Expensive umbrellas usually have canopies that are worn out. You can replace it, glue patches, or you can buy a new umbrella, and use the impeccable mechanism as a crinoline, harpoon or light diffuser for the best shots on Instagram and YouTube. In cheap accessories, the mechanism fails, and all that remains is to throw it away. And from the umbrella fabric you can sew a skirt, bag, overalls for a dog - anything that requires a waterproof, wear-resistant material.
DIY umbrella bag
A do-it-yourself umbrella bag is one of the favorite themes of women’s needlework.
Due to the unusual material, it always looks stylish and bright, and is not inferior in practicality to textile accessories. Surely there is an old umbrella at home that can be put to use. Following the example of skilled craftswomen sharing their experience, sewing a bag from an umbrella will not be difficult. When sewing, you cannot ignore the WTO of the product. Skipping ironing of key elements will result in loss of attractive appearance. It is worth considering that ironing the finished product is much more difficult.
She's so huge...
Don't be scared by the photos where the inflated bag is really the size of a pillow. There are also many miniature accessories. Therefore, choosing a bag of the required dimensions will not be difficult at all. Inflated bags have earned universal love for their cozy shapes and texture. Soft and pleasant to the touch, they seem to be made for the cold winter. Pillow bags are made from leather, eco-leather and textiles. The latter are perfect for a casual, relaxed, semi-sporty look. In addition, nylon bags are very easy to care for. The material is wear-resistant and water-repellent, so any stain on the accessory can be easily removed, sometimes simply by wiping it with a damp cloth.
| D.Jones bag | D.Jones bag | D.Jones bag |
How to sew a bag with pleats from an old umbrella?
This model will not leave any fashionista indifferent. This is a stylish, beautiful and incredibly feminine accessory. Despite the apparent complexity, even a beginner in sewing can make a model. The main thing at the initial stage is not to spoil the workpiece. The textiles must be separated from the frame, washed delicately, ironed and the circular seam trimmed along the edge of the fabric.
It is advisable to align the cuts using a ruler.
In addition to the material, you will need:
- strong cord from curtains for handles (chain, ready-made handles, etc.);
- threads;
- ruler;
- remnant;
- zipper;
- sewing pins;
- scissors;
- lining (second umbrella or lining fabric);
- sewing machine.
A compass is placed in the middle of the former dome and a circle with a radius of 10-11 cm is drawn. The resulting circle is carefully cut out: this will be the finishing of the bag. Measure 7-8 cm from the edge and cut it off: by unraveling the seams of the parts, you get blanks for processing the bag (facing).
DIY umbrella bag, pattern
My favorite umbrella broke... It's a shame!
However, you should not part with it immediately. If there is no hope of repairing it, it makes sense to remake it into an original handbag. For example, it could be a string bag. Then you can save on packages, while at the same time feeling like a fighter for the environment. Or make a stylish pleated product, decorated with bows or frills. Finally, you can make a children's sports bag like a change bag!
We'll tell you how to sew a practical bag with your own hands.
Preparing fabric for alteration
Using a steam ripper or sharp scissors, carefully tear the fabric away from the umbrella frame. The main thing is not to spoil it! Most likely, the fabric needs to be washed and ironed ! Otherwise, the finished item will not look too neat.
We cut off the seam that covers the edge of the umbrella, removing all the threads. The seams used to sew the wedges remain.
ADVICE . It is advisable to wash waterproof nylon on the economy cycle with cold water.
Sew a shopping bag
The model of the bag is a stylish string bag without a bottom or lining.
To make it, you only need a prepared umbrella tent, scissors, thread and a sewing machine.
We fold the awning in half so that the wrong side is on the inside, and the halves of the bent wedges on each side are the same. The fold line is the bottom of the future bag.
Important! The synthetic materials used to make umbrellas are highly slippery. We must ensure that the halves of the future product do not move apart.
Having leveled the material, we place the pattern paper strictly in the center to understand what size the bag can turn out to be. On average, its height is about 46–48 cm, width is about 40 cm.
Now we model the pattern. In appearance, the pattern resembles an “alcoholic” T-shirt: “straps”, a round neckline between them and, as it were, slits for the arms.
The “straps” will then be used to make handles.
Pattern parameters
- Total height: 46–48 cm.
- The height of the sides is 30–32 cm.
- Bottom width - 40–42 cm.
- The height from the bottom to the cutout between the “straps” is 32–34 cm (a couple of centimeters longer than the height of the sides).
- The width of the “straps” is 6 cm, there should be a space of 18–20 cm between their tops.
- The upper parts of the “straps” (5 cm from the edge) should remain 6 cm wide, then they gradually expand.
The basis
- Connect the halves of the fabric together with pins. The pattern needs to be pressed down with something heavy and traced along the contours.
- Without removing the pins, we carefully cut along the contour, the allowances are already included . We remove the pins.
- We take cut sections of the awning, also folded exactly together with the inside out. We pin together and place the pattern on them so that the upper part - the handles - and about 8 cm from the top of the sides fit . We outline and cut out, these will be the parts for strengthening the handles of the bag.
- We have a hole in the middle of the future bottom of the string bag; before, the top of the umbrella came out from there. It needs to be stitched up. To do this you need two pentagons made from scraps of fabric . We prepare a template on paper: the distance from the center to any of the corners is 5 cm, the size of each side is 4.5 cm.
- We outline and cut out one pentagon along the contour, the second - with an allowance of 1 cm from the main contour . This part will be needed to process the hole on the outside of the bag.
- We process the allowances by turning them from the edges to the wrong side by 1 cm and stitching them with a basting stitch.
- We place the smaller pentagon on the hole in the bottom of the bag from the wrong side, pin it and sew along the contour using a typewriter.
- We do the same with the large pentagon, but from the front part.
ATTENTION . It is better to carry out any detail on paper first, so as not to spoil the fabric by making a mistake in the calculations.
Pens
Now let's remember the details to enhance the strength of the bag handles.
- To do this, we apply one of them to the main part of the pattern from one edge face to face . Having secured with pins, we sew the parts along the “neckline” and “slots for the arms”. The seam is laid at a distance from the edge the width of the machine foot .
- We sew the other part in the same way from the other edge. On the rounded parts of the handles at the allowances we make small notches.
- On one side of the bag, turn the handles right side out, straighten the seam allowances properly and iron them . We retreat a centimeter from the edge of the handles turned to the front side and sew.
- On the other side, turn the handles to the wrong side.
- Having folded the blank for the bag in half, insert the handles turned on the front side into the handles turned inside out and straighten them out. We chop off the tops of the handles and, stepping back 1.5 cm from the top edge, sew a seam in the forward direction, then in the opposite direction.
- By stretching the bag on different sides, we get a completely sewn one handle. We repeat all the manipulations with the second handle.
Eco-friendly shopping bag from an old umbrella
The idea of giving new life to old or broken things has been on my mind for a long time. The planet is littered with human garbage, and I want to at least slightly reduce my contribution to this environmentally destructive matter.
I propose to sew a shopping bag from fabric from an old umbrella: roomy and reliable, beautiful and light, and most importantly, very environmentally friendly! Made from your favorite but suddenly broken umbrella, it will fit perfectly into your wardrobe and will delight you for a long time!
- a broken umbrella made of 8 wedges or two of the same size - if there are fewer wedges (or the bag will simply be smaller, made of 4 wedges). -ripper, strong synthetic threads, preferably No. 40. -sewing machine -good mood
