Lampshade making is not always easy. Mostly because they come in all shapes and sizes; not just the simple, straightforward drum shape. Sometimes a client has an existing lampshade they want recovering and sometimes they just have a frame that they want to see transformed into a beautiful light source.

[Recovering, by the way, isn’t as simple as it sounds – it involves stripping down the lampshade carefully and then using the old PVC panel to cut new PVC and recovering that in new fabric, then remaking the lampshade. It’s a great idea though if you have a lampshade you like the shape of and can’t find a replacement in the shops.]

One of my clients had seen these lampshades in India and managed to find someone to make the frames for her, which then sat in her garage for a while… until she found me 🙂 and asked me to make them into lampshades for the corner walls of her extension. She also had a pair of curtains in a sheer fabric that she wanted to use as they would let through lots of light.

It was a bit of a challenge to make them as I wasn’t sure if they were all identical so had to make each one bespoke. I’m so happy with how they turned out though – sometimes the challenging jobs are the most satisfying when you can sit back and look at what a good job you did!

There were 5 lampshades in total, all measuring 63cm tall – here is a shot of them halfway through making (the one in the middle is finished). I covered the PVC in the client’s curtain fabric first and then attached it to the frame on the curved side only, folding slightly around both edges to give a neat finish.

Below is a photo of 3 of the 5 lampshades all ready for collection by a very happy customer. Hooray!