Heart and Home How to: Re-Cover a Lampshade

I recently found a plain, little old lamp when I was second-hand shopping. (I don't remember how much I paid for it, but I know it was close to free!) I thought it would be fun and easy to turn it into a cute, fun, jazzy, little old lamp without too much trouble, just by recovering the lamp shade.


Which is just what I did. It's easy to do it yourself! Here's how:


First I gathered all my materials: spray adhesive (Craft Bond), fabric, trim, scissors, paper for a pattern, and of course, the lamp shade.





The shade is very boring in it's present state:





I made a pattern with the paper, by laying the shade on it's side and tracing it as I rolled it across the paper. The pattern is like one half of a circle, or like a little rainbow shape! I cut it a little larger on purpose.


(It's always easier to trim away excess, rather than stretch a too small piece of fabric!)




The next step is easy: cut out the fabric to the pattern. I folded mine and place it on the fold of the fabric. Less cutting that way. (That sounds so lazy!) Also, the fabric is symmetrical when you cut it this way:




Then it's time to fit the fabric to the shade. There was a bit of trimming to make it fit exactly.




I turned the fabric inside out to trace my final cutting lines on it. Then a quick trim with the scissors, and a spritz of the spray adhesive (do that outside!!!) and the fabric gets smoothed carefully onto the shade.

The finishing touch is gluing on the braided trim. I used my hot glue gun, and did a little bit at a time, smoothing and coaxing it into place, cutting it at an angle and gluing down the ends when I got to the end.

Doing the cutting last ensures that you have the perfect length. It's tricky to measure exactly right around the curved shade. Cutting first and gluing second leaves too much room for error- (believe me, I know. What to do when you're short 1/2 an inch?? Not much, except to tear it off and start over. Not Good!)

That's really all there is to it! A simple project with fabric scraps and some purchased trim. Total cost: $5.00 for the trim. I already had all the other supplies, and I'm sure most of you have fabric and glue stashed away, too.

Here's the finished product:

The jazzed up lamp, in it's new spot on the living room bookcase:

I think it looks great, and adds a nice warm glow to that corner of the room.

Posted for Metamorphosis Monday, at Between Naps on the Porch, and Thrifty Treasures, at Southern Hospitality. Thank you Susan and Rhoda !

Enjoy, until next time.

XO

Heidi