the old umbrella and used it as a pattern to make the new one.  I measured, cut and sewed.  I even brought the umbrella base in because it was raining and I wanted to work on it at night.  The first time I sewed it all together, I realized it was too loose at the top, so…off it came and I drug it back to the sewing machine and adjusted the top portion. 

100_4070

Much better!  I was satisfied!  Now I wanted it to be waterproof, so I used two cans of Scotchguard fabric protector to waterproof the fabric.

100_4073

So yep, I spent the weekend with a patio umbrella open in my living room!  Just keeping it real…

 100_4113

This whole project cost me $21 for the 9 X 12 drop cloth and the Scotchguard was $7 for the two cans.  Everything else I had.  I used quilting thread for the seams and serged every seam.  Hopefully it will hold up to the weather and sunshine!

100_4112

I am linking to these great parties!

Signature

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great way to reuse the umbrella instead of taking it to the landfill! I have been wanting to do this and use pretty lace tablecloths and trim on the umbrella.

Unknown said...

Great job!

Etcetorize said...

Your so funny! Good thing you're not superstitious. Turned out great and you've given me some super ideas. Thanks for linking up at Etcetorize~

Three Birds Inspired said...

Never would it have occurred to me to take apart a tattered umbrella to make a new one. Seriously, I would have given it the old heave ho and bought something new. I am in awe.

NJ Antiques said...

That was a really good idea! You are so creative!

Maggie said...

Wow what a great idea! And what a lovely job you've made of it! I will think about this when Our umbrella starts falling apart but I think I may find it a bit daunting... Maggie xx

Liz @ Quirky Vistas said...

I love this! Thanks for sharing the idea. I've been wanting an umbrella, but haven't found what I want yet.

Amy said...

A drop cloth!!!! What a fabulous idea!!!!!

qwerty said...

What a great idea!

Unknown said...

That's great! We were just looking at our beaten up umbrella yesterday. Maybe instead of just buying a new one, I'll have to try this.

Alison Meade said...

Using a drop cloth was such a smart idea - it came out great!
Thanks for joining our Beautify It Monday link party, We hope you'll be back next week!

-Four Sisters

Kaysi @ Keeping it Simple said...

What a great idea!!

Abby said...

So so smart! Now if I could just get my hands on a frame....

Cristina Garay said...

Wow! Great Idea! Love the way it looks!

chateau chic said...

Love your idea. Drop cloths sure come in handy for so many projects.
Mary Alice

Ann said...

Genius! I'm fanatical about reusing whatever still has even a little life in it. This was a wonderful way to make use of a perfectly good umbrella frame. And drop cloth fabric is a favorite of mine to work with. Nice!

Jill said...

Great work on the umbrella Ellen! It looks brand new!


Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a fabulous week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

Lisa @ Flour Me With Love said...

Great idea! Thanks so much for sharing at Mix it up Monday :)

tink's mom said...

I am so impressed with this idea and it's outcome. Great job.

SwedishCorner ~ DownUnder...Pernilla said...

Lovely! Great job :)
Greetings from Australia♥
~Pernilla

Kimberly T. said...

Wow, that is a great idea! Good job!!

Mandy Beyeler said...

Thanks for linking to Take-A-Look Tuesday - - you were featured today!!
--Mandy, www.SugarBeeCrafts.com

Unknown said...

That looks so great! What a clever solution to your umbrella problem! Thanks for entering One Crafty Contest; best of luck!

Bonnie and Trish @ Uncommon Designs said...

Now that is so smart! A drop cloth?! Love it! Thanks so much for sharing with us!

Take care,

Trish

Beth @ Through the Eyes of the Mrs. said...

This is so well done and it looks great. I could never have done this great job. xoxo

Rose :: Fine Craft Guild .com said...

man, this is just great. way better than the green. thank goodness it ripped... ;-)

So: Come link it up at our party http://www.finecraftguild.com/party/ It's worth sharing it with others!

Debby said...

What a great idea ! looks so much better than the green. I'm not sure I could have made it look this good, you did a fabulous job.

Katie @ Little Becky Homecky said...

This is awesome! I love the picture of the umbrella in the house! Too funny!! thanks for keepin it real and thanks for linking it up to Fantabulous Friday!

Deborah@Green Willow Pond said...

Love it! I have a umbrella that I thought about using a dropcloth to replace, but wasn't sure how difficult it would be. Mine is a green stripe that I picked up at a garage sale too. I hate the fabric, but it is a solid wood umbrella. Do you have any other tips?

Deborah

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful idea! Your umbrella turned out great! I love the look of the drop cloth fabric much better than the original. :-)

Carol, The Answer Is Chocolate said...

Great idea ( HUGE undertaking!) and you can't beat the price especially for what patio umbrellas cost.

Anonymous said...

That's a great idea! I just posted about front porch rug I made out of a drop cloth and was wondering what else could be done with them. Definitely saving your idea!

Deneen@dreaming-n-color said...

Love this idea! I will look at old umbrellas differently now! Thanks for sharing!

Becky from BeckyandJames.com said...

Great idea! I've popped over from Totally Pinworthy

Anna said...

This is SO smart! I would love to have you share this with my readers at the Weekend Warrior Link Party.

Anna
www.askannamoseley.com

Here's the link: http://www.askannamoseley.com/2012/05/weekend-warrior-link-party-51-clever.html

Jen said...

I just had a "why didn't I think of that" moment! I just threw my old one away because it was torn!
Awesome job!

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh. That is too clever and it looks gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Yeah for recycling! I love that you used a paint tarp for the fabric. It looks great!

Desi said...

Are you kidding??? That is fantastic!!! Ok, share how you did this, please...:) I'm subscribing, just in case you do!
Desi

Six Sisters said...

This is awesome! The drop cloth is an amazing idea!! It looks professionally made! We hope to see you back next week to our "Strut Your Stuff Saturday." Thanks for coming!! -The Sisters

Anonymous said...

You are one cleaver lady. I love the whole idea and the end product is great. Thank you for sharing your great idea.

Unknown said...

Looks great!
Thanks for sharing at our Sunday Round Up.
xoxo
Heather
www.HeatherlyLoves.co

very merry vintage style said...

I'm so impressed! I love drop cloth decorating and this is amazing. You're going to be featured in tonight's link party. Stop by and pick up a feature button! Going to pin this as well. Thanks for linking up to Share the Love Wednesday!
Mary

Garage Sales R Us said...

I love how this turned out! It's so much better than buying a new one because those things are expensive! I am visiting from the One Artsy Mama Craft Contest. I am a new follower! Hope you will stop http://garagesalesrus.blogspot.com/ and do the same!

Robin

Honey I'm Home Blog said...

What an innovative solution. I'm impressed with your creativity & the finished product looks so great. Thanks so much for linking up to Fabulous Friday at Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust.

Warmly, Michelle

Unknown said...

Such a great idea!! And the color looks wonderful, too! I shared this on my blog today: http://www.vixenmade.com/2012/06/10-diy-outdoor-projects.html

Becca@Carpet Cleaning In Perth said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.