Make a Fairy Umbrella That Works

by Michelle Leslie

2.5 Hours

Medium

Have you ever tried making an umbrella? The mechanism that opens and closes the canopy is ingenious, so simple and yet so functional. I was really keen to try and make a fairy umbrella to go with our little picnic table. Easier said than done.

make a fairy umbrella that works, crafts, gardening, how to

I dismantled lots of tiny cocktail umbrellas, drew tons of pictures, bent a whole bunch of wires and finally came up with this.

I know, it looks a bit odd, but stay with me because that piece of card stock becomes this.

To make the umbrella you need 12 toothpicks, a wooden skewer, sellotape, card stock and some soft, fairy like material. To make the mechanism or frame, measure and cut the card stock as shown below, you'll need two of these.

Take one of the cut outs and fold the top most edge over by 10 mm (second picture below). These card stock cut outs will form the basic frame for the umbrella.

To assemble, wrap the card stock cut out, with the bent edges, tightly around the skewer and use sellotape around the bottom to secure (pics 1 and 2 below). Trim off any excess sellotape. Wrap the second card stock cut out around the skewer in the same way, but make sure the spokes are pointing towards the already wrapped card stock (pics 3 and 4 below). It's easier than it sounds, I promise.

Open up the top and bottom frames by bending the spokes outward from the skewer. Attached the bottom spokes to the top spokes, one at a time using sellotaped. Test to see if your frame works by holding the top bit firmly and sliding the bottom bit up and down.

Slide the frame off of the skewer and spray them both with Rust-Oleum(R) Metallic Spray Paint (we used Aged Copper). Allow to dry completely.

To make the canopy, I cut a circle wide enough to completely cover the top bit of the umbrella frame from scraps of material. Fold the circle in half, and then in half again and make a small slit at the top.

Unfold the circle and push the top bit of the frame into the slit in the material. Gently push the frame so that it's completely open and then glue each of the top spokes of the frame to the canopy.

Spray the canopy and the frame with Rust-Oleum(R) NeverWet(R). Did I mention that this stuff is awesome? It dries crystal clear and it doesn't change the feel of the material at all. To finish off, glue the top of the mechanism to the skewer and wrap some wire around it to hide the card stock.

Finally the fairies can have a picnic in all kinds of weather. For lots more pics showing all the steps and the boo-boo I made with the canopy please visit the blog.

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1 question

Mary Salzman on Feb 20, 2016
Where did you use the toothpicks?

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2 of 21 comments

Bonnie on Feb 21, 2016
Love this!! And what a cute little picnic tea they have set out....

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Barb Rosen on Feb 21, 2016
I am sure the wee folk in your garden will delight in a bit of shade, Michelle!

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