Felt Beach Umbrella

Although many days in Hidden Cove are cloudy, when the sun shines bright, it’s nice to have a felt beach umbrella to relax under. These are easy to make and they add a touch of seaside charm to your gnome, fairy or dollhouse.

NOTE: You can find the tutorial for the Cork Buoys HERE. The chairs were purchased in the miniature section at JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store.

Felt Beach Umbrella Materials

• wool felt in 2 contrasting colors
• iron on adhesive like Heat n Bond
• 6 strand embroidery floss
• 1/4″ x 5″ dowel rod
• branch base 2″ diameter x 1″ height (option: make a base from clay)
• water erasable marker
• pattern

Felt Beach Umbrella Directions

 

Make a copy of the pattern.

For the umbrella you will need 2 pieces of felt and the iron-on adhesive. I begin by cutting out the pattern piece, then cutting out the 2 pieces of felt slightly bigger than the pattern. Cut a piece of iron on adhesive slightly smaller than the felt pieces.

Following the directions on the iron-on adhesive, iron the adhesive to one piece of the felt. Make sure the edges are attached.

Remove the paper backing.

Position the other piece of felt over the adhesive and iron on.

You now have a felt sandwich… felt/adhesive/felt. Place your pattern on the felt and cut out. For tips on cutting our felt, check out our post HOW TO CUT OUT FELT.

Using a ruler and your water erasable marker, draw lines from each point to the opposite point.

Cut out one wedge.

Bring the 2 cut edges together and using 2 strands and a whip stitch, sew the 2 edges together. NOTE: Use matching thread and ONLY go through the top piece of felt. DO NOT go all the way through.

Turn the umbrella inside out and sew the lining edges together in the same manner.

Using 6 strands of floss and a running stitch, follow your lines and add “spokes” to the umbrella. I used floss the color of the lining. NOTE: When sewing the spoke on the line where the umbrella was sewn together, simply ignore the stitching and sew in the same manner as the other lines.

Using 6 strands of floss, blanket stitch around the entire edge of the beach umbrella.

To make the support, cut your 1/4″ dowel rod 5″ long. Cut off a 1″ piece of a 2″ diameter branch and drill a hole in the center 1/4″ to fit the dowel rod. Only go in about 1/2″ – 3/4″ into the branch. Do not go all the way through.

NOTE: If you don’t have branches you can also cut a piece of 1″ pine into a 2″ block and drill a hole in the center.

Another option is to create a clay base.

To assemble the umbrella simply put the dowel into the branch. Balance the center of the umbrella on the dowel rod. You do NOT need to glue it together. This gives a natural tilt to the umbrella top.