Covid-19 Lock Down – Week Four

April 24, 2020February 11, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

What a strange world we’re living in. Covid-19 has driven a steamroller through so many lives. But we’re kind of getting used to this new way of living. The death toll announced each day still really upsets me but I find myself grateful that at least the figures are heading in the right direction. This is all a bit morbid for gilhoolie, we’ll just talk about what I’ve been up to instead shall we?

Well, my mind-map lists of of tasks (remember I had one for the garden, house and gilhoolie) has steadily decreased so that I just have just the least enjoyable left on there. Like paint the garden shed… I’ve made the most of the weather, with lots of long dog walks amongst the bluebells in the woods near us, lots of gardening and I even sat in a deckchair at the end of the garden to read my book in the afternoon a couple of times.

Lampshade orders are all done for now and I’m not sure when they will pick up again. One client just collected her’s – I had to put it on the porch and then step back into the hallway to keep social distancing. Always really nice to meet the people I make them for so I’m happy.

Bespoke lampshade made using printed fabric from Woven Monkey

It’s fine if lampshade orders slow down for a bit. I’m always saying I don’t have enough time for art, blogging, meditating, learning new skills etc so now’s the time. I started an online Google Garage course ‘Fundamentals of Digital Marketing‘ yesterday and I think a bit of that each day will keep me really busy. This is for my own business but also for the local interior designers I support with my gilhoolie Design Assistance service. It’s so important to keep up to date in this digital age and nice to reinforce what I know as well as learn something new along the way. This side of my business has really slowed down since lock down but I’m hoping it will all pick up again soon as the interior designers start to take work on again.

Arthur (the miniature schnauzer) is keeping me company and making me smile all the time. Yesterday I just sat and watched him breathing while I waited for him to wake up so that I could see if he liked his new bed I made him (another task ticked off my list!) He seems to be happy with it and it goes with our newly decorated kitchen / dining room (of course!)

The garden is looking amazing in the sunshine. So many plants are thriving. Even the lupins are starting to flower and the delphiniums and alliums aren’t far behind. So still lots to look forward to even if the weather cools down next week. This weekend our main job is to plant a new cherry tree which is looking very sweet with it’s pink clusters of blooms. There were a couple of cute blue tits sitting in the branches on the patio the other day, I think the wildlife is going to enjoy it.

Like everyone else it seems I have been doing lots of baking. Today I made a very tasty, if a bit lopsided, Victoria sandwich. Everything seems better when you can eat cake with a cup of tea!

That’s it for this week. I wonder if I will have less to write on here as the weeks go on. But I’m determined to keep going for my own sake more than anything. It’s a nice way to finish the week and it’s keeping me going even if no one is reading it!

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Lampshades galore…

May 26, 2017February 16, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

This week I thought I’d share with you a few photos of the lovely lampshades I have made recently. I’m afraid the picture quality isn’t great; I don’t usually have time for a proper photo shoot before posting them off or handing them over to clients! I really should though as they look much better in real life…

Most of these have been made from scratch but some of the tapered drums are lampshades that have been recovered – if you have a lampshade you like the shape of I can take it apart and remake it with new PVC and fabric. Just get in touch for more information and prices.

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Lampshade for a London exhibition…

March 4, 2016February 16, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

I was contacted last year by a lady who was interested in having a lampshade made from images of record sleeves. I must admit I was a little confused about the concept at first but it all made sense after a bit of a chat. It was to be displayed at an exhibition in London on sound system culture (which I knew nothing about, hence the confusion!)

The Sound System Culture website says:

Sound System Culture is a compact, informative and carefully curated exhibition tucked away in a corner of west London arts venue The Tabernacle. Using photographs, archives and memorabilia, as well as highly detailed narratives, it traces the history and growth of sound system culture in London, from private parties in the 1950s to the modern day Notting Hill Carnival. The travelling exhibition began in Huddersfield, journeying to Bristol and Birmingham before hitting London this month.

Born out of a need for ‘community focus’, these systems acted as vehicles for the excluded Caribbean people to be heard in London. This was achieved through decades of dedication towards sound and communication – these systems were, and still are, the stars, taking precedence over the musicians that play on the decks. These gargantuan speaker set-ups provided the people with music from their homeland in the way that it was meant to be heard.

The exhibition is not just a two-dimensional experience; you can have a go at cueing up a record and feel the sound coming out of the speakers, which must be pretty impressive judging by this amazing photo from the Sound System Culture website:

Mandy from Sound System Culture wanted to display images of the original record sleeves in an interesting way and we agreed that a drum lampshade would look great.

It wasn’t just about making the lampshade for this one though – my first challenge was to fit all the scanned images into one long strip in Photoshop and then get it printed at my local printers. Next I made the long print-out into a drum lampshade and trimmed the top and bottom with white bias binding to neaten.

I really enjoyed making this lampshade for Sound System Culture and hope it looked great displayed on one of their sound systems in the exhibition. You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@Stringupdisound).

This photo is from ‘The Cultural Expose’ website:

Here it is in my house, where it looked lovely even if it didn’t quite fit in with my decor:

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Just a normal gilhoolie day…

March 13, 2013February 16, 2025 Julie Gardner2 Comments

I haven’t written on here lately about what I’ve done on a normal gilhoolie day so I thought I would now when I feel like it. Once the boys were in school and I’d been for a swim, (that’s not usual, I only go once a week!) I started by answering a few emails, then I wrapped up a couple of house portraits I drew this week, ready for posting.

Next, I had fun with lampshade PVC, scissors, a ruler and a hairdryer! I have a large square lampshade to recover and I thought I’d have a practice at scoring the PVC before I tackle the real thing (the hairdryer warms the PVC slightly to make it more malleable, you have to be careful not to snap the PVC completely, I learnt!)

Here are the lampshades before (a tapered drum one too):

I’ll post photos when they’re all ready at a later date.

Then I sent off an email to Moo – I buy my business cards from them and they’re looking for people who use their products a bit differently. I always tie one of my gilhoolie business cards to lampshades with a matching ribbon so I thought it was worth a shot.

Finally, before I whiz off on the school run, I sanded down my lamp base I bought a while ago – I’m going to paint it this week, so here it is before, looking very shabby (except for the lampshade of course!)

It’s been a very satisfying day, lots done, must whiz now though!

PS Hope you like the shots in our newly decorated dining room, still curtains to do so I’ll show you properly soon!

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Why lampshades?…

February 7, 2013February 16, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

When I’m teaching I’m frequently asked, why do I make lampshades? Well, I can’t easily explain why, I just have this obsession with them and they make me happy. I’ve been writing this blog now for two years and making lampshades for nearly as long and I still have to pinch myself to check it’s all real. I’ve been busy with orders lately, for private clients and interior designers and I still go through the following emotions:

when I make a lampshade I still start with a feeling of excitement, anxious to see what it will look like in the end
while I’m making a lampshade I still double check everything, I would hate to make a mistake and I still really, really care about every one I make
when the lampshade is complete, whether it’s a simple drum that’s taken a couple of hours to make, or a drum with a hand-made trim that I’ve designed and stitched, or a hand-stitched empire lampshade that’s taken considerably longer, I feel elated and often literally jump with joy and stand back and go “wow, I love it!” (Then feel a bit silly as I’m there on my own…)
then finally, when I hand the lampshade over to a client, all packaged nicely, I love seeing their faces light up and I imagine their happiness whenever they turn the light on…

This may all seem a bit silly and extreme to a lot of people but I am proud of the fact that I take so much care in making each and every lampshade. And I’m proud of the fact that they are all hand-made with lots of love and attention. And I’m so happy that I enjoy what I do so much, even if I still get a bit nervous about the whole thing, it just shows I still care, long may it continue… so that’s why I make lampshades, crazy I know…

Large hand-stitched empire lampshade – complete with gilhoolie tag

Pretty cotton roses fabric with a tassel trim

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Lampshade upcycling …

January 28, 2013February 16, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

I’m all for upcycling so when I was asked by a client to remake two large cone shaped lampshades I said yes, of course, no problem. You see, my client was really happy with the dimensions of the old lampshades so didn’t want to have new ones made.

So instead, I stripped down the lampshades and used the panels as templates so that I could reuse the rings. Luckily they were made out of two panels each as the biggest lampshade ring measures 56cm in diameter. They worked out incredibly well, recovered in her choice of Harlequin brown silk fabric to match the newly designed living room. I think she’ll be pleased and I have a great sense of satisfaction knowing I’ve restored something that will now take pride of place for many years to come.

The method is the same as making drum lampshades by the way, you just have to roll at an angle and make very precise templates so that you don’t end up with a wonky shade!

Here is one of the lampshades before:

And here they are afterwards, it wasn’t a quick process by any means, but worth it in the end!

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Looks more like a shower cap to me!…

July 10, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

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!

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…

My first lampshade commission – nearly there

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Musical lampshades and making new friends…

April 24, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie Gardner4 Comments

No, they don’t play a tune! I made these lined lampshades for a very musical family who wanted two lampshades for their lovely music room. They already had patterned blinds that they didn’t want to replace, so I decided to keep the outside of the lampshades plain by using a soft slate blue fabric and then lined them with cotton musical notes fabric. I really like these lined lampshades; they just seem that bit more special, particularly when the pattern on the inside faintly shows through when they’re lit.

When I delivered these lampshades to my client, my six year old sat in the car and said, “It’s good making lampshades Mummy, you get to make new friends.” How sweet! It’s true though; I love the social side of making lampshades for people, as well as sourcing fabric and making the lampshades themselves, oh yes and teaching, only two days until I teach at Make & Do in Caversham, looking forward to it!…

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A labour of love lampshade…

April 18, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie Gardner4 Comments

This lampshade was most definitely a labour of love. Now it’s complete I love it, but making it wasn’t an easy experience… but then the reward when I finished it was great! When you know what you’re doing these hand-stitched lampshades aren’t actually as difficult to make as you’d think but when you don’t know what you’re doing (or can’t remember exactly how you learnt what to do as in my case!) it can be quite frustrating. I really wish I had made one straight away after the course at Homemade London but I guess I have learnt a lot from my mistakes and hopefully won’t make them again next time. Before I went on the course I really had no idea how these traditional lampshades were made; I thought each panel was attached separately and I remember hating to remove all the pins I had used to pin the fabric to the frame to get the outline.

I breezed through attaching the outer Liberty print fabric and I could do streetly stitch in my sleep now, but I remember from the course the lining was much trickier and easier to get wrong. It’s not perfect but I have now made notes on my notes (!) so I just need to find another frame to practice on before I tackle recovering my big lampshade. I think another trip to a local antique shop is in order!

I’m really looking forward to teaching at my next drum lampshade workshop at Make & Do in Caversham, Reading next Thursday evening (26th April, 6.30pm). Maybe one day I’ll feel confident enough to teach others how to make hand-stitched lampshades too – better keep practicing (how many lampshades can I fit in my house d’you think?!)

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Lovely lined Lotta lampshades…

March 23, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie Gardner2 Comments

I’ve been meaning to do this for ages and finally got round to it today, after much deliberation on fabrics. These lovely lampshades are lined with Lotta Jansdotter cotton fabric from her Echo collection. I made two of them and they are all for me and my hallway. So nice to make something for my own house and amazing finishing off the second one while sat in the sun in the garden this morning, bliss!

I’m incredibly pleased with them; they’re so fresh and beautiful and simple. Plus when they’re lit up you can see the patterned print from the inside on the outside, very pretty indeed. I’ll be putting them on my Folksy and Etsy shops soon, in a range of colours for the outside fabric which is a cotton/linen blend.

Here’s a close-up of the inside. I know I have a lampshade obsession now, I can’t stop looking at them!

I might just have to print some gilhoolie patterned fabrics to do the same with them, just one more thing to add to my list…

Pretty lining — Pretty little florine lining