labricoleuse: (shakespearean alan cumming)
La Bricoleuse ([personal profile] labricoleuse) wrote2007-05-22 08:05 am
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Project: Repairing a damaged paper parasol

Paper parasols are beautiful (and functional) accessories, but can be quite fragile. I carry one in Utah in the summer because i'm quite fair-skinned and Cedar City (where the Festival takes place) is a high altitude, making it much easier to burn in the sun. This past weekend, the wind and i had a disagreement and my parasol was an unfortunate casualty. Luckily, paper parasols are easily mended!


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Poor parasol. Look at the huge rip!

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Paper parasols usually have a string that runs from rib to rib around the circumference of the canopy. On mine, the thread had broken as well as the paper ripping, so i replaced the thread with several wraps of heavy buttonhole thread. The thread helps evenly distribute the tension across the canopy when the parasol is opened, so if you bust through the thread as i did, you need to replace it or else you will just keep having rips in the damaged panel.

The medium for this type of repair is any white glue that dries flexible and transparent. I used Elmers. Slather it first on the underside, all around the rip.

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Use small torn pieces of tissue paper of an appropriate color to seal up the rips. Make sure all sides are torn, not cut, or the repair won't be as smooth and durable. Fold the paper over the thread at the edge, all the way across the length of the panel. Paint more of the glue along the edges of the rip on the outside of the canopy as well.

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Can you spot the repair? [1]




[1] Hint: base of the branch, where the small orange flower is, and further up along the blue flower.

[identity profile] lordofhaladin.livejournal.com 2007-05-22 03:31 pm (UTC)(link)
once again thank you for sharing! my sis got a papaer parasol in kyoto and it ripped during the plane ride back, so now we can fix it!
gallifreyangoth: (Default)

[personal profile] gallifreyangoth 2007-05-23 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
Oh wow! I had no idea they were so easy to fix. I have two parasols, but I'm always worried about ripping them, so they just sit around. As cool as the big ass black brolly is, I'd love to use the pretty paper ones, too. Thanks!

[identity profile] missjanette.livejournal.com 2007-05-23 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
i love that your parasol has a peacock.

[identity profile] campfires.livejournal.com 2007-05-25 07:27 pm (UTC)(link)
hello! I found your journal and think it's charming. I'd like to friend you if that's ok!

[identity profile] labricoleuse.livejournal.com 2007-05-28 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Certainly, and welcome!

Thank You

(Anonymous) 2008-07-08 06:51 pm (UTC)(link)
My paper parasol had a couple of sizable rips (but nothing like your poor parasol) and I used your directions to fix it. Now it looks great. Not bad for a parasol that's almost 10 years old. Thank you so much.

Thank You

(Anonymous) 2009-09-25 04:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I've been looking everywhere on how to repair paper parasols and when I saw this article while browsing on your blog I was so happy! I had no idea how I would figure out a way to do it, so thank you =)