We’ve made a lot of lampshades here in the shop, and taught a lot of people how to make them too. It is such a lot of fun – producing a finished object that is both useful and beautiful, in only a few hours is very satisfying too.
I decided I wanted to experiment with the basic idea of a drum lampshade, and my as I had promised my sister a pair of bedside table lampshades, it was the ideal opportunity to do so.
Here’s what I did: two nine inch shades – a little on the large side for bedside lamps but I really like the size. We also have seven inch rings for a daintier result.
I used: 0.6m pale green silk taffeta from The Fabric Store, an old table cloth from the Sallies store in Kilbirnie, and a nine inch lampshade kit from us! 🙂 And some spray adhesive, which we also sell.
First I made the lampshade in the usual way with the green silk. (This picture looks a little like I am stirring a brew inside it doesn’t it! Appropriate given the array of kitchen implements we use in this stage of construction ;-))
This is the tablecloth. It’s pretty chewed up on closer inspection, but I loved the big roses so much!
I cut a strip of the cloth slightly wider than the barrel of the shade…
… and applied a liberal coating of adhesive spray. Generally I much prefer Mod Podge, but working with silk it gets tricky as white glues can mark it so easily.
Erk, the sticky keeps sticking to itself…
…finally in business. I’m wrapping it around the green shade
keeping it nice and taut, and lapping the finished edge from the corner of the tablecloth over the cut edge.
After stretching and sticking it all down, I cut around the pattern as much as I could on the cut side, and left the 15mm extra needed for roll under where I couldn’t do that. The other side I deliberately let under and overlap the edge.
Rinse and repeat…
This what they look like with light coming through. “I have to be honest with you, I loves it. Tidy*”.
Because the uneven edge of the old cloth laps over the edge of the shade, I may apply some mod podge to it, as this will dry and make it rigid. Thinking ahead.
So there you go! Something else to do with a simple craft idea.
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*Blame reruns of Gavin and Stacey, Ness is my hero! Even more than Miranda!
