Recovering Lampshades

Well, I went on and on about how wonderful a Sunday of peace and play will be and how I will rest in front of the fire and type for hours....and the first Sunday after that, what do I do? I bail. I'm sorry, people! In my defense, I have been fighting a cold; the third one IN A ROW, with this last one slapping me in the back of the head and making me feel like it may even be mono (please, please, please, don't let it be mono). What I really want to do right now is stomp my little feet like a kid and scream out: "not again! it's not faaaaaair!". If only I had the energy...

Now, this is not the time or place for a tantrum so I will stop my childish whining immediately and move on to something more fun and more productive: lampshades! No wait, custom recovered lampshades, even better!

If you have read even one Jass & Meen post before, it is no news to you that I am quite fond of fabric. And I also happen to really, really like lighting. So when I was browsing around Revival Home and Garden last time I was in Seattle, and came across a lampshade recovered in a fabric that I recognized instantly, I was curious and started chatting with the owner. As it turns out, recovering a lampshade is a breeze. While Leah doesn't actually reupholster her own furniture, she has a trustworthy associate that does the job for her and assured me that little helpers were easy to find and....cheap! I made a few phone calls when I got back to Vancouver and found a local store that sells and recovers lampshades, starting at a mere 40$, and all this, four blocks away from my house. My head is spinning with ideas already.

For you adventurous and crafty types, there are also quite a few websites that teach you how to do it yourself. Ehow, About, Helium and Apartment Therapy each have their own take on how to do it on your own, and HowCast offers a great video for the more visual amongst us. In case you don't feel like poking around and comparing a million websites, here are the results of my research:

Material Needed:

-lampshade

-fabric & ribbon (a 13 inch diameter lampshade requires approximately half a meter of fabric, according to Helium)

-brown paper or newspaper

-pencil (to trace)

-scissors

-glue (glue gun is easier but no need)

-spray adhesive

-ruler

1- Lay out a large piece of brown paper on the table. It must be big enough to cover the lampshade.

2-Put the lampshade on its side, lined up to the edge of the paper.

3-Roll the lampshade along the paper and trace both edges of the shade onto the paper with a pencil as you roll. You will need to roll twice in order to get both edges.

4-Connect both traced lines with a ruler.

5-Add one inch at the top and bottom of the seam line and cut out the pattern. This will tell you the amount of fabric that you need. You can do this before you buy your fabric.

6-Place your fabric and paper together. Cut out the fabric, using the pattern as your guide.

7-Spray a sample of your fabric with adhesive to make sure it won't discolour or leave a mark. Spray the fabric, on the wrong side of the fabric of course. (spray adhesive is supposed to be easier to work with than glue and attaches to almost anything. Fabric stores will sell it).

8- Lay the fabric onto the lampshade by carefully rolling on the shade until it is covered. Press down and stretch the fabric to smooth down wrinkles and air bubbles.

9-Curl the fabric over the top of the lampshade and cover the edge. If you wish, add a ribbon that you attach with a glue gun for the finishing trim. Allow to dry. (You can clip the edges every inch or so to make it easier to dry).

While I am not the craftiest person, I am determined to give this a try, though I will start with a very inexpensive fabric and an old shade before I move on to the actual fabric of my choice. I simply don't trust myself yet with any kind of project that requires glue guns! I do think that this is one of the greatest use of leftover fabric I have seen in a long time, not to mention a cheap and smart way to add personality and colour to an otherwise potentially expensive or boring household item.