It’s true to say that, until last weekend, I had never taught anyone anything, unless you count teaching my children how to use a knife and fork (still trying with that one!), how to fasten buttons, to have good manners etc etc. So, naturally, the thought of teaching a class how to make a lampshade was a little bit daunting.

But, you know what? I kept on telling myself that I am doing this because I love it, otherwise there’s really no point is there? Would I really want to go back to my old day job, sitting at a desk all day? No way!

So in the end I decided to take a deep breath and have fun which is exactly what I did, I really did!

The workshop was run at Sophie from Arts & Laughs house in Maidenhead so the atmosphere was very relaxed and I was right when I said we would eat lots of cake and drink lots of cups of tea! We even managed to sit out in the garden for a well-deserved break half way through as the weather was so nice (it’s very taxing making lampshades you know!)

Five lovely ladies, including Clare, a freelance journalist for frombritainwithlove, came from as far away as Gloucester to learn how to make a simple drum lampshade. Everyone’s fabric was very different in style: from vertical stripes to floral print to Matisse and a vintage Magic Roundabout curtain.

I won’t go through all the details of the course but it went in a flash, with very few hiccups, and everyone got along brilliantly. By the end of the workshop everyone was smiling and pretty proud of their achievements.

That evening I had a celebratory glass of wine and the next day I was on a real high. Feedback from the workshop couldn’t have been better, with everyone giving every aspect of the day top marks. I know one of the ladies has already been inspired to order supplies to make more lampshades for her home. So, what did I take away from the experience? I think the main thing is that it’s good to put yourself out of your comfort zone sometimes – the rewards can be enormous and teaching others a new skill is great fun. Watch out for more dates coming soon and photos of the workshop too…