A NEW COVER FOR THAT OLD UMERELLA

Chronicle (Levin), 21 May 1947, Page 2

A NEW COVER FOR THAT OLD UMERELLA

It is no harder to re-cover an utu brella at home with plastie material than it is to do a simple picce of dress making — in f'act, actually easier than making an "umbrella" skirt. You certainly need dexterity and care at every stage, but apart from that the Whole thing is as easy as ABC. And here's the ABC of it: First, cut otf your old cover, watching, how thfc" fseaiu^;,?,re. stite^d tp tq?^; an£, caught at intervals to the frame inside. Bemove the peg-end and save it, but leave the "tips" in position for future use. Keep one segment of the cireular cover as a pattern — they are all alike — and take an exact copy of it in brown paper. Allow £in, or less, foi turnings at the seams but nothing at all at the rim where it is to be bound; taper off the triangle to a point. Plastie is slightly elastic in every direction, therefore you oan be extremely econoinical when cutting out* your sections aud need not bother about the "straight" Qf the material. Umbrellas vary as their number of ribs — soine have, six, othefs eight or ten. The fewer the ribs the more your sections will cut to waste. But with li yards of 31-inch wide plastie you will be sure of having suittcient, with probablj enOugh over for oddments such as a head triangle, a sponge-bag or a covcr for a shopping basket. Cut out each triangular pieee singly and accurately; it is most important to get them exactiy alike. Bind the outside edges with bias-binging, choosing a colour that either tones or eontrasts. Now taclc and machine your sections together, making sure they all join neatly at the centre. Note: When taeking, us:a very fine needle and always machinf with a large stitch. It is advisable to dust the seams with talcum powder be fore stitching to prevent the needh from sticking. Do not tack on the line where the machining'*- is to eome, bui slightly nearer the cut edge; this not only avoids disfiguring and dangorous holes on the right side, but enables you t'o pull the taeking threads easily. Take out all tackings, tidy up any ragged edges, tlien spread out the cover flat. TJnderneath the centre where all the points meet, now tack a cirele of plastie some four inehes across. And over the centre tack a second circle two (inches across. This is to strengthen tli? cover and give better wear. Machine neatly round the .edge of the larger circle only. Then in the very centre machine two small conc-entric rings, making one the size of a sixpence and tlie other that of the old throepenny bit. Cut away a tiny liole in the middic of these rings and push through the wooden sttfmp of the shaft, letting the cover fall loosely all round. You have now onlv another hour oi' so's work. See that the seams fall in place along each rib, then with lino linen threhd or a strong matching eotton, stitch the bound edge at the .ioins to each "tip" in turn, going through the hole provided as well as meeting the binding round ' the ' 1 tip ". This will draw in the circumference a little and give the umbrella a good contour. You can now up put the umbrella— but gently, just in-case! And, ^ the thrill of that first opening is a vcfy'real oue. 1 The next step must be taken with th«-» nmbrella slightly bift not fully open, while you work on the inside. Catc.li the ribs in one Or two places up the cu edges of eacli seam,' being careful no' to bring your stitches through to tho right side. All you need now to finish your masterpieco is a narrow strip of double

or treble plastie, complete with button and ring, to keep your umbrella closed; and, secondly, the attachment of thu l«eg-end. lf it feels at all loose on the shaft, bind the end first with adhesive tape before glueing into position. New peg-onds can be bought in a variety of volours at an umbrella shop. Supposiug yoa are unfortunate enough to lose vour peg-end and eannot (ind another — try fixing on a plastie thimble. Not ono person in a hundred will spot itl Then take yourself out in the rain. Well, how's that for a quick reeovery?