recovering parasol

[shakushinnen]

Hi,
I'm new here. I've seen posts referring to recovering a parasol, and was wondering if anyone would be able to help with a problem I'm having, recovering my wife's parasol?
I have cut all the panels, and sewed them together; but when I put the cover on the frame, I get a puffy area, right where the cover meets the post, for about 5" down. (The rest of the cover fits nice and tight.) I have made two covers and they both do the same thing. I cut the panels to the same size as the original ones, even left a seem allowance.
I'd appreciate any help you can give, or a refererence to where I might get help. I can provide pictures, if my description doesn't do it.
Thanks,
John

 

[crwritt]

Hi,
I'm new here. I've seen posts referring to recovering a parasol, and was wondering if anyone would be able to help with a problem I'm having, recovering my wife's parasol?
I have cut all the panels, and sewed them together; but when I put the cover on the frame, I get a puffy area, right where the cover meets the post, for about 5" down. (The rest of the cover fits nice and tight.) I have made two covers and they both do the same thing. I cut the panels to the same size as the original ones, even left a seem allowance.
I'd appreciate any help you can give, or a refererence to where I might get help. I can provide pictures, if my description doesn't do it.
Thanks,
John

It sounds like you just have to do some adjustments. Put the cover over the frame, inside out, and pin along the seams where the problem is, until everything lays flat. Then mark and sew along the pinned lines.

Something else I thought of is grain. When you cut the panels for your new cover, were you careful to have the grain of the fabric the same as the original?

 

[shakushinnen]

Hi Colleen,
Great idea. However, when I do that, the little dewmajiggies that attach the canopy to the ends of the ribs, have to be twisted in such a fashion as to distort the fabric line.
Yes, I have cut all the panels along the thread direction.
John

 

[crwritt]

Hi Colleen,
Great idea. However, when I do that, the little dewmajiggies that attach the canopy to the ends of the ribs, have to be twisted in such a fashion as to distort the fabric line.
Yes, I have cut all the panels along the thread direction.
John

Hi John

Maybe a picture would help!

 

[shakushinnen]

Hi Colleen,
Can I attach a jpg to a post?
John

 

[Sunny]

A jpg should be just fine.

My mother's about to recover some parasols herself, and we've both sewn quite a bit, so I'm also interested in seeing just what the issue is.

By the way, what era is the parasol from? What shape and dimensions?

 

[shakushinnen]

Hi Colleen/Sunny,
I have uploaded 4 images. (I hope this works. It's the first time I've tried this.) I think you'll see what the problem is.
Sunny,
I don't know what era the parasol is from. It was given to me by a friend, who was handling an estate. The cover says Brophey on the wrap around tie. The frame says 'Made in Germany' with a little boat and what appears to be 'R& Co'. You'll see from the 'handle' picture that it's encrusted with, what are likely, rhinestones. The frame is very well made, with brass fittings at all the joints. (I've included a photo. I'm afraid it's not very clear)
John

 

[Sunny]

Oh, good pictures, and a very pretty parasol. Was the original cover black silk?

It looks to me that the puffiness is resulting because the pieces are simply a wee bit too big right there. I suggest tapering in each seam a little more. Make sure you start past where the "puff" begins and don't leave any angles, or you'll get one pucker. It won't take much. If you move your seam line over 1/16", that's 1/8" per seam. With ten seams, you'd be taking it in 1 1/4", and I don't think it's that baggy.

You can see how a tiny, tiny difference can be magnified; that could be sewing, cutting, even pattern tracing. And even if they were all perfectly the same, it could be the fabric itself. Different fabrics stretch and strain in different ways. Something as taut as a parasol cover will definitely test the material. It looks very good - kudos for such a good job!

 

[shakushinnen]

Hi Sunny,
Thanks for looking at these. The original canopy was black nylon. I spent a lot of time trying to repair it, but it was rotting, so eventually I had to give up. This one's made of satin. Usually I use nylon, but this is such a nice parasol, I wanted to give it a little something extra. But the material's not the problem. I've recovered a couple umbrellas, and everytime I have the same problem. I cut them exactly triangular, and leave a seem allowance, usually 3 mm/side. I make a template; and I'm very meticulous, so it's not measuring, and the panels are exacly identical. There must be something I'm missing.

I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind.........
- Obviously I have to gradually slide into the 1/16" reduction. What would you suggest I do it over, roughly, 1", 1/2", 1/4" ???
- In your experience, are panels cut to a strictly triangular shape?
Thanks,
John

 

[Sunny]

I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind.........
- Obviously I have to gradually slide into the 1/16" reduction. What would you suggest I do it over, roughly, 1", 1/2", 1/4" ???
- In your experience, are panels cut to a strictly triangular shape?
Thanks,
John

- Generally speaking, the longer the better. Say I'm taking in the side seams of a skirt; to reduce the waist 1", I'll sew in 1/4" at each side. And I'd taper in this reduction over 12"-18". On the other hand, your reduction needs to be effective over about 5", not just at one point like my waist. I'd start your new seam at minimum 3" before it's needed. Longer doesn't hurt. You really don't want a pucker in the middle of the seam.

Here's a thought. Since 10 seams is a LOT and 1/16" each is SMALL, you might try reducing every other seam. 1/16" is so small that reducing to it could be very tricky. Reducing 5 seams 1/8" should have the same effect, but be easier to taper.

- Heh! I haven't covered a parasol yet! But let me put it this way: The only important thing is fit. Mathematically, strictly triangular pieces would work only for parasols with perfectly straight ribs. Realistically, few parasols have straight ribs; and ANY pattern usually needs modification.

I have an impression that parasol pieces are based on triangles, but with convex sides. That would allow for the downward curve of the ribs. The rest depends on the nature of the fabric and how much the ribs will curve under pressure.

For your next one, I suggest making a pattern but with slightly larger seam allowances. Cut it out in muslin, sew it together, and then try it on - with the seam allowances to the outside. Then you can see how well it fits, and if you get this "bagginess," like Colleen suggested you can pin up the extra in the seam allowance. It's another step, but that way you don't mess up your good fabric.

Does that help? [huh]

 

[shakushinnen]

Hi Sunny,
Good suggestion, doing alternate ribs. I'm not a good sewer so I have to build in a fudge factor, until I get better.
For these seams, I first glue the the two panel edges (outside to outside) with fabric glue. (I do this so that the fabric can't shift when I fold it.) Then I fold over about 3mm, glue again, iron, and backstitch, So I'm essentially sewing through 4 layers. It's a long gruelling process for a non sewer, and makes for a very bulky seam. Does this seem like overkill?
So you're thinking that when you recover an umbrella, adjustments are likely to be just part of the gig? I wonder if there's a way of pinning or ??? the seams so that one doesn't have to guess with the adjustment. I like Colleen's idea of reversing the top then taking up the slack. I suppose I could reverse the dewmajjigies, so that the cover fits on in reverse. I'm just musing here. I've thought of doing a mockup, but that just seems like an extra step that I'm trying to avoid.
Yes there's no question that the curve is part of the problem. Most umbrella covers come to near perpindicular at the post, so it would seem that a perfect triangle is probably not going to be quite right. I've tried many ways of measuring and calculating exactly what shape panels to use, but have not come up with anything, YET.
Thanks again for your help. I'd like to hear your thoughts. These discussions are a great help.
John

 

[Sunny]

Overkill? Honestly, I don't know. It does sound incredibly time-consuming and tedious. However, it also sounds very firm, which is good because of the strain that's put on the seams. Satin tends to be pretty sturdy already, so your seams must be *quite* bulky. So it might be overkill at that. A backstitch through just the two layers might be sufficient. It may depend on how tight the cover is. Satin isn't usually used for parasols or umbrellas, so I'm not sure how it'll act under a persistent strain.

I've never used fabric glue, but that seams like an excellent way to keep it from shifting. The historical option is basting.

It sounds like you're sewing this by hand. Way to go! It's much easier to do this fine tuning by hand; you have so much more control.

My rule, when reproducing something: Do it the way it was originally done. This applies to material, pattern shape, and technique. It was done that way for a reason, and it worked.

Adjustments are part of the game with ALL sewing. I save myself a lot of grief by not stressing when it's not perfect the first time. I agree that mockups are a pain! But the trouble they've saved me is immense. Plus when I get it right, I take it apart and have pattern pieces.

 

[crwritt]

Hi Sunny,
Good suggestion, doing alternate ribs. I'm not a good sewer so I have to build in a fudge factor, until I get better.
For these seams, I first glue the the two panel edges (outside to outside) with fabric glue. (I do this so that the fabric can't shift when I fold it.) Then I fold over about 3mm, glue again, iron, and backstitch, So I'm essentially sewing through 4 layers. It's a long gruelling process for a non sewer, and makes for a very bulky seam. Does this seem like overkill?
So you're thinking that when you recover an umbrella, adjustments are likely to be just part of the gig? I wonder if there's a way of pinning or ??? the seams so that one doesn't have to guess with the adjustment. I like Colleen's idea of reversing the top then taking up the slack. I suppose I could reverse the dewmajjigies, so that the cover fits on in reverse. I'm just musing here. I've thought of doing a mockup, but that just seems like an extra step that I'm trying to avoid.
Yes there's no question that the curve is part of the problem. Most umbrella covers come to near perpindicular at the post, so it would seem that a perfect triangle is probably not going to be quite right. I've tried many ways of measuring and calculating exactly what shape panels to use, but have not come up with anything, YET.
Thanks again for your help. I'd like to hear your thoughts. These discussions are a great help.
John

I tried answering earlier this morning but somehow could not post it. It looks to me like your panels, when you make your pattern, need to have a slight gradual inward curve on each seam from where the extra fullness begins, out to the triangle tip. Lay the pattern you have on the parasol, and mark on it where the fullness starts, then pinch up a tiny bit of the fabric to get the idea how much should be taken in. Indicate this on your pattern, then you can use a large french curve or hip curve to draw a nice gradual curve. Trim the pattern to that new seam line, and use it as a template to mark your corrections.

I did not realize you had already sewn these with french seams. That may make it just a bit harder to adjust things, but you have done so well already it would be a shame to start over.

I do a lot of unusual sewing projects, upholstery, etc. I also make mascot costumes. One thing I have found surprisingly accurate to create patterns with is clear packing tape. If you have a difficult 3d shape you want to pattern, and eventually create a fabric covering for, smoothly cover the surface with the packing tape. Decide where the seams will be, and mark them with sharpie marker. Add marks that will help in lining up the pieces, as well. Now you can deftly remove the tape pattern and smooth it on to paper. Trim exactly to the marker lines. Lay this pattern on your fabric and trace around it, (these are your seam lines). I mentally add the seam allowance as I cut the piece. I don't know if this would help in parasol making, but a good project depends on a good pattern.

 

[shakushinnen]

Hi Colleen,
"It looks to me like your panels, when you make your pattern, need to have a slight gradual inward curve on each seam from where the extra fullness begins, out to the triangle tip."
.........Yes, I think so.
I revisited your earlier suggestion re reversing the top. This time I was careful to take up very little material where the cover is attached to the panel ends, and it went on O.K. So, it's on in reverse, showing the seams. (see picture)

There appear to be two things that need to be done: the top has to be pulled tight to the post, and the seams have to be taken up (in that order). Pulling the cover up to the post is no problem. So, if I can somehow take up the seam slack with the cover on, I can remove it and sew. I'm sorry. I don't know enough to understand how the hip curve would figure, no pun intended, into the plan.
I love your idea about making a cover with packing tape, or at least one panel. I will definately use that. That should be done before the old cover is removed. After removal the tensions on the frame change and you can never get the same shape, as when it was on. Thanks for that suggestion.
I'm afraid I'm a little gun shy now, after making four covers with the same problem. I had no idea when I undertook to recover umbrellas that it would be so difficult. The learning curve is very steep.
John

 

[crwritt]

Hi Colleen,
"It looks to me like your panels, when you make your pattern, need to have a slight gradual inward curve on each seam from where the extra fullness begins, out to the triangle tip."
.........Yes, I think so.
I revisited your earlier suggestion re reversing the top. This time I was careful to take up very little material where the cover is attached to the panel ends, and it went on O.K. So, it's on in reverse, showing the seams. (see picture)

There appear to be two things that need to be done: the top has to be pulled tight to the post, and the seams have to be taken up (in that order). Pulling the cover up to the post is no problem. So, if I can somehow take up the seam slack with the cover on, I can remove it and sew. I'm sorry. I don't know enough to understand how the hip curve would figure, no pun intended, into the plan.
I love your idea about making a cover with packing tape, or at least one panel. I will definately use that. That should be done before the old cover is removed. After removal the tensions on the frame change and you can never get the same shape, as when it was on. Thanks for that suggestion.
I'm afraid I'm a little gun shy now, after making four covers with the same problem. I had no idea when I undertook to recover umbrellas that it would be so difficult. The learning curve is very steep.

John

A hip curve is just a long curved ruler we use when designing patterns. It approximates the shape of a lady's hip, for the side seam of a skirt, for example.

Now that you have the cover reversed, start pinning, laying your pins lengthwise to the ribs, maybe one pin per seam, in the fullest part, to begin. Keep the same number of pins per seam.
When you have done the pinning, and you are happy, without removing the cover, baste the seams with long running stitches. You may even manage to do your backstitching while it is in place. If tjhat is too awkward, remove it to do your backstitching.

Definately try the packing tape method on your next project, while the old cover is still intact. I think that only one panel would be neccessary to pattern.

 

[shakushinnen]

Much Better, but ..........

Hi,
I have resewn the seams to take up the slack, and although it's much better, it's not good enough. Here's a picture, that doesn't really show very well.
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q234/shakushinnen/?action=view&current=mini-cover.jpg
I have a feeling that repairing a poor job is more difficult than doing it right in the first place, and requires more skill. Also, the satin shows up EVERY LITTLE imperfection.
I'm going to try it again, this time using Colleen's suggestion re using packing tape to make a copy of a panel.
How much seem allowance should I use? Should I stick with the back stitch, or does someone have a better suggetion?
Thanks,
John

 

[Sunny]

It looks really, really good to me.

I'm a perfectionist, though, and I understand if you're not happy with it. If you want to get it better than that, I seriously recommend switching fabrics. Satin is simply not built for that purpose. Stitches make it snag, it pulls, and it's heavy. If you still want a fine fabric, why not silk taffeta, broadcloth, or poplin? Taffeta is by far the most common material for parasols, and broadcloth and poplin are also crisp and tightly-woven. I think you will find it much easier to get a good fit.

For a garment that I'm trying to fit, I'll usually have 1" seam allowance instead of 1/2". This is a lot of fine-tuning, though, and you won't need nearly that much. Also, the more material you have, the more bulk that will get in the way of the fit. A big lump of extra fabric can really throw you off.

A back stitch should be just fine. If it's adding a lot a bulk to your seams, try a fine running stitch (maybe 8 stitches/inch) with a tiny backstitch every inch or two.

 

[crwritt]

Hi,
I have resewn the seams to take up the slack, and although it's much better, it's not good enough. Here's a picture, that doesn't really show very well.
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q234/shakushinnen/?action=view&current=mini-cover.jpg
I have a feeling that repairing a poor job is more difficult than doing it right in the first place, and requires more skill. Also, the satin shows up EVERY LITTLE imperfection.
I'm going to try it again, this time using Colleen's suggestion re using packing tape to make a copy of a panel.
How much seem allowance should I use? Should I stick with the back stitch, or does someone have a better suggetion?
Thanks,
John

It really is looking a lot better.
Colleen

 

[shakushinnen]

Hi Sunny/Colleen,
I'm not a perfectionist, although my wife would take serious issue with that statement. I know the degree to which I want something done, and in this case, this is not it (better picture). A ladies parasol has to be perfect.
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q234/shakushinnen/?action=view&current=Cover1.jpg
I can do better. The seam nearer the outer edges is much better.
http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q234/shakushinnen/?action=view&current=Cover2.jpg
My version of the backstitch works out to about 8 stitches per inch. I go ahead, then halfway back, etc. It's certainly bulky, but not too much so. Even the satin is O.K. If I can get the bloody panels cut to the right size I'll be in business.
Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to take another run at it, but first I'm going to take a break. Right now I'm repairing a double umbrella.
If anyone's interested you can see a couple of my efforts at .....
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-hobbies-crafts-umbrella-parts-used-W0QQAdIdZ8063020
Thanks again for your help.
I'll let you know how the second go-around goes.
John

 

[shakushinnen]

Hi All,
I put the old cover back on and did the packing tape thing, as Colleen suggested (below).

The included picture shows the packing tape outline on top of the white template, I used to cut the (non fitting) panels from. They are clearly not a match. (The template was cut to allow for a seam, whereas the outline is just of a panel, not considering the seam.) This difference multiplied by 10 might be all that was necessary to get the puckering. I will recut, using the outline plus a seam allowance of 1/4" (???) on both sides.
Any thoughts are appreciated.
John