HOW TO RECOVER A LAMPSHADE WITH FABRIC
HOW TO RECOVER A LAMPSHADE WITH FABRIC
Greetings! Remember this post where I showed you the Guest Bedroom transformation in The House On Victoria Court?
In that post I showed you a floor lamp that I found in the cottage when we first purchased it. It had an ugly red lampshade on it that no longer fit my decor.
But I really loved the old iron part of the floor lamp. Knowing how expensive lampshades can be, I decided I would simply give the old one new life by recovering it in some of the same fabric I had used in the Guest Room. So today I thought I’d show you how to recover a lampshade with fabric.
The lampshade I was recovering was made of a sturdy cardboard-like material so it provided a good base for my new fabric. This is something to consider before you get started. That’s because if you are recovering a fabric lampshade which is old or torn, this treatment might not work for your lampshade. You will also need to remove any decorative trims or ribbons on the old shade before you begin.
Here’s What You’ll Need
- Lamp Shade
- About 1 yard of fabric (depending on the size of your lampshade)
- Marker Pen
- Newsprint, tracing paper or wrapping paper
- Masking or Painters Tape
- Sharp Scissors
- Spray Adhesive
- Lots of Clothespins
- Decorative Trim (at your discretion)
- Fabric Fusion Adhesive
To get started you need to create a pattern to use for cutting your fabric. To do this piece together 2 pieces of newspaper, taping them together with painters tape to make a piece of paper large enough to encompass your lampshade. Tracing paper or wrapping paper works as well. Then wrap the paper tightly around the shade, flattening the paper into folds and turning the paper inside the shade at both the top and bottom. Use a piece of painters or masking tape to tape the last flap of paper in place.
Next use a Sharpie pen to mark the top and bottom of the shade.
Then loosen the tape and carefully unwrap the paper from the shade, then lay it down on a flat surface.
Next cut along the marked lines to create your paper pattern.
Place the pattern on the wrong side of the fabric and pin it in place. Then cut your fabric out, adding about a 1 inch salvage/border surrounding the entire pattern. This allowance will make it possible for you to turn the fabric to the inside of the shade. Be sure to leave an allowance at the ends as well.
Next you will need some Multi-Purpose Spray adhesive. In a well ventilated area that has been protected with a drop cloth, spray the adhesive on the reverse side of the fabric. Position the lampshade evenly over the fabric to leave the 1 inch boarder top and bottom. Then, because the adhesive is fast drying, quickly roll the shade over the fabric, smoothing out any wrinkles along the way. Run a bead of Fabric Fusion adhesive along the 1″ salvage at the end of the fabric where the ends of the fabric meet and overlap. Turn the edge under, add more Fabric Fusion and glue it down so there is no raw edge. Add another bead of fabric fusion to the top and bottom salvage and turn it inside the shade, top & bottom, pressing it down firmly.
Use a generous amount of clothespins to hold the fabric in place. Set the shade aside to dry thoroughly.
Once you are sure the adhesive is dry and the fabric is secured to the lampshade, carefully remove the clothespins.
At this point you can decide if you wish to add some decorative trim. You could use rickrack, cording, ribbon, fringe, tassels, bias tape or lace trim, etc. I found some matching Gimp Braid at JoAnn’s that I liked. It gave the shade a little more texture and dimension.
To add trim, simply run a bead of Fabric Fusion along the back side of the trim and place it on the lampshade along the top and bottom edge or wherever you wish. It can also be used from top to bottom to cover the area where the beginning and ends of the fabric meet. Again, use a generous amount of clothespins to hold the trim in place. Once dry, carefully remove the clothespins.
Install your new lampshade on its base and ENJOY!
So there you have it: HOW TO RECOVER A LAMPSHADE WITH FABRIC
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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