Frolic

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Fun With Sewing Around the House

We're doing some late Spring cleaning (hey, we've still got a couple of weeks to go) and yesterday we worked on the deck.  Our old patio umbrella was rotted and tattered and we were about to go buy a new one when I had the *** IDEA ***   Hey, the frame is still good and we'll just be throwing it away.  I'll SEW a new umbrella!   So I got me off to JoAnn's to look at outdoor fabric.  My choices were limited since there were only a few selections that had enough yardage on the bolt for my needs.   And being a rather impetuous person - I want to do it now, not wait for special ordered fabric - I went ahead and bought it.  And it is nice...


Cutting it out was the hardest part since it involved getting down on the floor, spreading out 10 yds of fabric, and getting all four sides exactly the same.  (Each side is 2 yds across).  


But I think it turned out very well.  Sewing it was the easy part with my Singer 301 that makes nearly 1500 stitches/minute.  Sewing these long straight seams and eight yards of hem are when you really want to put the pedal to the metal - and this machine doesn't disappoint.  My serger also made quick work of the seam finishes.  


Best part is that it actually matched very well with the cushions on the patio chairs - the same gray and white.



View underneath - and yes, this is a crappy frame which was hardly worth repurposing because.....


...the fabric cost more than an entire new umbrella!!!  Yes, I paid $100+ for the fabric @ $10/yd (which was half price).

I guess I'm just weird because I think it is fun to sew something like this rather than buy it even though it actually cost more.  It really would have been a thrifty project if I'd re-used the frame and sewn the umbrella out of re-purposed fabric, but its not like I just happened to have an old parachute hanging around the garage.

But I can justify it this way....I have enough fabric left to make matching placemats for the patio table.  Does that make me come out ahead?