The Story of the Umbrella Jacket

It was a chilly spring day but the weather in the Midwest would soon be warming up. It was a time in our lives where our family unit was strong but money was tight. I knew my son would soon need a new jacket for spring.  Fortunately, most of my children’s clothes were acquired second hand which saved us a great deal of money. Unfortunately, we did not inherit a jacket in my son’s size that year or have any extra cash that month to buy a jacket for him.

Earlier in the rainy cold day, I stepped outside to get the mail but as I opened my large, vibrant umbrella, the fabric ripped from several of the wires and the umbrella was unusable. Disappointed, I laid the broken umbrella near my door.

I stood staring at my umbrella that was soon doomed for the trash but then I was struck with a MacGyver like idea. The material on the umbrella is similar to that of a windbreaker and surly it would be waterproof, maybe I could finagle this into a jacket somehow.  I stripped the material off of the umbrella frame and began to work. 

The material was thin so I decided to line the jacket with an old flannel shirt.  I cut six rectangles from the umbrella material.  I used two for the front, two for the back and two for the arms. I then made a pocket out of two leftover umbrella material ends. It was a quick sewing job, as I finished the entire project in a few hours.

When the jacket was done, my son tried it on. He loved it! It fit perfect, was warm and worked well for a windbreaker. He wore the jacket for several years and passed it on to his brother who also wore it a year or two. When we went out in public, people would often comment on his “cute” jacket and ask where we bought it.  When I told people that it was made from an old umbrella, a confused look usually appeared on their face, they would peer at the jacket and say “How did you do that?!!”.

The jacket must have made an impression on people as I still frequently receive comments nearly ten years after making the umbrella jacket. I feel that the umbrella jacket represents my personality as far as being creative, practical, thrifty, environmentally friendly, financially savvy and resourceful. It encouraged me to continue to look beyond our circumstances and be thankful for everything we have.