Like One-Of-A-Kind Decor? Make It!
What's the best way to create something for your home that you LOVE? Why, you make it yourself, of course! And you know what's not as hard as it sounds? You guessed it...lampshade making!
First you choose a fabric that makes you super happy. Then you stick it to some lampshade PVC - self-adhesive is best! Place your fabric right side down on your work surface and position the PVC panel on top of your fabric with the removable backing face down. Remove a little of the adhesive backing at a time and stick the exposed, sticky, PVC to your fabric. Continue pulling the backing away and sticking the panel down until the whole panel is stuck down. Flip the covered PVC panel over and check for any wrinkles. Give the whole panel a roll over with a seam roller or smooth it out by hand. Check that your pattern is exactly the way you want it.
To make your lampshade pretty at the end you need a little extra fabric along the top and bottom of your panel to roll over and under your rings for a nice, tidy finish...14mm, in fact. Time to measure! You'll need to measure 14mm beyond the edge of the panel along the top and bottom and mark a line along the fabric with a pencil.
Now you need to place a strip of double sided tape along the left (short) edge of the panel. Place it on the fabric but as close to the PVC as you can get, starting at the top left corner of the PVC and finishing at the bottom left corner of the PVC. Press it down firmly.
Cut along the pencil line with some good, sharp scissors. Chop chop! Cut as close to the edge of the short right edge as possible AND as close to the edge of the tape on the left as you can. Peel the backing off the tape and fold the remaining little strip of fabric over onto the PVC. Voilà! Now you have a nice tidy 'seam'. On the other short edge (on the right), on top of the fabric, add another strip of double-sided tape and press it down hard. Leave the backing on until later. Now your panel is ready to roll :)
Time for the rings!
Run a strip of double-sided tape around the outside edge of both your rings. Using your fingers, press the tape down and around so as much of each ring as possible is covered in tape. The red backing might pop away from the tape...that's okay :) Let's roll!
Now the fun part! Place the panel PVC side up in front of you with the seam edge away from you and the other short edge right in front of you. Remove the backing from the tape on the rings, place the rings on the outside edges of the PVC and start to roll both rings along the edge at the same time. This part can be tricky - a friend can be really helpful!
Note:
if you are making a lampshade roll the utility ring (the ring with the spokes) along the bottom of your panel.
if you are making a ceiling/hanging shade roll the utility ring (the ring with the spokes) along the top of your panel.
The centre ring should always be hiding inside the shade.
When you get your rings almost to the end of the panel, remove the backing from the edge tape you left on earlier and then continue rolling over it to 'shut' your shade. Push the seam down firmly from the inside to seal closed your shade.
Snip, snip and tuck. To prepare the fabric to roll around the struts in the utility ring, make a snip in the fabric in a small 'v'. Now you just need to roll the excess fabric over and under your rings! Use a tucking tool (an old credit card works great) to push the fabric in between the ring and the PVC. If you hear a 'cracking' sound that means you're doing it right!
Once all the fabric is tucked in you're finished! Now you have a one-of-a-kind piece of home decor made by you, just for you! Easy peasy!
