The Perfect Touch Parasol

Live in the sunshine.

                                            - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Summer and sunshine are almost here!  And while I love wearing fun wide-brimmed hats to keep the sun off my face, I know that once that hat is on my head, it must stay there for the rest of the day.  I am prone to severe cases of that dreaded affliction - Hat Hair!  So I was thinking about the Victorian ladies and their porcelain complexions protected by their ever beautiful parasols and an idea came to me - a custom parasol cover!

Now changeable parasol covers is not a new idea.  This was shared with me by my dear friend Kathleen Henderson:  "Victorian Parasols.  Parasol with detachable cover - the cover of the parasol Fig. 1 is not permanently attached to the frame, but is so contrived that it can be removed with little trouble to make way for one that matches the costume worn with it.

Fig 1 shows the frame with a cover of Scotch zephyr gingham, and Fig 2 shows a detached Surah cover.  Each cover is furnished with a broad metal ring in the center, and a small spherical ivory cap at the end of each seam.  To attach the cover to the frame, it is only necessary to insert the point of the latter through the ring, and fix the ivory caps on the ends of the ribs, as indicated by the arrows in the illustration."

But I am thinking it would be wonderful to have several covers for my parasol that would just tie on. And  wouldn't it be more wonderful to have a reversible cover?  So I've purchased two coordinating fabrics - 1-1/2 yards of 45" wide of each fabric, two rolls of coordinating 3/8" grosgrain ribbon, a 1/4" grosgrain ribbon to match the base parasol color, and 2 yards of lace.

This is a standard 'sutler' parasol which can be purchased at most costuming websites.  They come in many colors and have wooden handles.  They are a small, personal, size so that even in a crowd you can give yourself shade without taking up too much space.

This is a pattern for one panel of the sutler parasol.  Since we don't need perfection for this cover like you would for an actual parasol, you can make this pattern by laying clear plastic wrap over your parasol, outlining with a Sharpie, and then adding a seam allowance.  This pattern is cut from pattern saver so I can see exactly how I want to place the fabric design on my parasol.

And the first panel is cut.

To keep the same pattern on all remaining panels I use the first cut panel as my new pattern aligning the pattern on the fabric.

See how the pattern aligns closely?  Not perfect, but close.  Remember, this is supposed to be fun!

Now I have two panels.  Using the first fabric panel you cut, repeat until you have six panels.

When sewing the panels for a parasol you can use a 'parasol seam' which is very strong.  Pin your fabric about 3/4" from the edge.  Fold over about 1/4" (I usually press this fold), and sew close to the raw edge through all four layers.  Press each seam flat to integrate the thread into the fabric, then press open.  Repeat for 5 seams.  Note:  The sewing ends about 1" from the top to leave room for the parasol ferrule.  On my next pattern I will cut off the pointed tip.

On your final seam cut a 2" piece of ribbon, fold in half, and sew into the seam about 3" from the outside edge.  This will be a loop to hold your closure ribbon.

Now you have a parasol cover and you can see the circular pattern created when you matched your panels.

Since you really don't need the strength of the parasol seam on this cover you can also sew a French seam by adding 1/8" of fabric on the right and left side of the pattern.

Sew the seam with wrong sides together. (here is the loop for your closure tie)

Turn the fabric right sides together and sew the seam again.  This is a nice finished seam if you are creating a cover with a single side.

Six panels sewn together with a closure loop in one seam.

I've cut 6 12" pieces of each of the two colors of 3/8" grosgrain ribbon and pinned them to each corner of the cover.

On one parasol cover side I pinned my 6 tie ribbons and then the lace.  I stitched the lace to this cover side...

and then when I stitch both sides together I can just follow the first stitching from sewing on the lace.

After stitching the entire outer edge and then pressing the seam to integrate the thread into the fabric, I turned the cover right side out and pressed again.  I turned the edges in at the ferrule opening and added a loop for a ribbon tie around the ferrule and blind stitched the two halves together.

This is a 2" piece of the 1/4" grosgrain ribbon sewn through the same holes that hold the base parasol to the rib tips.

Thread one of the cover ties through the loop...

and make a knot and bow.  Repeat for the other 5 rib tips.  Cut a 12" piece of 3/8" grosgrain, thread through the loop in the center of the cover, and tie around the ferrule.  (Note:  I tied the cover onto the parasol loosley before opening the parasol.  This cover is not meant to be tight.)

And....tada!  A custom cover for my parasol!

This is the parasol closed and tied with a 24" piece of 3/8" grosgrain threaded through the loop you placed near the outer edge.  This closure tie can be tied in a bow when the parasol is open.

And when the cover is removed and reversed, an entirely different parasol!

Two, two, two parasols in one!  (That's taken from an old advertising line.)

The purple and blue colors are the colors of the March of Dimes.  I made this parasol as a fund raiser for The Perfect Touch website.  This baby's toy has wings that light and it plays Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star when you press its tummy.  The toy will be included with the parasol in the fund raiser.

I hope you have enjoyed my idea and will be inspired to make some beautiful parasol covers of your own!

With Love,

May 6, 2011  A month has passed since I posted this tutorial and placed The New Beginnings Parasol on The Perfect Touch website.  My husband and I were thrilled that his daughter was expecting her first baby - the first grandbaby.  Science has given us such amazing tools to look into the future of our unborn and, sadly, at times that future is less than we would want for our children and grandchildren.  Today the little one my husband and I had already come to love had to leave this life because of serious complications.  The mission of The March of Dimes is to continue research into complications such as these and I am thankful for their work. 

Hello?

Well done is better than well said.

                                              Benjamin Franklin

Like millions of others I have a facebook account where I stay in touch with friends and family.  One day I read a friend's facebook post where she was concerned that she hadn't posted to her blog in days because she was busy painting.  The next nine posts were from her friends who were saying that they hadn't posted to their blogs in days as well.  I wondered if so many people were busy doing and blogging about their doings, who was reading the blogs?  Then I wondered if I should keep writing this little blog and was there anyone to read it?

The past six months have been filled with wonderful happenings!  In October I launched The Perfect Touch website with a beautiful Victorian Tea.  I've entered several international costume competitions with creations that have stretched both my imagination and my sewing and millinery skills.  There have been fun trips and conventions with friends who share our costuming passion.  And I do want to put those happenings down here as a place to relive the beautiful journey.  I hope you are all busy with your own beautiful journey and if you are reading this and sharing my life as I write, thank you!

With love,

People Are Not Wearing Enough Hats...

From Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life":
Chairman:  Item six on the agenda: the meaning of life.  Now, uh, Harry, you've had some thoughts on this.

Harry:  That's right.  Yeah, I've had a team working on this over the past few weeks, and, uh, what we've come up with can be reduced to two fundamental concepts.  One:  people are not wearing enough hats.  Two:  matter is energy.

People are not wearing enough hats!!  I totally agree!!  All those exclamation points might lead you to believe I am passionate about hats - and you would be right.  I love hats!!  The card above is a treasure of mine from 1885 - a time when hats were as necessary to proper dressing as a pair of shoes.  It is said that the day John F. Kennedy showed up hatless on his inauguration day was the day hats stopped being cool.  But as I look around I see hats being cool again.  Have you seen the new Target commercial?  "I totally wear hats." says the shopper.  Yay!!

This month I had the wonderful experience of attending a wire frame hat class taught by Jan Wutkowski of aMuse Artisanal Finery of Wilmington, North Carolina.  The class was taught at the Spruill Art Center in Atlanta.  Jan is not only a wealth of information but makes her classes fun with an atmosphere of creativity.  You can find her website at http://www.hatshatshats.com/ and her blog at http://www.janshatshatshats.blogspot.com/

Is there a current interest in hats?  Oh yes!  So much so that the class was completely full for the 2-day Saturday and Sunday session and extended for a Monday and Tuesday session.  When you see Jan's classes offered around the country, sign up quickly.  Next class will be silk flower-making with tools that are just being re-introduced to the market.  See you there!

After some introduction to the terminology, materials, supplies, and millinery suppliers, Jan had us creating our first wire frame "headband" before our second cup of coffee.  A simple head measurement, some simple math, some snips and wrapping wire and we had our first creation!  As millinery wire is only available in white or black, we learned how to wrap our wire if we were going to use an open frame or cover our frame with a shear fabric or lace.  This is my first piece wrapped in 1/4" satin ribbon.

We learned many techniques for finishing the wire frame hat using many different materials.  This frame is wrapped with 1/2" white organza ribbon weaving in and out of both sides of the frame.

Adding some satin rosebuds and organza ties makes a simple but striking headpiece.

This base could become either of these headpieces from 1867...

Now that we've had a little practice we're ready to start on something more creative.  Jan shares a vintage wire frame hat with us and explains the use of the different gauges of wire to support the shape we desire.  Some more discussion and we're off!  Although I know I will be making hats from the 1860s through the 1890s, I decide to try something more freeform and modern to test my new skills.  In preparation for a spring Garden Tea Party I create a rose-shaped hat.  Starting with the brim and crown shapes I draw my supports on paper and then cut and assemble the wire.

The rose-shaped wire frame is then wrapped in shades of 1/4" pink satin ribbon.

After many hours of wrapping the frame is finished.

There will be four hats for the spring Garden Tea Party:  this rose hat, a lavender iris hat, a yellow daffodil hat, and a white daisy hat.  They will all be open frame but some ribbons and feathers may be added once the gowns are complete.

Learning this technique has opened up a new world of Victorian hat making.  This beautiful hat from 1891 is a perfect example of the flexibility of wire frame construction and would be gorgeous covered with black lace.

Another highlight of the class was our trip to Nicholas Kniel Fine Ribbons & Embellishments.  The bees in the rose hat have mother-of-pearl wings and are a vintage piece from Nicholas Kniel's.  The shop is extraordinary!  Please visit the shop or website http://www.nicholaskniel.com/

Some other treasures I found at Nicholas Kniel's....

Nicholas Kniel in his fabulous shop...



It was wonderful to learn wire frame hat-making and made even more wonderful meeting the talented folks in the class!  Andre, Paula, Maggie, Shirley, Diane, and Rebecca - thank you all for making the class so enjoyable!

Thank you Jan Wutkowski for sharing your talents with us all!

With love,