Lately, I find it hard to walk past a charity shop or antique shop without having a look to see if they have any vintage crockery worth getting my hands on. I recently bought some 1960’s Midwinter china. I really love the colour and simple lines, I just need to find a display cabinet now to show it all off.
So, this week it’s all to do with tea and some of my favourite things…
I love lined drum lampshades. They just look so neat, professional and finished with no hint of PVC showing. Not only that, they also look beautiful when lit as the pattern on the inside shines through faintly. It takes a little more time and patience to make them but well worth it in the end.
I made this one yesterday for a client who wanted a lined lampshade to match her curtains in her dining room. The outer fabric is a white linen which is tricky to work with and I wouldn’t recommend using it if you’re making a lampshade for the first time, as it frays very easily. But it’s fine if you treat it very gently and carefully. The inner fabric is a cotton/linen blend fabric from Laura Ashley, featuring a subtle wisteria-inspired flora pattern.
So if you dream of owning a stunning, hand-made, bespoke lampshade that you simply can’t buy on the high street and that ties in with your interior, get in touch for details, you won’t be disappointed, promise…
I’ve been meaning to start a regular picture feature on my blog for a long time where I can just post some images with links of things I like and that inspire me. So here it is. Not much chat, just lovely pictures.
Starting with chevrons – I don’t know why I like this simplest of patterns so much and I’m not sure I would be brave enough to have anything too bold in my house but I’m always drawn to them (and these colours, I’ve realised). See what you think…
I have a handful of orders for house portraits to complete at the moment, so not so much lampshade making going on at gilhoolie (still a few though, don’t worry). It’s a good job I love drawing. Yesterday I was listening to the radio (it has to be BBC Radio 6 Music during the day; I love the live music, interviews and friendly banter) while drawing a picture of a lovely Victorian house with beautiful sash windows.
I thought it would be good to write about the house portraits on here; including the process, the options available and what to do if you’d like to order one yourself.
Well, it all starts off with a good quality photo of the front of a house, taken square-on. I also need lots of close-ups of any details such as:
windowsdoors
brickwork, chimneys etc, the more the better.
I live in Maidenhead so if it’s of a house not far away I usually take the photos myself – which is great but can be a bit nerve-wracking, especially if I’m doing it as a surprise present for someone and the house owner appears at a window which is what happened this week! I don’t think they saw me sitting in my car taking photos, well I hope not anyway…
Once I’ve drawn the house from the photos (usually omitting foliage but sometimes included if I think it adds to the picture), I start on the sky background. There are two options for this:
collage sky in blues and turquoisesgilhoolie pattern sky in duck egg blue printed on paper
Both options can be made in different colours if you prefer, just let me know when you order. The collage sky is made from magazine cuttings; I knew those magazine subscriptions would come in handy one day! The gilhoolie pattern is a retro design I came up with a while ago, when I first started gilhoolie. They both go well with any style of house, it’s up to you.
I also add a message at the bottom of the picture; usually along the lines of “The Gardner Family, 1 gilhoolie Road, Maidenhead) 🙂 but it can be whatever you choose.
Some of the house pictures are Christmas orders so I don’t feel comfortable posting them on here, just in case – you’ll have to wait a few months to see the finished artwork I’m afraid!
If you’d like to order a house portrait for yourself or for a friend, just get in touch or visit my etsy or folksy shops. They come unframed but in a 12″ by 10″ mount and backing board. Oh, and don’t forget, they make lovely wedding presents too, just send me photos of the happy couple’s wedding venue instead…
I have to be honest, I’ve found it a bit hard getting back into things after the summer holidays (hang on, it’s Autumn now, right?!) but this week feels like a turning point. Yesterday I had a lovely day making a bespoke comic book lampshade for a client who had seen my Tintin ones on my website. This is quite a fiddly process; making lampshades with paper is much less forgiving than fabric as you can’t take it off and start again once it’s stuck down. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it, so much so that I didn’t want to stop for lunch, a sure sign that I’m having too much fun! I also finished off some drawing but I’ll save that for another post…
So here it is, next to one of my Tintin ones, looking equally neat and retro, finished off with off-white fabric on the top and bottom rings (I love that bit, very satisfying to see it all neatened off!) I’m off to post it now, will let you know the feedback, hope they like it…
I visited Top Drawer at Olympia for the first time today and was supposed to be all set to write a blog post about it when I got back… However, (you knew there was going to be a however didn’t you?!) I went with the lovely Interior Designer Kate Lovejoy, and spent too much time chatting, plus it was more gift ideas than interior products, but it was fun anyway. We finished the morning off with a trip to Goldhawk Road and lots of great fabric shops (all called ‘Fabric something or other’), followed by a delicious (but very messy!) felafel wrap from the market, yum.
Back to Top Drawer anyway… I did spot a couple of designers that I was very drawn to – so you see I am writing a blog post after all, just can’t help it now I’ve sat down and started tapping away! I’m very into Scandinavian and 1950s designs at the moment, even more so than usual. I think it’s the bright colours and clean lines that do it. A nice one for home-wares was New House Textiles – I would love one of their simple chopping boards to brighten up my kitchen.
New House Textiles chopping boards
Another company I’ve never heard of is Littlephant, a Swedish brand created by designer and illustrator Camilla Lundsten. Again, I must get my hands on one of their mugs, which are lovely and colourful, just what you need for a nice cuppa when it feels like the summer is slipping away…
Littlephant mugs
It must be nearly time for a new handbag too, I would love one of these Littlephant bags! But would I need to co-ordinate my outfit? Hmm not sure I can manage that every day…
Littlephant day bags
Poppy Treffry had a stall too – I still really like her designs and it makes me want to do some machine embroidery again soon (I asked and they do actually use old Singer machines for all their work and Poppy’s sister even recognised her stitching on Kate’s Poppy Treffry bag – wow!) Check out one of their videos on You Tube, it’s very inspiring!
So perhaps you can tell from this blog post, I like colourful patterns at the moment and I really think it’s the change in the weather, it just makes me happier – when can I get my hands on one of those handbags?!…
Well, I’ve had a REALLY long break from gilhoolie and I have to admit I’ve found it a bit hard to get back into things after the relaxing (yes, relaxing!) school holidays. I was just clearing up after the weekend and nearly stepped on a discarded pin and, as well as being relieved no-one had trodden on it, I was inspired to get back to making lampshades as soon as possible.
Now that my boys are both settled at their new schools, I’ve started thinking about where to go next and I’m feeling a lot better (except for the quietness when I walk back in the front door in the morning – I don’t think I’ll ever like that!)
One of the things I’ve decided is that (as well as doing more exercise – feels like new year resolutions time!), as I live so close to London I really need to go in more to look for inspiration so I’m planning another trip to Liberty and various fabric shops that I haven’t been to before. I’m quite fussy about fabrics; it has to be ‘just right’ before I’ll spend time making a lampshade from a carefully chosen piece. I just came across the new Liberty lifestyle craft fabrics on their website and I like quite a few of them – can’t wait to buy some and make some lampshades!
Here’s a selection of my favourites:
Liberty Copeland
The colour and flowers in the turquoise Copeland design caught my eye initially but I also think the browns and oranges would go well on a traditional style lampshade.
Liberty Leonard
I love the dainty flowers in this design; the green is my favourite – why I am always so drawn to green?!
Liberty Dance and Garnett
And finally, the colours in these beautiful designs called Dance and Garnett just made me smile…
As I’m feeling a tad rusty, my plan is to make some small, hand-stitched empire lampshades from my fabric finds, including one with different fabrics on each panel, back soon with updates…
I have a feeling I won’t be posting many updates over the summer so I thought I’d better get one in quick before the schools break up and the holidays begin. I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with the family but I’m sure I’ll find time to sneak away and make something at some point. Here are some shots I took at home last week of a lampshade commission for an Interior Designer. I’m hoping to get some photos of it in situ soon so I’ll add those separately.
gilhoolie lampshade commission
This large lampshade is for a floor lamp; the bottom ring measures 22″. The exterior is a woven plain fabric from Designers Guild called ‘Shima’ in a rose colour. It’s thicker than the dress-making cottons I would usually use so I fitted it on the bias. The interior is a balloon lining in 100% silk. The trim is a looped rouche from Osborne & Little called ‘Kediri’.
Kediri trim
That was last week… this week has been equally busy, with two birthday parties to organise, along with all the other end of school activities. However, in between making a birthday cake and running errands I managed to make this lampshade today for a client. It’s made from wallpaper, with bias binding trim and has a clear backing giving it a translucent quality when lit.
Wallpaper lampshadeAll important careful packaging and gilhoolie tag
Well, hopefully it won’t be too long before I post something on here again. Have a brilliant summer everyone, the sun is going to shine soon I’m sure of it!…
Okay, so I recovered the 1980s St Michael Tiffany lampshade yesterday. It only took an hour or so and I really enjoyed having a bit of a play, for once without hundreds of pins. However, I’m still not sure I have somewhere I could hang it (hence the hanging basket shot in the garden). I used some Lotta Jansdotter fabric I had left over and I still think they would look lovely in a little girl’s bedroom or nursery; it’s just a shame I have two boys. I think it looks less like a shower cap now though, especially without the frill around the bottom. Enough playing, back to preparing for a 1-2-1 tomorrow and finishing off my lampshade commission, lots of trim to attach!
I can’t help rummaging in charity shops lately. You never know where you might find another lampshade that’s just waiting to be stripped down and restored. I’ve also been collecting old lampshade books from the 1970s and 1980s, which are great for tips and instructions, not to mention the photos and old library cards tucked inside, I love them!
Looks more like a shower cap to me!
I found this one yesterday. It’s a Tiffany lampshade, probably from the 1980s, judging by the attractive (!) cover and the St Michael’s label. As I’ve wanted to have a go at making one for a while I couldn’t resist. Apparently it’s pretty straight forward to make a gathered Tiffany lampshade cover that can be removed for washing. I don’t think I have need for one in my house but I do think, with the right fabric, it would look nice in a little girl’s bedroom, perhaps… Anyway, here’s the before shot, the book says “they are very versatile and add a touch of style to bathrooms and bedrooms” – let’s wait and see shall we?!
It’ll be fun to make though, and a change from the hand-stitched lampshade I’ve been making lately for my first commission. Here it is, with outer cover sewn on and silk balloon lining in place. It’s been brilliant timing with Wimbledon on the TV while I stitch away. Quite tricky at times too, all I need to do is attach the trim to finish it off – more photos to follow soon…
