DIY "Retro" Lamp Shade

Earlier this year I picked up a great vintage lamp sans shade.  As you all know, vintage lamps are my Achilles heel.  This beauty depicts an Asian boy and girl on a boat.  I originally wanted a red venetian lamp shade but was unable to find one at a price I was willing to pay.  So it was time to get creative. 




I hit the local Target store and picked up a rectangle shade that would compliment the lamp nicely.  I think I paid about $12 for it.  Nice shape but boring, boring, boring.











I happened to have some vintage bark cloth curtains at home that I've been planning to make pillows out of for some time.  I picked them up at a local antique shop last year.  I love the colors and the pattern looks to be an oriental bonsai motif.



Step 1:  Wash and iron fabric.

Step 2:  Cut fabric for each side of the shade.  If using a drum shade you can cut one piece to cover the entire shade.  If the top of the shade is tapered then your fabric will end up more of a 'C' shape.                                                      Step 3:  Attach the fabric to the shade using spray adhesive.  Follow the directions on the can.

Step 4:  Attach bias tape to cover the edge of the fabric that was folded over the inside of the lamp shade.  This will give your shade a clean, finished look.  I used a product called Liquid Stitch to secure the bias tape.

 

Oooooh, doesn't that look nice!

 

Step 5:  Lastly, I added great chartreuse trim to cover the seams where the fabric meets at the corners of the shade.  I used Liquid Stitch to attatch the trim.

 

So overall, I ended up spending about $25 for the shade and all of the fabric, trim, bias tape and adhesives.  I think it turned quite stunning for a quick weekend project.

 

 

'Til we meet again,

Ms. Adventure