Quick DIY Lampshades

At Lake's Lampshades, her shop in southern Vermont, Judy Lake turns out charming, one-of-a-kind lampshades for every room in the house. Making one requires little more than a favorite fabric, a wire frame, styrene panels, and some basic craft supplies.

Judy frequently begins the creation of a shade with the fabric; this often dictates which frame shape will work best. For more on hours and classes, visit lampshadelady.blogspot.com or lakeslampshades.com. For supplies, try lampshop.com or fogglighting.com.

When Judy Lake made her first lampshade at the kitchen table 20 years ago, little did she know it was the beginning of a thriving business--and a persona known as the Lampshade Lady. "Everywhere I go," she says, "everyone calls me that!" Judy's unique shades attract decorators, tourists, and buyers to Lake's Lampshades, her shop in Pawlet, Vt. Inside, shades in whimsical shapes, patterns, and colors are stacked alongside cupboards filled with vintage fabrics and new materials.

"A colorful drum shade, the easiest to make, hangs over my desk. It throws such cheerful, focused light, I just love it!"

On most days, Judy can be found helping customers choose fabrics and shades for lamps they've brought in, making custom shades for clients, or preparing for her classes. That is, unless a fresh snowfall makes pursuing her other passion irresistible. "What other CEO can put a GONE SKIING sign on the office door?!" she says, laughing.

Pictured: Judy Lake (center) opens her shop for instruction on weekends in the winter and early spring, when Vermont's mud season slows tourism. Senior Decorating Editor Frances Bailey (left) and student Mary Ellen Lindberg (right) show off the shades they made in one afternoon.

Judy, an avid flea marketer, is always on the lookout for small items such as curtain pushpins and crystal chandelier parts or anything that can be epoxied to a brass finial base to add the crowning touch to her lampshades. Such forays are also a chance to replenish her cache of vintage fabrics. Crewelwork, needlepoint, chenille, aprons, and Marimekko patterns are always in supply in her shop alongside contemporary designs.

DIY SQUARE BELL SHADE

Materials
- 4" x 7" x 7" square bell frame
- 5/8" gros-grain ribbon
- 1/2 yard fabric
- pressure-sensitive styrene
- pressure-sensitive cloth tape
- wooden clothespins
- wide ribbon to hold panels as they dry
- quick glue with squeeze bottle
- scissors
- ultrafine Sharpie

STEP 1: Trace 1 panel of frame onto styrene; cut out. Use it to cut out 3 more.

STEP 2: Remove backing from styrene; press onto wrong side of fabric. Cut out.

STEP 3: Clip panels to frame; trim to fit.

STEP 4: Working on 1 section of frame at a time, run a light bead of glue around it; clip panel to it.

STEP 5: Tuck one end of the wide ribbon into a clothespin at the bottom of the shade, wrap the ribbon around the opposite side, and secure with the top clothespin. Continue until panels are firmly in place. Let dry 20 minutes.

STEP 6: Cut grosgrain ribbon in dimensions of top and bottom of shade to make self trims. Cut 4 strips of pressure-sensitive tape the height of shade.

STEP 7: Set pressure-sensitive tape on back side of fabric to make 4 vertical strips and top and bottom trims. Cut out, leaving1/4" on each side of fabric.

STEP 8: Wrap fabric around tape, gluing it to back side.

STEP 9: Remove ribbon from shade. Glue trim to vertical ribs.

STEP 10: Glue grosgrain to exterior top and bottom of shade. Fold ribbon over wire and glue to inside of shade.

STEP 11: Make self trims for top and bottom same as vertical ribs. Glue on top of grosgrain.

Don't have an entire afternoon to make a lampshade? Take inspiration from stylist and crafter Paul Lowe, who purchased a neutral one and transformed it into three different one-of-a-kind style statements. Each lampshade makeover took less than two hours to complete. The materials--scissors, glue, wallpaper, ribbon, and appliques--necessitate only a quick trip to your local craft store.

Consider proportion: A shade should be two to three inches shorter than the base. But as you can see in the following projects, breaking rules yields fun results. For more tips, go to findlamps.com.

SIMPLE LAMPSHADE #1: WALLPAPER
Lay the shade on its side on a piece of paper and trace, rolling it as you go. Add 1/2" to all sides and cut out. This is your pattern. Place pattern on right side of the wallpaper and cut out. Hot glue to the lampshade with the cut ends at the back. Clip around curves so that paper lays flat. Tuck over and under 1/2" on the top and bottom, and hot glue. Fold the back edge under 1/2" and hot glue.

SIMPLE LAMPSHADE #2: RIBBON
Cut 3/4"-wide grosgrain in lengths equal to height of shade plus 1/2". Hot glue to shade, overlapping pieces and allowing 1/2" to hang below the bottom edge. Turn under loose pieces; hot glue to underside. Cut a piece of grosgrain the length of the perimeter of the top of the shade. Fold lengthwise; press. Hot glue to top of shade, positioning fold on wire frame.

SIMPLE LAMPSHADE #3: APPLIQUE
Ready-made appliques can be found in the scrapbooking section of craft stores. Here, they are hot glued onto the shade in a whimsical pattern; some appliques feature peel-away adhesive backing, which requires just peeling and sticking onto the shade.