It is never a good day when you are standing amidst a rain storm and your trusty umbrella breaks. On a walk a few weeks ago, my husband and I (who love to walk in the rain with an umbrella) had our umbrella break down on us. Luckily rain is just water and all it took to make us feel better was warm socks and cup of hot cocoa.
Although the umbrella no longer functions as it was originally built to do, I thought it would be a great opportunity to make a rain proof purse!
So, if you have had an umbrella break lately, check out this tutorial on How to Reuse an Umbrella to Make a Purse.
1. Remove your umbrella fabric from the umbrella metal.
2. Fold your material in half so the outside meets the outside. Cut along the seam so that you now have to pieces of fabric (semi-circles).
3. Resew along the seam lines to re-secure your seams. (sometimes when you cut the umbrella from the metal, you will cut a hole in the fabric.)
4.. Iron your fabric on low to get out any wrinkles.
5. Fold the longest side over and iron to make a crease. Sew the edges to secure the crease. (this will be the top opening for your purse, so you want to create a nice top crease.)
6. Fold your fabric in half right side touching right side. You will see the wrong side of the fabric. Sew your bottom and side seams.
7. Turn your fabric inside out. You now have your outer water proof layer!
8. Pick the lining (inside) for your purse. Cut it to just 1/4 inch over the size of your outer bag on all sides.
9. Iron your lining fabric.
10. Fold the sides of your fabric 1/2 inch. Iron and sew top and bottom stitch. (This is creating a nice crease for your drawstring.)
11. Find old shoe laces or thin rope to act as your drawstring. Measure by folding it over the top of your outer bag. Leave a little extra drawstring so you have something grab when you want to tighten.
12. Take the top of your lining, fold 1/4 inch and iron, then fold it over your drawstring. Sew along the edge of your lining to keep your drawstring inside. (The same thing you did to the top of your outside bag.)
13. Fold your lining in half right side to right side. You will see the wrong side on top. Sew your side and bottom seams.
14. Place your lining inside your outer bag. Sew your lining into your purse.
15. Pick a handle that you like. I decided to use an old silk tie. Sew to your bag with the length of your choice. The best thing to do is to sew twice along the part of your handle that meets the top of your purse. If you can, sew an “X” when attaching your handles. You can see what that looks like on my T-shirt Purse Tutorial.
Enjoy your new mostly water proof bag. You can actually make 2 bags from one umbrella! I have donated this purse to The Power of The Purse Silent Auction to benefit the United Way in Duluth, MN. All proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards building an Imagination Library!
Related posts:
No related posts.
