This Thrift Store Find Made an Ugly Yard Umbrella a Lot Cuter

You know those very boho fringe umbrellas that make poolsides and patio tables look like the Beverly Hills Hotel or the fictitious ’60s Palm Royale? Sure, you can find them from Wayfair and Pottery Barn and other stores, but you can also DIY something that looks similar like Michelle Fallon (@michellemadethis) did in what she calls “the greatest hack ever” on Instagram.  

It’s simple but ingenious: Michelle took a round crocheted tablecloth that she found at a thrift shop and draped it over a large black umbrella she already had. The result? A shabby chic umbrella that’s perfect for a garden party or a little extra backyard shade. (It’s very cottagecore, very Bridgerton or Gilded Age, very cutesy, very demure.) 

Michelle used the round tablecloth for her table for a bit, but as the weather’s gotten warmer and she’s been sprucing up her outdoor space — the whole thing is dreamy! — she decided to take it outdoors and over the top of her standard black patio umbrella. Michelle says she bought a black umbrella because that’s all that was available, but she also thinks a project like this would look nice on a white or cream umbrella.

“Literally, I just threw it over,” she explains on Instagram. “And then where the little prongs are on the parasol already, you just put them through the existing holes in the crochet, and that’s it,” she says. (The second step, looping one hole in the crochet tablecloth through the metal parts of the umbrella, keeps the tablecloth from looking too droopy and gives it a little shape.)

You could also add some fringe to a standard shade umbrella with a bit of glue, or paint a pattern on the pole for even more customization. This one-item project saved Michelle a ton of time because she was already planning to sew a new cover for her umbrella, and now, there’s no sewing necessary. 

Michelle inspired others on Instagram to do the same. “I’ve had one in my cupboard for decades, and now I can use it — thank you,” IG user Josi Jo writes.

“My grandma used to crochet made-on-measure stuff like this, adapted to all the lamp shapes she had,” Instagram user @larenodegigi says. “A giant one in the living room used to be on top of a massive super high lamp.” 

Whether you’re draping the round tablecloth over an umbrella, lamp, or table itself, one thing’s for sure: It’s definitely worth holding onto these or keeping an eye out for them at the thrift store. “You are never, ever going to leave a round crochet in the charity shop or boot fair or wherever again,” Michelle says.