Umbrella bag

I see them sometimes. Abandoned umbrellas. The metal mechanisms have gone wrong but the canvas is most often still intact, and I hate seeing them end up in bins.

So when my umbrella frame died, I figured I’d keep it out of landfill and give it a new lease of life. It was a lot of fun to do, and I had a real sense of achievement. I have to stop myself telling people about it! 😉

As for the frame/mechanism, I donated it to a local craft centre. If you have any other ideas of what to do with this to upcycle it, I’d love to know!

I don’t own a sewing machine so I did this by hand. Wasn’t too much work, I found – best part of a day. If you have a sewing machine (and know how to use it) you could probably get this together very quickly!

I’ve also bought some yarn so that I can decorate it with embroidery. You could buy some fabric paint and get creative!

So, this is the process of how I made a simple carrier bag from a broken umbrella. Instructions below for making your own! I’ll also upload an A4 sheet with instructions that can be printed out.

“No scissors needed” means for the canvas – you’ll need one for the cotton tape though 🙂

You’ll also need some pins to keep the canvas in place.

The advantage of folding the canvas rather than cutting it is that it will be firmer, and you’ll have less waste. It will be a bit more chunky when tied up, though.

For this project I am using an average size fold-up umbrella, so measurements are approximate and will vary. The smaller the umbrella, the smaller the opening of the bag (which is about the width of a panel)

Put the umbrella canvas down on a flat surface, with the outside/top on the bottom.

Take note of where the flap is! This will help with tying it up later 🙂

Fold it over as shown in the picture and pin down to keep it in position.

NOTE: You’ll find it won’t be a straight line – the canvas will likely bulge a little bit, especially if the umbrella was well used.

Stitch as shown.

Note: Where you fold doesn’t have to be super exact, but it looks nice if the fold is where the stitching of the panel ends. If you fold it further outwards, you’ll have a larger opening but it will also be lower down. If unsure, play with pinning it in different positions to try it out. 

However you fold it though, make sure it covers the hole in the centre – this will help reinforce it at its weakest point.

Fold over the other side of the canvas in the same way.

You’ll see the flap appear! 🙂

Stitch as shown.

I stitched all the way through. If you like, you can stitch only part way through, but that may be a bit fiddly – and it may be less strong. It would give you a larger outside ‘pocket’ though.

Once that’s all done, keep this side up. You’ll see the flappy bit in front of you.

Fold it in half, and line up the top (open end) bits.

NOTE: If you like, you can also stitch along that fold line. This can be useful if you plan to use the outside pockets so nothing slips underneath. I’ve not found it necessary though.

Pin in place, then stitch as shown.

You’ll have the inside facing you now.

Now turn the whole thing inside out.

See how you have a bag with outside pockets? 🙂

NOTE: the opening at the top will be narrower than the bottom of the bag.

Time to put the handles on!

I’ve used approx. 70cm (28″) of cotton tape for each handle. They reach inside the ‘pockets’ a little way. Pin them in place and ensure they are not twisted. You can of course make the handles longer if you like, so you can use it as a shoulder bag.

Congratulations! Your bag is finished 😀

NOTE: You can add additional touches by adding buttons or zippers to the main bag compartment and/or the outside pockets. The possibilities are endless!

Now to fold it up and put it in your bag to take to the shop.

Fold it in half by picking it up in the middle and turning it over. Then fold in the handles and fold it in half again, ensuring the flap is on the outside. Then fold it in the middle and roll it up. I’m sure there’s many ways to approach this. (Looks like I should have put the flap on the underside in the drawing.)

I’ve used black canvas but colour ones would be great fun to make.

NOTE: If you use a canvas with a picture on it, this may end up upside down!

Find the Facebook album here.