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bellshade

Make a classic lined

If your standard lampis looking a little past its

best, something assimple as a new shadewill be transforming.

Strip off the existingfabric and replace itwith whatever yourcurrent material

crush is for a strikingaddition to the

living room.

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96 Sew It Yourself

YOU’LL NEED› Fabric: lightweight cotton,

satin, or silk (avoid stripes);lining, cotton or silk, white

› Lampshade frame, bell-shaped, stripped andcleaned

› Bias binding, or wide cotton› Tape, 1cm wide, neutral

colour› Pins, dressmaker’s› Tailor’s chalk or soft pencil› Thread, sewing, matching› Lampshade tape, double-

stick, 6mm wide, or strongwhite glue

› Trim, pom pom or fringe,7.5mm wide

MEET THE MAKERAfter searching for a lampshadethat was a little out of theordinary to hang in herapartment, only to come home

empty-handed, designer Elizabeth Cakeresolved to learn how to make her own.She consulted her collection of vintagecraft books, updating the old patterns andinstructions for the 21st century, beforegoing on to launch Midnight Bell in 2010,selling drum and bell-shaped lampshadesmade from reclaimed frames and vintagefabrics. She has taught lampshade makingworkshops around the UK, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum inLondon, and the Vintage at GoodwoodFestival. You can see more of her creationsat www.midnightbell-lampshades.comand also visit her blog about craft booksfrom yesteryear at the websitewww.gladucouldmakeit.blogspot.co.uk.

4Pin the fabric to the top andbottom rings in the same way,

gently stretching the fabric andadjusting pins to remove anywrinkles until it is perfectlysmooth (Fig.3). Keep the sharpends of pins on the outside soyou don’t scratch your fingers.

5Once your fabric is smooth,mark along the vertical struts

vertically, pin the fabric to halfthe frame at the four cornerswhere the two bound sidestruts join the top and bottomrings. Gently stretch thisdouble layer of fabric to thesides, and pin it to the twovertical struts, stretching thefabric taut and adjusting thepins as you go (Fig.2).

COVER A LAMPSHADE1Start by covering the top

and bottom rings of a bell-shaped lampshade frame, aswell as two opposite verticalstruts, with bias binding orcotton tape. This is to provide a base to stitch the fabric to.Work out how much biasbinding or tape you need by adding twice thecircumference of the top andbottom rings and four timesthe length of one verticalstrut. Wind the tape aroundthe top ring where it meets avertical strut (choose a verticalstrut next to the gimbal ifyours are positioned this way),overlapping each twist oftape. Cover the top ring, thengo down the vertical strut, round the bottom ring and then finish off by covering thefacing vertical strut in thesame way (Fig.1). Tie off theends securely and finish offwith a couple of tiny stitches to secure.

2To work out how muchfabric you need, measure

one vertical strut and add10cm, then measure thecircumference of the bottomring and add on 12.5cm. Cut arectangle of fabric to this sizefrom both the main fabric andthe lining fabric.

3Fold your fabric in half,short edges and right

sides together, and with thestraight grain running

Fig.2 Fig.3

Fig.1

WHY NOT TRY

USING A PLAIN

FABRIC FOR THE

OUTSIDE AND A

PATTERNED ONE

FOR THE LINING?

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9If your frame has a gimbalthat joins in two places,

simply unpick the top of theside seams by 2cm toaccommodate it. If your framehas a gimbal that joins theframe in more than twoplaces, turn the shade upsidedown and drop the lining in,matching the side seams withthe bound struts. With apencil or tailor’s chalk, markon your lining where thegimbal struts fall, cut 2cm slits,and finish them off withmatching bias binding (Fig.7).Carefully trim away the excessfabric as close to the stitchingas you can.

10Press the lining andplace it inside the

frame. Pin securely and stitchit in place in the same way asyou did the outer fabric,keeping the stitching to theoutside so it is covering thestitching on the outer fabric asmuch as possible (Fig.8).

11Cut your chosen trim tothe circumference of

each ring, adding 1cm foroverlap. Using double sticktape or strong glue, attach tothe bottom of the frame tocover all stitching (Fig.9).Repeat with a matching plaintrim at the top ring.

between the pins with tailor’schalk or soft pencil, extendingthe lines 1.5cm beyond thetop and bottom rings (Fig.4).Mark the top and bottomrings in the same way.Without removing the fabricfrom the frame, tack the twolayers of fabric together 2cmoutside the lines and removeall the pins.

6Remove the fabric fromthe frame and, using a

sewing machine, stitch downthe vertical tailor’s chalk lines(Fig.5). Trim the vertical seamallowances to 5mm but leaveat least 3cm excess outsidethe top and bottom(horizontal) chalk lines. Pressthe seams open. Make thelining in exactly the same way.

7Turn the outer fabric rightside out and slip it over the

frame, lining up the sideseams with the two boundstruts and the horizontal lineswith the top and bottomrings. Adjust to fit snugly andpin in place.

8Using double thread, stitchthe cover to the frame

along the top and bottom rings, keeping the stitches to the outside (Fig.6). Trim away the excess fabric closeto the stitching.

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Fig.4

Fig.5

Fig.6

Fig.7

Fig.9

Fig.8

For more stylish projectsto brighten up tablelamps, ceiling lights andmore, check out Make Your OwnLampshades byElizabeth Cake (£12.99 CICO Books).For more information, visitwww.cicobooks.co.uk

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