Teach Me Tuesday: How To Re-Cover a Multi-Sided Lampshade

If you would like to be featured in an upcoming edition of Teach Me Tuesday, please email me at LivingWithLindsay@gmail.com and we’ll chat!

This week’s edition of Teach Me Tuesday comes from Sherry at Creations From My Heart. If you aren’t a regular reader of Sherry’s blog, you really should be. She owns a custom drapery and design business. The things she can do with fabric and trim blows me away. I love this! And this! And this!

When I saw Sherry’s tutorial on recovering a multi-sided lampshade (you know, the ones with the ribbing and side panels), I was very excited. I had no idea that you could even recover this type of shade, so I couldn’t wait to share this with you.

Sherry shows us how:

I got to spend the afternoon with a sweet friend who is a talented artist. She has blessed me with her painting talent and now I had the opportunity to return the favor. I was thrilled to do something for her. She had two buffet lamps that were beautiful, but the lampshades needed an update. Below is the lamp. While you are looking at the lamp take a look at the bookcases…Wonderful old books don’t you think? NOT really… That’s my friends wonderful artwork. The book cases and all the books are hand painted to look like real books. Isn’t her work beautiful…

So out with the RED lampshade…. Let the transformation begin. Let me share with you some basic steps, so that you too can change your old lampshade into a custom, one of a kind lamp with lots of glitz!

First remove all the bias tape. You can just tear it off. Be careful. If it’s hard to remove steam it a bit, this will soften up the glue.

After the bias tape is removed, carefully cut away the face fabric. You will need to use this as a pattern so take your time. Be careful not to cut the lining.

It isn’t pretty, but just wait and see…..

Here are the fabrics I selected for the new look. I have a wonderful stash of scrap fabric from my drapery business. The trim was a find at Hobby Lobby.

This is the entire face fabric after I cut it off the lampshade.

Cut one section off of the entire piece. This will be your pattern.

When cutting your new fabric, make sure you add 1/2 inch all the way around.

This lampshade required 4 pieces of each fabric. (There were 8 sections)

Use a HOT glue gun (not low temperature) to glue the first section on. Glue it directly to the metal ribs of the lampshade.

Trim away excess fabric and then glue the next section of fabric in place.

Continue until you have completed the entire lamp.

It can look quite messy at this point. Don’t worry.

Next step is to add the gimp trim. Hot glue right over the seam where the two fabrics meet up.

Keep adding trim all the way around. It’s starting to look better, don’t you think?

Are you ready to see the finished lamp shade?

Just add some beaded trim around the bottom and finish it off with the gimp trim. I just love how the crystals on the trim shimmer in the light!

Here are the buffet lamps that are just little accents for the wonderful artwork that adorns my friends dining room walls. They just add a little extra sparkle….

Next time you’re thinking of getting rid of that old lamp, think again. A new lampshade with some glitz and sparkle may be all it needs.

Thank you so much for this tutorial, Sherry! You have opened a whole new world to me. I have seen the light!

Tagged as: DIY, Do it Yourselfer, fabric, glue gun, lamps, Teach me Tuesday