New Year -- New Projects VICTORIAN PARASOLS!

 PARASOLS!
     This year is the year I hope to fix, restore, and sell, several parasols I purchased over the years.  My budget costuming rule has always been not to spend too much money on anything, including these parasols.  There are two that are my favorite.  One was pristine when I bought it and thanks to the United States Postal Service was received snapped in half.  150 years of American history carefully preserved only to be stomped on by apes.  The secure triangle shaped carton was literally bent in half.   Of course they provided no apology or reimbursement to either myself or the seller.  The seller kindly let me keep the parasol and refunded my purchase.  Now the hard part is how to repair it?

HEARTBREAK!

The spectacular and absolutely perfect lace top - damn the USPS!

I have had some interesting adventures with the parasols I know have.  This one was sold as folding "bone" carriage parasol.  It is very broken and missing some of the "bone" so it was really nearly given away.  The seller told me that she found it broken in the bottom of a trunk she bought at an estate sale.  I have some thoughts how to repair the wonderful "bone" handle.  And for those of you who wonder why I am saying "bone" -- well lets say that California has some of the most restrictive ivory sales laws in the country now.  Even for antiques.  In good faith the seller thought she was selling  a bone parasol:

 

As I have an amazing father who supports all things zany, and that includes my dressing up as an adult, he bought me an amazing birthday gift!  This one will not be for sale!

This is not broken, rather it is a two piece handle that connects with a screw in handle.

As much as I love the lace covered parasols this is my favorite parasol.  A bonus is that both glass eyes are intact.  You sometimes find these with the glass missing.

 

This parasol is 1880s.  Wonderful knotted handle:

Sadly the lace top has some damage.

 


There are several more, including this one which has another weird story behind it.  I ordered it and received a carved Regency  Period pot instead.  The seller went MIA, and the pot had sold for considerably more than the parasol.  I finally got a hold of the seller who told me they would reimburse me shipping the pot back, never got my shipping money or my parasol...huh?  A few weeks later Ebay reimbursed me for the parasol I never received as well as my shipping costs to the seller for the pot.  Two days later the parasol came in the mail!  I sent the seller a note saying that in the spirit of "the right thing to do"  I would reimburse him for the parasol as I now had it and the money I paid for it.  I also gave him a time period as in to respond in...and he never did!  So it cost me in the end the only thing the parasol cost me was a great deal of grief! Lol!

 There are several others but they are in rough shape.  They need some TLC and I don't have good photos.  I will post as I move along and get them together.