Umbrella Rescue Recipe Post 239
Waterproof fabric in pretty colours, cut from discarded, broken umbrellas. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
2 Where are the new umbrellas to buy or borrow?
3 Where are broken umbrellas?
4 What use are broken umbrellas?
5 Is it possible to repair them?
6 What can you retrieve?
1a I used to be puzzled that it was pouring with rain in my area of Singapore, yet friends or family on the other side of the island were enjoying sunshine. Why?
One side of the island is wetter and therefore greener. Water grows plants, greenery. Worth remembering where it is dry if you want to sunbathe and swim or go out working, visiting and shopping. And you want to wear summery clothes. The other side is wetter. Good if you are a keen gardener and want to grow plants , without constantly watering them. Good if you like to wear coats or jackets with hoods. Good for a matching umbrella to look coordinated or act as a concealed purpose or double use walking stick.
1b In Singapore it rains in the afternoon. So I need to swim first thing in the morning. The same goes for shopping. You set off in sunshine before lunch. You get caught in an afternoon downpour.
Rain was a serious problem. I could not swim in the rain. I could not go out because the rain damaged my shoes and the hem of my skirts. I tried investing in carrying a small foldable umbrella or a child's umbrella.
2 You can buy umbrellas in 7-11, supermarkets, and department stores. Small umbrellas protected my hair from getting wet, my clothes from changing colour where splashed with water, and my glasses from raindrops obscuring my vision. But side swiping rain wetted my bags and the contents, books, notebooks and newspapers.
Singapore is constantly improving. A covered way was built from local schools to the nearest railway station. This protected the children and their clothes and homework books and text books. And helped me.
The covered way often did not cross the main roads, nor side roads. Why not? In some places it did but was only partially effective.To allow double decker buses and high vehicles to pass, the roof is so high that it lets in rain blown diagonally at the sides.
Borrowed Umbrellas
Smart Singapore installed sponsored umbrellas at crossings. You picked them up from one side of the road and dropped them off the other side.
3 Sometimes I was caught in rain without an umbrella. I prayed for an umbrella. Once in a while an umbrella magically appeared by the side of the path. This happened several times.
At first I thought people had left umbrellas because they were dripping wet and a nuisance. So the umbrella was parked outside a home or office or shopping mall and the owner would collect it on the way back.
Sometimes the umbrellas were closed, and had a broken bit sticking out. Sometimes they were open and lopsided, obviously broken and lopsided. This left the umbrella only partially effective and inelegant. If the fabric had become detached a dangerous spike could strike your companions or people walking towards you.
4 On one occasion I was caught in the rain and a discarded misshapen umbrella was better than nothing. It got me home more or less dry. I left it by the door.
The next day an acquaintance called. Just before he left it started raining. He asked to borrow an umbrella and was happy to take the broken one.
The abandoned umbrella had helped two people. It was still useful.
The next time I photographed myself in dress of the day, I looked for a brolly as a prop.
5 I wish there were shops which repair umbrellas. Or umbrella sellers should give you a dollar back on old umbrellas if you buy a new one. The same as glass bottles. Make it mandatory.
5 Repairs
The simple repair is to stick the finial (the tip) back on, or sew it on. If you have two broken umbrellas, you could throw away one and transfer the finials (tips) to replace lost finials. Possibly cut off all the finials (tips) from all the umbrellas you chuck away to create a stock.
I found an umbrella repair shop near central London, England. However the cost of repairing an umbrella was more than the cost of buying a new one. besides you had to deliver and collect your umbrella. Only worth it for a valuable umbrella, or one of sentimental value.
When packing to move house, we found I had acquired a large number of broken brollies. Now was the time to be selective. Our removal container was predicted to be full even after my husband rashly promised that half the stuff was old and would be thrown away. Next day, it was time to cull the umbrellas.
On Youtube there are instructions on fixing the metal struts. (Technical term, the stretcher.)I am not into bending metal.
6 Saving
However, I loved some of the colourful canopies. How do you remove the canopy? Many finials pull off. That is one reason why they detach easily and frequently.
The next step is to cut the threads at one or two places down the tines. You need small scissors.
Finally, the part attached to the end and ferrule. Unfortunately most of the pretty handles and ends and ferrules were firmly stuck on.
So was the base of the canopy. The ferrule.
I was in a hurry. I had no choice.
I simply cut in a circle.
What could I do with the fabric? It was not wearable. Not soft, nor absorbent. It was rainproof.
That was the original purpose of the umbrella. I could wear it as a rainproof shoulder cover. Or a tote bag cover. Or turn it into a waterproof bag.
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