Hagrid's Pink Umbrella from the Harry Potter movies

[ATL Kenobi]

While I'm waiting for a part to arrive for my Snitch project, I thought I'd work on Hagrid's umbrella which I need to accessorize a Hagrid costume that my wife and I are working on. There seems to be two similar but different versions of the prop.

The top 2 images shown in the above picture (from HP and the Philosopher's Stone) has a gathered piece of fabric covering where the fabric panels end. It also looks to have a brass cane tip on the end. This version is currently traveling with Harry Potter Exhibition. The lower 2 images are of the one at Leavsden, which seems to lack both of those details.

After scaling images of the umbrella, I purchased a parasol kit from Vena Cava Designs which has spars exactly the size I needed, though the handle(s) and end cap are not right for the prop.


First thing I made was a longer shaft out of a 5/8 inch oak dowel. I drilled a 29/64 hole in the end of it to match the diameter of the kit.


I then turned a handle using a wood lathe.


I shorten the shaft of the kit and drilled pilot holes so I could use a steel dowel screw (and lots of wood glue) to hold the two shafts together. The handle was then glued on.


I then made a new tip using a brass cane part from Rockler. This cap is glued in place after the pink fabric panels are put on .


Next I need to stain and finish the oak parts.

The kit comes with good instructions on how to make and sew the panels. I have a pattern for them, but my wife does all the machine sewing and she's currently working on a pointy-shoulder McGonagall costume!

ATL

 

[ATL Kenobi]

I stained the oak parts to make them darker. The stain really brings out the grain in the wood.


To make the pink fabric have a distressed - blackened look, I soaked it in a very thin paint (95% thinner to about 5% black paint). I blotted the fabric in places with an old rag to even out the black. This operation is best done outside.


ATL

 

[ultraman]

this is coming out pretty awesome!!! good job man!

 

[ecl]

Neato!

 

[ATL Kenobi]

THANKS ultraman and ecl!

I cut out the 10 panels for the umbrella.


My wife finished her pointy shoulder McGonagall costume just in time for the 2015 Harry Potter Celebration at Universal in Orlando, and now has time to sew on my umbrella ( I can do many things, but machine sewing is not one of them!). I get to do the pinning and trimming though.


The next step will be to sew the 10 panels together.

ATL

 

[KevinBGoode]

Looking awesome!
So when the time comes!

 

[ATL Kenobi]

Thanks Kevin!

Next, pairs of the panels are pinned together and then sewn with a parasol seam. Then pairs of pairs until finally all the panels are sewn together.




Little wooden tips (inset) are safety pinned and then hand stiched to the "corners" of the fabric. (Don't do what I did and forget to stain them to match the rest of the wood before sewing them on :facepalm).


So here's the finished umbrella.


Like many replica props it's not totally functional (not that it had to be). The panels are a little on the small side so the umbrella won't fully open. :rolleyes The seams could possibly be re-done, but it'd probably easier just to make 10 new panels. But I'm happy with it the way it is!

Now Hagrid's belt and shoes.

ATL

 

[ultraman]

it came out beautiful atl kenobi!!!
if you did however make a second functional revision i have an idea...you should make the panels slightly bigger and when you jump on the sewing machine switch the stitching pattern to the one that looks like a zig-zag. these are the patterns used for seams that are meant to be stretched like the ones used in the shoulders of clothing.:cool

 

[LorduDesign]

Pretty good!

 

[ecl]

Looks amazing!

 

[ATL Kenobi]

Shortly after I completed my first umbrella, I was able to get pictures of the actual prop at this year's HP Celebration in Orlando:

So naturally I have to make another umbrella . This one will be much more accurate size-wise and with only 8 panels. I bought a perfectly good umbrella from Totes, disassembled it, and shortened the spar slightly . It came with 8 panels and the right tips.

..and this one'll light up!

The tip came from Cox the Saddler in the UK.
ATL

 

[ultraman]

awesome!
this is gonna be sweet!
i'm glad you decided to have a second go at it...it's always nice to get it as screen accurate as you can!

 

[KevinBGoode]

Truely amazing!

 

[Benjamin628]

ATL, that bottom left picture is actually of the replica I made a couple years ago for a commission I think it ended up on Flickr and Photobucket without my permission but I don't mind.
Actually, a FEW of my creations are among the top google image results! (wands, umbrellas, et. al.)

Great replica BTW! I'm quite impressed!! I still need to make a master replica for myself since I sold all the ones I've made so far (4 I think). Attached is a pic of the last one I made (commission) for a CosPlayer (his pics show up in the top google results).
As a detail I added as it seemed appropriate, on the replicas I've made I etched (carved?) his initials into the end of the handle (R.H.) so if you see one with that it's one of mine.

 

[ATL Kenobi]

ATL, that bottom left picture is actually of the replica I made a couple years ago for a commission I think it ended up on Flickr and Photobucket without my permission but I don't mind.
Actually, a FEW of my creations are among the top google image results! (wands, umbrellas, et. al.)

Great replica BTW! I'm quite impressed!! I still need to make a master replica for myself since I sold all the ones I've made so far (4 I think). Attached is a pic of the last one I made (commission) for a CosPlayer (his pics show up in the top google results).
As a detail I added as it seemed appropriate, on the replicas I've made I etched (carved?) his initials into the end of the handle (R.H.) so if you see one with that it's one of mine.

Nice replica! I'll be on the look-out for other pink umbrellas. There's a fellow who does a really good Hagrid and regularly attends DragonCon. I'll see if his umbrella is one of yours with initials.

I hope to work on my replica umbrella soon. My wife does the sewing (something I haven't learned) and now that she's finishing my Prof. Snape cassock, perhaps she'll have time to sew the umbrella panels.

In the meantime, I recently noticed that Umbridge wears a matching ring to the kitten brooch I made. So I started making one of those, and for grins I made a matching set of earrings:

OK - so they're not really a prop , but they're cute and only took about 5 minutes to make. The ring has a border of small pearls which will be a challenge to attach but I think I've got it figured out.

I also made a reasonable crystal ball which sort of doubles for a prophecy. My wife'll will use it to tell everyone that they're in grave danger, when she wears her Trelawney costume.

It has a set of 10 bright white candle (pulsating) LEDs, a slide switch, and a pair of AAA batteries in a wooden base.

As the LEDs go on and off inside the diffused globe, it sort of has a swirly effect:

I'm also working on a Quick Quotes Quill. We'll see how that turns out.

ATL

 

[Benjamin628]

Any progress or completion on the umbrella to show off!? I'm super excited to see the finished work!!! It'll spur me to get my best prop attempt made!! :-D

 

[ATL Kenobi]

Any progress or completion on the umbrella to show off!? I'm super excited to see the finished work!!! It'll spur me to get my best prop attempt made!! :-D

Hi Benjamin628,

My wife requested a little break from sewing which she only seems to do on weekends, but hopefully within the next couple of weeks she'll take on my little project. There's a lot of pinning and nerve wracking edge-stiching involved. Then there's DRAGONCON!! coming up soon too.

ATL

 

[ATL Kenobi]

Finally finished the umbrella!

The actual prop is the upper image.

I used tiny screws to hold the tip on instead of crimping, so that it can be removed for battery replacement.

The little strap that holds the ends is not terribly practical!

It actually opens although the polyester satin would not work well in the rain.

...and it lights up .

I intend to bring the umbrella to the RPF meet-up at DragonCon - this Thursday - weather permitting.
ATL

 

[pizmeyre]

What's the length on the umbrella now?

-Piz

 

[ATL Kenobi]

What's the length on the umbrella now?

-Piz

I scaled the image based on the shaft to be a 1/2 inch (12.7mm) and the handle to be 5/8 inches (15.875mm). That dictated the length to be 39.11 inches (99.34cm).

ATL