Introduction: New Bag for Trailer Awning
I have been restoring my 1976 fiberglass boler 1300 trailer and one of the things that was due for replacement was the awning. Now technically, the awning was in decent shape, but the bag that holds it onto the trailer and protects it while traveling was completly shot. I had planned on just replacing the entire thing, but due to the current worldwide situation I could not find a replacement at a reasonable cost.
If you have this type of bag awning, then follow along and I can show you how to save lots of money!
p.s. I wanted to include a before picture as well as a picture with the awning open, so you could see how it stays on the trailer.
Supplies
Below are links to tools and materials I used in this article. It is either the exact tool/supply or something very close.
Defender polyester outdoor fabric
YKK #5 Vislon® Single Pull Slider
8oz Sunguard B-92 Outdoor Thread
Sewing machine
Note: The amazon links in this article are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Step 1: Disassembly
As you can see in the pictures the bag was practically disassembling itself! But I wanted to use the panels as a template for the new bag so I had to fuller pull it apart.
I used a common seam ripper and removed all of the threads, including the zipper.
After this I was left with two outer shells and the awning all rolled up.
Step 2: Marking and Cutting the New Material
Because of the length of the bag I had to order 3 yards of material. I went with a very cheap waterproof fabric, but if I were to do this again I would likely spend a bit more and get the sunbrella brand.
I rolled out the material on my dining room table and first cut it to a rough width. This made it a lot easier to work with. Afterwards I placed the parts from the old bag on top and traced them onto the new material. I used spring clamps on one side and a heavy object (You can see that I am using an iron here, but it was not plugged in) to mark out the shape.
I then cut it to the final dimensions
Step 3: Adding the Zipper
This project was the first time I had ever used a sewing machine (everything before this was done by hand). I pulled out my mother's vintage singer from the 1970s. I first had to thread the machine with special thread. Because this awning bag will be outside and in the sun at all times I needed to use UV resistant thread. After winding the bobin and threading the needle I almost got to work. I realized that it would not be possible to just stitch willy-nilly and I needed the zipper to be held to the fabric. I accomplished this by adding some doubled sided tape along the zipper (but that didn't hold that well) and I added spring clamps (not pictured).
When you get to the end, don't forget to back stitch, which basically means putting the machine in reverse and going over your stitches. This locks the stitch from coming loose.
I then went back and added a second set of stitching beside the first (double stitching) to add strength.
Most sewing tutorials will tell you to use pins along the seam, but I didn't want to do that as I wanted to lesson the amount of times the waterproof fabric was punctured. (but I was probably over thinking this, so feel free to pin it)
Additionally, I added blue masking tape to be used as a guide to ensure the stitch was the same distance from the edge of the zipper.
If you have never used a sewing machine before it can feel a bit overwhelming. I suggest doing a bit of practice first and maybe checking out some instructables that introduce you to sewing:
Step 4: Making New Roll-up Straps
While the bag holds the awning to the trailer, it actually uses straps to keep it rolled up. The straps on my awning had also seen better days so I replaced them using an old ratchet strap. I just used the old straps as a guide to cut them to length. I burnt the edges to minimize fraying.
Step 5: Sewing the Bag to the Awning
This was the most difficult part of the process. Not only was my old singer sewing machine not quite powerful enough to sew through all the layers (top of bag, awning, at some points straps, and then bottom of bag) it also required that I had 7 feet of in-feed and out-feed. I needed all of this room as the awning is all rolled up in the bag, and attached metal bars and they could not bend over a table top.
In order to do this I commandeered the living room and sat the sewing machine on the ground. I used the foot pedal between my two feet to control the speed of the machine. I attached the bag to the awning with spring clamps and got to sewing.
When I could hear the electric motor struggling I would hit the hand crank to give it a bit of a boost. I don't recommend this as a long term solution, but it worked to get me through this project. I will say that this meant that I didn't have the best control over how straight the stitches were, so I won't be inviting you to inspect my work close up.
After I had completed the process of attaching the bag to the awning I added the keder welt strip (which is how the awning attaches to the trailer). It was much simpler this time as I did not have to remove the spring clamps as I went along, but the machine struggled even more. If you have access to an industrial machine I would really recommend you use it!
Step 6: Reattaching the Bag to the Trailer and Adding Seam Sealer
Now I was able to re-attach the awning to the trailer. The keder welt strip I installed slides into an aluminum track that is mounted to the roof of the trailer. It is then held in place with a few screws.
At this point I was able to cut the excess keder welt strip.
I finished the project by added some seam sealer to everywhere that there were threads. This should help to keep water from collecting in the bag.
Step 7: Enjoy!
Now the best part of any project, enjoying your hard work. I took the trailer on a few camping adventures this summer and the bag worked awesome! I was able to get to campsites without having to worry if the bag would fall off along the way. While I may not get another 20 years out of my awning, I at least extended the lifespan of it by 5 years, possibly more!
I hope you found this project as fun as I did. If you did I would appreciate if you check me out on other social media:
If you make this project (or something inspired by this project) I would love to see some pictures! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask them in the comments.
Participated in the
Sewing Challenge
