Awning DIY by Redwings

I am considering making an awning out of laminated fabric which is where one side is waterproof, sorta looks shiny like a raincoat or something. Does anyone have any opinions about how that might hold up?

Mel      Besides the UV rating, one other thing to consider is the needle marks. If you were to make an error and had to tear it out, the needle holes might show. Also tension over time may "stretch" the plastic also creating larger holes. Just thinking out loud. I'm not that familiar with that type of fabric, I've seen it but never worked with it. You might want to stop at a quilt shop and ask a few questions.

I love my fabric and although it's most likely not "awning" fabric, it is a Poly Solarium so I feel it should be UV resistant. I may decide to use a waterproofing spray, my husband uses it on our boat cover every year and it seems to work well. But I'll definitely test it first.

I spent some time on the website Redwings suggested fabricguru.com they had a pretty good selection of outdoor fabric and if you get seconds, it's not as costly. My fabric was seconds. I had a budget, spent a little more than I initially planned but I fell in love with it.

The first picture below is the back side, you can see that it appears they didn't have enough die on the black stripe to
the LH of the orange.  You'll also notice that some of the other stripes don't appear to be "solid".

Solarium Seconds by Corvett crzy, on Flickr


Here is a picture of the same piece, right side of the fabric.  You can see the defect is a light area within the stripe.  It's not all the way through the bolt, just in some areas and only that particular stripe.  For me this acceptable since it is the top of the awning and I got the fabric at a ridiculous price because of it (about $6 a yard).  Also my fabric is very colorful which probably helps distract the eye from the actual defect.  It was written up in the description as off register.  I did find one other spot where a stripe was and a sliver of white showed, but I couldn't even find it to take a picture.  When I bought it a couple years ago they had several pieces, different lengths, with different defect descriptions.  I also purchased marine vinyl for my gaucho at about $10 a yard.  I purchased samples ($1 each) prior to deciding and was glad I did, however, the sample didn't show the defect.  You'd want to check but I believe you can return the order as long as you don't cut it.  But you might have to pay for the return shipping so keep that in mind.


Solarium Seconds right side by Corvett crzy, on Flickr

I thought this information might help if someone is looking at fabrics, seconds, etc.

Oh and thanks vikx, not exactly period correct but I love bright colors, couldn't do muted.

Awesome info/tutorial and gorgeous awnings...thanks for sharing!

Just saw this and will add my thanks to the list. I am restoring an old wooden boat and bought a old heavy made sewing machine to repair the upholstery and thought if all went well I might try to make a storage cover for it. Will keep this in mind for when we do find our trailer.

SO I wanted to share my DIY Awning with you for my 50's Model Boles Aero.  Frist I purchased a replacement awning fabric kit from this website:
www.alekoproducts.com/ALEKO-Awning-Fabric-Replacement-p/fab13x10greywht-ap.htm

It was 13 x10 and came with the front awning scalloped edge, the cord and the awning overhead-   79.00
I then went and bought some ball fringe to do the front awning-                                                     9.00
Next I purchased beautiful pink and purple fringe to cover the sides and decorate the front-             40.00
I then got a grommet making kit                                                                                                  12.00
I bought two poles and rope:                                                                                                       60.00
                                                                                                                                             ------------
Total:                                                                                                                                       200.00  

First I sewed on the fringe to the front scallop piece.

Next I sewed on the fringe to the sides and front.

Then I unstitched the first seam on the front piece to give me a bit more sewing room.  This also left me with a crisp edge that naturally creased to cause the edge to lay correctly.

I stitched the scalloped edge to the awning. 

Lastly, I put on grommets in the place I wanted the poles to hold up the awning and sewed some spare ribbon near the same spot so I could make sure the poles would stay secure.   

Voila!  Custom awning made out of outdoor grade fabric in two hours!!  I figured it out and the same awning would have cost me over 600.00 to purchase.  If you did not want to add custom trim you could make this awning quickly for about 150.00 and about an hours worth of work!

I also bought this Mosquito Netting:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D564XP3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I plan on laying my awning out and hand stitching it to the inside of the awning, then sewing ribbons every 2' so it can be rolled up underneath when not needed.

Here is a link to some pictures
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