Thursday, January 28, 2010

Repurpose a lampshade, I did, you can too!






So, I walk by my lamp *several* times a day, and my lampshade has holes in it and one of the kids knocked a metal spindle loose on it so the metal pokes through the lampshade adding insult to injury...It is my "holely" lampshade. It is hideous.....


I feel a refashion coming on!




You can roll the lampshade to trace on wax paper a pattern(leaving a 1-inch margin each side) OR you can tear it a part and cut around it leaving a 1-inch margin around each side. That's what I did.





I then took the old lampshade with the material and ironed it. It actually stuck very well to the old lampshade so I didn't use spray adhesive. If you want to use spray adhesive it works really good. Just keep it in line and press out bubbles or lines with a straight edge(like a credit card).



Next, I used Mod Podge to seal the ends (I could have used spray adhesive but I had Mod Podge). I put the metal loop at the base of the lampshade and wrapped the material -with Mod Podge- all the way around. I did this to the top also. I let it dry for a while. To secure the material around the lamp shade, fold extra material under and hot glue from top to bottom.






Because my lampshade was in such bad condition at the top, I made a bias for stability. To make bias, I cut material 2 inches wide and the length is according to your lampshade. Then I ironed the center of the material. Take the two edges, fold them to the ironed center, and iron again. Bias is born!



Now get the trusty hot glue gun out and glue the bias on the outside first. Work in small sections -hot glue dries fast. I turned the lampshade upside down to glue the rest of the bias to the inside. I kept looking at it from both angles to make sure it looked good!









I used heart material because Valentine's Day is coming and I am in that mood. Hearts are good year round, right?


1 comment:

If you build it they will come