Last summer, my husband and I purchased a fantastic gazebo from our local home builder. It took hours to put it together but once it was completed, it was truly the answer we were looking for. It fit perfectly under our soffit overhang in the back of our side split ranch home. We could reach it through the sliding doors of our family room which in of itself was of great advantage in the evening when the mosquito screens were zippered closed. So why did we not use this UV protected Gazebo, instead preferring to used the upper deck with an umbrella for cover? We discovered that although the roof panels were UV protected, it still allowed for the sunshine to pour through creating a very hot sitting area....hot as in very uncomfortably warm. I had to come up with a way to inexpensively create a shaded space under this expensive and hardly used Gazebo. I went to my local Fabricland and purchased 10 meters of outdoor fabric. What is so great about outdoor fabric is the amazing array of colors in a durable fabric and the width of the fabric allowed me to not only cut 2 strips but allowed for generous hems.
To keep it on the cheap, I purchased all my fabric on sale - end of season is always the best time and I usually buy more than I need when the fabric goes for $5/m when its original price is as much as $27/m. I have made the finished panels to suit a Gazebo that is a 10'x12'.
10m (32.8') of fabric 60" wide
1 meter of 2" wide sticky velcro.
Bias Tape -1 package of double
Thread to match
Our particular Gazebo is a 10 feet by 12 (5 panel widths of 27" each) feet wide structure with 5 panels wide. In order to allow heat to be whisked away from between the fabric panels and the roof itself, I chose to cut the strip's length to 130" long and cut right down the middle of the width of the fabric. The raw panels were then 130"x30". The finished panels are 128"x27". There is enough material to make 6 panels with some left over for small accent projects. the pattern I chose is reminiscent of a Turkish style tent according to my son's well travelled girlfriend. I chose to use the sixth panel for making matching cushion covers for a cozy feel.
Hem: The hems are easily done especially with a patterned fabric using the pattern to guide the iron. Fold the raw edge of the fabric to 3/4" and iron using a steam iron. Fold the edge over again which will hide the raw edge and prevent fraying. Pin this hem perpendicular to the edge and so you can remove the pins as you sew on your machine. I use a small zigzag stitch with a wide stitch pattern. I re-iron the edge once it is sewn to create a nice crisp edge. The bottom and top of the panel can be hemmed in the same fashion using 1/2" with each fold. One edge of the fabric will be the loom side and you can just fold this over and sew about 1/4" in from the finished edge. You will not trim this fabric as you will cause it to fray and it is not necessary to fold it over on itself and sew it as you did on the cut edge.
When you are done, you will have 5 completed panels that are 128"x27" (make sure you measure the sizes between your gazebo roof supports to ensure that these are your measurements. The ribs in between each section of roofing will be used to swag your panels. The end panels have a support beam that I found to be 3"x3" and so when all the panels were complete, I cut out a 3"x3" square out of the corner on each end of the same side of the fabric with the good side face down.
Bias Tape: I used the bias tape to finish off the edge of the corner to prevent the fabric from fraying. It will not be seen once it is hung up.
Velcro: I cut 6 tabs approximately 2"x3" and placed the fuzzy side on both ends and one in the middle of the fabric. Do not remove the paper covering the sticky side and sew the edges using a zigzag stitch. I found the needle would get gummed up so I carefully cleaned it using isopropyl alcohol. You could just use a scrap piece of your fabric to "clean" the needle. The hook side of the velcro will be glued to the frame of the Gazebo to hold it in place.
The remaining fabric can be used to cover a lamp shade, make pillows (I made two) or even coasters. With a little creativity and time, you can make some fun easy projects.
