How to Make a Rain Umbrella
If you live in a rainy climate, you soon learn that an umbrella is your friend. The problem with most umbrellas is that they lack pizazz. A standard black or blue umbrella does nothing to improve one's mood on a drizzly day, and stores generally stock just a few colors. Here are directions to make your own umbrella, so you can choose a fabric that matches your mood. Do be warned that while lovely, these umbrellas lack the convenience of folding up for storage.
Things You'll Need
- Extra large petticoat hoop
- Medium petticoat hoop
- Permanent marker
- Scissors
- One-inch dowel, about three feet in length
- Waterproof ripstop nylon in any pattern or color you desire (choose a piece a bit larger than the extra large petticoat hoop)
- Needle and thread or hot glue gun
- Carpet tack, thumb tack or wood screw with washer
Instructions
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1
Lay the waterproof ripstop nylon on the floor or another large, flat surface.
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2
Lay the extra large petticoat hoop in the center of the fabric.
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3
With the permanent marker, draw a circle on the fabric, using the petticoat hoop as a template. Draw the circle in such a way as to add a two-inch margin of extra fabric all around the hoop
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4
Cut your fabric along the marker line.
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5
Sew or hot glue your fabric to the extra large petticoat hoop, wrapping the extra fabric around the hoop.
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6
Center the medium petticoat hoop in the middle of the extra large hoop, and sew or hot glue this hoop to the fabric as well.
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7
Using the tack or wood screw and washer, attach the dowel to the center of the fabric, with the dowel on the same side of the fabric as the hoops. The fastener should come through the fabric into the dowel from the top.
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