Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Covering a Lampshade

So, I've done a lampshade covering tutorial before, but thought I'd throw it in here again, with my newest project underway. You've seen the yardsale lamps I found for the guestroom redo & I spied some fabric that I really wanted to use on these lamps, so that meant recovering my own. That also meant I sure didn't want to pay much for lampshades that I was just going to recover. So, back to the junk store that I told you about last year..where I found 2 of these beauties for $1 each...just right for this budget. You can see they were in sad shape, but the price was right. The fabric on there was literally falling apart, so I went ahead and ripped it off.
And ended up with just the metal frame. Now, I've never covered a lamp with just the metal frame before, but I figured I'd wing it. Since my new fabric needed something to stick to, I pulled out some old white lining fabric I had laying around.
And pieced it together, hot gluing it at the top and bottom of the framing, overlapping it as I went around. I pulled it as tight as I could to get a taut framework for my new fabric.
I snipped off the extra fabric and turned it just under the top and bottom of the frame, pulling and gluing, pulling and gluing (man, does that hot glue hurt!).
It looked like this when I was finished. Nothing pretty about it, but it's not going to stay like this.

Found this pretty zebra fabric at Hobby Lobby (30% off this week) and picked up 2 yards. Enough to recover the lampshades AND to cover that pretty little Big Lots bench too. I showed you how to make a pattern for your shade before, but here's a refresher. This is just old wrapping paper that came out of a shopping bag that is pieced together. Lay your shade on it and pencil around the top & bottom (leaving about 1" above and below) as you roll the shade across it, meeting at the back. This gives you a pattern to follow when you're cutting out the fabric. I cut out 2 pieces for my shades. I wing things a lot and didn't even pin this down, just held with one hand and cut with the other. I take shortcuts like that. Did I tell you I'm not a perfectionist. Well, I'm not. I missed a couple of pics, but next step is to spray the outside of the shade (on top of my white fabric) with spray adhesive. This stuff works great on a project like this. It keeps that fabric smooth and will help it lay down correctly. So above, I've already sprayed with adhesive spray and have started to smooth out the fabric. This part takes a little time, but you can pull the fabric back up and keep working with it until you smooth out the wrinkles. Work your way around until both pieces meet on the back of the shade.
Then you'll want to turn under one side and glue it down. I also take the iron and run over that seam to help it stay down. I used my glue gun to then pull and turn under the top and bottom edges just like the white fabric that I put on first. Pull and glue until you get it all tucked under the inside of the shade. You'll have to trim it again with scissors. Doesn't matter how neat the inside is anyway, that won't be seen. I used a little fabric glue on the main seam but the glue gun would be fine too. I then added some simple ribbon from Hobby Lobby around the top and bottom of the shades with fabric glue and here it is....
Two finished lamps for the guestroom redo. Total cost: $38 for both lamps. I'd say that's pretty cost effective, wouldn't you?
And they are custom lamps, one of a kind...even better! So don't throw out those old lampshades. Look at them in a whole new light...get it?!

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Stacey said...

Way to go! I need to do that in my living room that I'm working on right now. Your inner liner was a smart idea!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Rhoda, you are the queen! I love having this tutorial, and boy, did you do a good job, or what?! Now, will you please come back to Florida and help me with a pair of adorable little pink lamps I found for $4 each at a yardsale? Did I mention that, in addition to needing wonderful new shades, they need to be rewired??? ;-)

Great job! Can't wait to see them in the new room!

XO,

Sheila

Fran said...

The lamps look beautiful! You never fail to inspire me. Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Fran

Trixi said...

Rhoda,
Those are so unbelievably cute. Great job!!

Anonymous said...

THAT is amazing! When I think of the old lamp shades I have thrown away, I think what a waste! I am saving your tutorial for future reference. Thanks so much.

CMB said...

Great new look for the lamps...can't wait to see this room finished!

Unknown said...

Hi Rhoda,
You make it look so easy! Your project turned out great...I'm sure the lamps will look fabulous in the new bedroom!

duchess said...

Great project - I love the zebra fabric.
Thanks for showing us how the magic happened.

Carol said...

Super job Rhoda, the lamps are beautiful! Can't wait to see your next project!
Carol :0)

Essential Oil Premier University said...

Great job Rhoda. Bless your heart "pulling and gluing, pulling and gluing (man, does that hot glue hurt!)." Oh man does it. My friend told me to always keep a bowl of cold water with ice cubes in it next to me to "dunk" my hand/fingers for these ooppps times. I've certainly had my share.

I'm working on my master bedroom redo too. It's taking a lot longer than I wanted since I hurt my back and ended up in the hospital. . . my hubby has been helping me (but that's driving me ~ this AAA personality, control type nuts.) He painted our bedroom (Khaki color) for me last weekend because I can't right now (of course, I do a better job ~ssshhhh~) He didn't paint the outlet covers, doesn't paint the wall up by the white ceiling as "perfect" as I do. . . but I won't say a word to him. He wasn't really happy about doing it for me in the first place ~ but since the room was torn apart he really had no choice since I couldn't :(

Anyways, I finished my sleigh bed, before getting hurt. It's in the room now and I'm loving it. I'll post pictures soon as I make additional progress. Driving me crazy. . . I want to hang up my new pictures and accessories and get started on drapes and here I lay ~ going to physical therapy now 3 x a week AAUUGGGHHH!!!

Blessings & Hugs,

Sher

Suzann said...

Love it Love it Love it! I have just purchased a couple of very inexpensive lamps that I'm going to spray paint and now I know that I can recover the shades to make them amazing. Thanks!!!

Picket said...

Morning girl....I love these 'workshops' you do for us!!!! You give us such inspiration to try things we never would have the courage to try! I love it! I have old lamp shades in the shed! lol Thanks for all the info girl...keep it up...have a great week!

Kristi said...

Something I've never done - and I will keep this in mind. How cool is that! Thanks for the great tutorial!

Missy Wertz said...

Very chic!!! I love those lamps.

Anonymous said...

That turned out really cute! I still have the tutorial I printed out from you the last time and one of these days I'm going to do it! You make it look so easy!

Manuela

Southerner said...

...in a new light-LOL. I really like the fabric- what an animal you are, Rhoda! RRRR! This is where you weed out the people with A.D.D. I will have to try this one day. Or, I'll drop off shades at your house.

Anonymous said...

Looks really good! Love the zebra print. You have definitley been blessed with thte creativity gene!
Have a great week,
Jen

Holly said...

Wow, they look great! Amazing. Not that I wouldn't expect it from you!

Darlene - Our Creative Life said...

I always wondered how to change fabric on a lampshade, thanks Roda for the tutorial! Lampshades look awesome!

Salmagundi said...

Thanks for the tutorial! I have an old lampshade that really needs this treatment. I'm going to try it!!! Sally

the undomesticated wife said...

It looks awesome!

Debbie said...

I love the fabric you used on your lamp shade. I, too, like to cover lamp shades and I just did one yesterday. I should post a picture. I used some left over fabric from my shower curtain. I like to buy old lamps and refurbish and rewire them. Hubby calls me a lamp freak!

Debbie in Florida

ROXY said...

Great tutorial!! I almost threw out two the other day!! Guess I know what I will be doing with them now!

Liz Harrell said...

Ok. I have ALWAYS wondered how to do this. You're awesome... this looks fantastic.

Aubrey said...

Rhoda, I've been lurking on your blog for months (too chicken to comment because you're so classy) and can I say I LOVE your tutorials?

You do stuff I would never have thought of doing myself, and I never realized how easy it is to recover a lampshade until you showed us.

Thank you so much for sharing your genius.

Carolina Mama said...

Wow, Those are gorgeous! I love seeing the stages b/c I might not comprehend it if I started out with just the first step. ;)

Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville said...

fabulous as always

Joanna said...

You make it look so easy! Thanks for sharing..Our lamp shades in our living room are starting to see some wear in them, and this would be great!

paintergal said...

I've never recovered a shade by doing the liner on the outside of the wire before. I've always done it on the inside to cover the wires. Have to give that a try.

Inspired Kara said...

I love the Zebra! It is so bold, but with the cream and black details it remains dainty. I love it.

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

I love recovering lampshades. Yours turned out wonderful. I love the zebra print and the pretty embellishment on the lamp itself.

Judy said...

You are such a clever girl! I've been wanting to try my hand at lampshade recovering so I'm glad you gave the tutorial again. None of my lamps match my new bedroom stuff but I hate to buy new lamps...I'll wait to find something "perfect" (i.e. free or cheap or secondhand if possible) and recover the shades if need be.

Can you e-mail me where you found the lining for your bamboo shades in your bathroom? I think that's the way I'm going for my bedroom windows but they let in too much light and not enough privacy. Were they hard to attach to the shade? Right now the old drapes are up and they just don't work in there so I'm anxious to replace them with bamboo blinds...

I'm having my yardsale this Sat. and I hope I make some $$. Got lots of stuff! Don't you need anything?!?!?!?

Judy

nikkicrumpet said...

Thanks for the tutorial. It looks great in zebra!

Home as Hobby said...

The lampshades are totally adorable. I am obsessed with zebra print!

Jules from "The Roost" said...

Girl, You are TOO Good! That is beautiful. No longer will I discard a lamp because of the shade! Thanks so much!

Michele said...

Hi Rhoda ~ I love it! It turned out awesome. I printed your tutorial, so that I know what I'm doing next time!

Thanks for the help!

Hugz,
Michele

Anonymous said...

I'm so thrilled you did this!! I just ripped off some bias trim from my lampshades and it left an unsightly ridge that would totally be noticeable when recovered. Now I'm just going to do what you did and recover the entire wire form first. Way to go!

-Hayley

fridayfleamarket said...

This is really great! I have such a hard time covering lamp shades. Must have something to do with geometry =) Maybe I can figure it out now that you've given me visuals - lol! I found a really cute old one that I'm going to post about in the next day or two. Blessings... Polly

Bo said...

Hi Ms. Rhoda.. I can't imagine what these lamps would cost in a shop now...bunches & bunches I'm sure. You really need to consider doing a book! I'd buy it! ;-) Bo

Unknown said...

Rhoda,

This looks great. I love the print on the shades. I actually been wanting a purse with that print, it's so cute.

Cottage Rose said...

What a beautiful redo on the shades. I love the fabric, so chic. You made it look easy, which I am sure it is not. I would hot glue myself to the shade. ha ha But I just love them great job!!.

Hugs;
Alaura

Decor To Adore said...

This was a brilliant post. I am honored to place you in my "kindred spirits" section.

SophieMae said...

Tres adorable! I love that fabric! And this post is very timely. I just broke a cheap plastic shade on a curb-shopped lamp. Thanks ever so for the hints

Rue said...

Thank you so much for giving directions on how to do this Rhoda! I really want to try it, but I've been a bit chicken, so now I think I can ;)

Hugs,
rue

Linda said...

Nice Job Rhoda. Not afraid of any old naked lampshade are you??? You did a fabulous job and I love the print. Thanks for sharing again how to take something that someone might deem useless and making it beautiful.
Blessings,
Linda

Ms. Tee said...

How awesome! I just never would have thought of this. And I'm so glad you gave instructions so I could try it. Now I just need to run across some lampshades at the thrift store. :)

Anonymous said...

Rhoda! These lamps look fantastic! I've thrown so many yucky lampshades away never realizing I could recover them. You're the best!!
be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Kari said...

That is wildly creative! I am so inspired by your know how. I have a lampshade I stripped down to the frame also, but I had my grandma make me a slipcover shade out of an old linen monogrammed pillowcase... turned out cute!

-Kari

Stacey @ The Blessed Nest said...

I love the lamp re-do! Looks so fabulous for so little money! Way to go!! :)

Blessings,
Stacey

Anonymous said...

You did it! Those lamps turned out so good, thanks for teaching us how to cover lampshade.
Blessings-

Dora Renee Wilkerson said...

I love it! This is the first time I have been to your site but I'll be back for sure.

Great site!

Dora Renee' Wilkerson

Marie said...

Beautiful lamps!! I think the fabric for the shade is perfect. I can't wait to see the Big Lots bench when you are done.

sandra/tx said...

Good job, Rho! :-)

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

Well, look at you!! Crafty goodness.

I think you need to pick up a cool temp glue gun at your next Hobby Lobby outing. :-) I still think I think I've still not quite regained full sensation in my finger tips from years of glue gun abuse!

Mary said...

Wow, that is beautiful! I really love the fabric -- it is so you!
xoxo,
Mary

Anonymous said...

So THAT'S how it's done!!! Awesome. I so enjoyed watching you do that---so you want to do two for me, too? :)

Good news about your g.sale and meeting blogger buddies!!! We don't eat out much--because the cost just kills me and because both of us try really hard to watch our sodium intake--it's really hard to do that when you eat out! BUT I do love to once in awhile. We eat very healthy (most of the time), so I am used to cooking a lot. I will say, it is not cheap cooking healthy--especially if you are watching carbs and fat and sodium.

Basically, it was so much more fun to cook when I could make lots of creamy, pasta-filled casseroles!!! But, oh how I enjoy one once in awhile!!

Dana

Glenda said...

Years back you could find lamp shade frames in craft and fabric stores and now your lucky if you do. So the idea of reusing old lamb shades makes the best since. I have searched for months to find the right color and styles for my lamps.

Thanks for showing us your recycled shade.


Ciao

{oc cottage} said...

JUST AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

M ^..^

Nadine said...

I would not have thought to do that myself. I'm impressed. You actually made it look like even I could have done this.

Wonderful job.

Sheila said...

You are so talented and I am so envious of your talent (wink)! I love visiting and seeing what projects you are working on and what is coming next.
:)
Sheila

Our Complete Family said...

Rhoda, they turned out great! I love that fun fabric you found! ~ Les

Susie Q said...

Terrific tutorial! I need to do that to some of mine...there is a lamp in my middle son's room that could benefit. It has seashells in the bottom, so a beachy fabric would be great.

Keep a small bowl with ice water in it when using the glue gun...quick relief! And have some lavender salve or essential oil around too...it's WONDERFUL

Sweet Designs said...

Great job Rhoda, now you have two unique lamps that no one else has, so it really makes it special for that reason alone, but the fact the you did it yourself, that even better. So crafty, you are!

I'm Jaime said...

Love them- so adorable!

Christy said...

You did a professional job with those shades. I love the fabric because I'm partial to animal prints. It coordinates so well with the base. Isn't it amazing what you can do with a thrift store find? Great job, great price.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I so came over at just the right time. I have several lamp's that need just a little oomph! Great post.

I'm catching up on all my favorite blogs:) Glad to be back!

Melissa - Off The Wall

Justabeachkat said...

Wow...how darling they turned out! You go girl!

Hugs!
Kat

Anonymous said...

Omg!! I love those. They would be perfect in our master bedroom.

LeAnn

KarenB said...

Great job on the lampshades. I've been putting off a project like this for so long, I'm not telling. Maybe this will get me going. Hopefully!

Missy Wertz said...

I think I have responded to this lamp redo before. But I will again! Good job!

Anonymous said...

Rhoda, I have always wanted to try to cover a lampshade. You did a beautiful job. That is truly trash to treasure. Thanks for the instructions.

Hugs...Jeanne

Unknown said...

Hi Rhoda,
Thanks for linking to Trash to Treasure! It is now a treasure for sure. You have so much on your blog...I frequently revisit some of your posts. Love your index at the bottom.
diane

Darlene said...

That turned out BEAUTIFULLY...and would look perfect in my daughters room!!

Betsy said...

Those look amazing. That is just talent!

bj said...

Well, I am just beside myself, this is soooo pretty. and you make it look easy which i know dern well won't be but gonna try it anyway!! ;O)
Did you use a stamp of some kind on the lamp? So pretty...
you always just amaze me!!
love, bj

Unknown said...

O frabjous day!

I found you through a link on Eddie's blog, and I am so pleased.

I look forward to reading and seeing what you do.

Katy said...

I stumbled upon your site and just love it! :0) This tutorial is great! I have some old lamps that I spray painted bright red but the shades are oh so ugly. I've never redone shades before and I was dreading it but now I'm totally inspired as your instructions made it seem like something I could tackle!

Susie Q said...

Wonderful tutorial. But I had to tell you, I saw a cute little lampshade the other day in some catalog...they used a zebra fabric that had some spandex in it, then bit of elastic top and bottom, just a little taller than the lampshade would be. Talk about an easy fix. I am thinking about trying that for a temporary fix until I decide what I'll do for design scheme in this room. I'd love a beachy theme like your guest room if I can figure out how.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for the informative information...I was searching the internet for step by step instructions as I am looking to do the same project. Your information was great and the pictures helped too. Wish me luck and I appreciate your time to share!
Dawn W. Manhattan Beach, Ca