It's the end of April, and the weather is just starting to warm up enough to think about going camping. Well, maybe that's not quite true. I've been THINKING of going camping for months! But it's finally warming up enough to actually get out there.
All winter long, I've been thinking about what the '59 needs to ensure we'll have a comfortable camp stay. We have most everything we need, but I really wanted an awning.
I priced custom vintage camper awnings online, but as a sewist and thrifter, I wasn't willing to pay retail. After extensive research into DIY vintage camper awnings, I felt fairly confident I could make one. It basically required a large piece of water-resistant outdoor fabric and several very long French seams.
I purchased my fabric online. Not wanting a traditional look, I chose a moody botanical print. I purchased 5.5 yards of fabric. It cost around $250! At that investment, I felt pressure to get this right!
Because I wanted my awning to be 7 feet wide, I needed to cut my fabric in half and then sew the two pieces together, matching the pattern. When sewing an awning, French seams are necessary to keep water from seeping through the seams. Using my newly created middle seam as the center guide, I cut my fabric to the desired awning size, accounting for seam allowances.
After sewing a basic rolled hem, I attached a Keder awning welt along the top of my awning. Keder awning welt is essentially a long plastic tube attached to a strong webbing strap. When attached to the awning, it slides into a channel rail mounted on the side of the trailer.
Next, I attached a 6-inch drop along the remaining three sides of my awning.
Next, I installed grommets at the two bottom corners and in the middle of my awning. In addition, I attached tabs by folding fabric layers and installed grommets through them. The additional tabbed grommets provide additional strength and prevent the awning corner from tearing. During setup, the spikes of my awning poles will poke through these grommets to hold the awning out and open.
With my camper home and my awning finished, it was time to try it out! Was my homemade awning going to work? The Keder welt slid right into the channel just as it should. Things were looking good!
I fed it along the length of the mounting channel until the entire awning was attached to the side of my trailer.
Next, I popped the top spike of my telesoping tent/awning poles through the corner and middle grommets. I tied guy lines to each pole to add tension and keep them in place.
S U C C E S S!
My vintage camper is now sporting a whimsical & purposeful shade!
Let the sun shine on!
All photos by Paulette Rodriguez.