Kathy's Blue and White Lamp Shade

Is this your project? Can you share instructions or a pattern with the Craftsy community?

Difficulty:

Category: Sewing

Type of item: Home Decor

For: Home

Style: Whimsical, Classic, Retro / Vintage, Traditional, Victorian / Steampunk, Romantic

Materials

Blue and White Printed Cotton Fabric. Blue Eyelash Braid and Pale Blue Beaded Trim.

What was your inspiration?

Drape double layer of blue and white fabric half way around the lamp shade. Pin top and bottom and mark top and bottom with a tailor's chalk to indicate shape and side. Cut away excess fabric top and bottom leaving 1-2" excess fabric. Remove fabric from lamp shade and lay it out on the table to finish clean cutting fabric shape--still leaving 1-2" excess fabric margin to made ajustments. With right sides togather, sew side seams left and right. Slip cover over the lamp shade to check fit. The fit will probably be loose on the first fitting. If needed, sew again to reduce both side seams by an additional 1/8" until the fit is snug. Once it is snug, pin top and bottom of fabric to lampshade--stretching fabric slightly all the way around the lamp shade. Hand stitch fabric to top and bottom. Trim excess fabric away once you are satisfied with the snug fit. Hot glue eyelash trim braid around top of the lamp shade. I added a blue and white fabric skirt and pale blue beads to finish the hem (and to cover hand stitches.

What are you most proud of?

I made this blue and white contemporary fabric lamp shade for a client named Kathy in Texas who I met through Old House Web. We both are restoring old homes.

What advice would you give someone starting this project?

Begin restoring a vintage metal frame lampshade by removing old trim and fabric. Wear a paper filtered mask during deconstruction and sanding the metal frame with 0000 steel wool. Spray a clear coat over the metal frame to stop rust. Wrap metal frame with 1" strips of polyester knit in areas where you want to hand-sew fabric. I like the polester knit because it allowed me to wrap tight and still have enough loft to make hand-stitches easier. My first project, I wrapped the stuts (metal frame) with biased seam tape and it was tough as nails to get the needle through the wraps. The polyester knit strips make hand-stitching easier on the fingers and joints. Have a great time recovering lampshades.