How to Make Your Own Custom Lampshade
Don’t buy a lampshade, make your own custom shade using a lampshade kit.
You guys!
The DIY project I have to share with you today was one of my favourite recent projects.
I wasn’t quite sure how the whole thing was going to work out, but it turned out perfectly and I am totally tickled with the results.
Can you believe that I actually made this pretty lampshade myself?
And today I’m going to show you how to make your own custom lampshade too…
The key ingredient I used to make this lamp was this nifty little kit from I like that lamp. When Kiri first offered to send me a kit to try out as well as another kit to offer as a giveaway to my readers, I jumped at the chance.
The lampshade kit comes in a pretty little box and has everything you need to construct whatever size lampshade you have chosen. The lampshade kit website also has great tutorials and instructions and a helpful suggestions for choosing what size shade you need for your lamp.
You get the top and bottom ring, pre-cut adhesive styrene, glue, and clips etc…as well as super detailed instructions. You select your own fabric and I used this gorgeous favourite print {Iman Ubud Sunstone} from Online Fabric Store.
So the first thing I will say – is follow the instructions that come with the kit. Don’t follow mine.
I decided to precut my fabric to size using my nifty rotary cutter and mat. I guess I just can’t get enough of them. Anyhow, this made laying down the pre-cut adhesive styrene a little bit tricky as I had to get it perfectly centered on my pre-cut fabric.
Don’t do that to yourself. Follow their instructions and not my lead:)
I ironed my fabric so I wouldn’t have any little bumps or lumps in the fabric…
Then peeled the backing off the pre-cut adhesive styrene and attached it to my fabric as per the instructions…
Here is what it looked like once I got it all laid out- you can see that I had to be pretty precise to get the pre-cut adhesive styrene to lay perfectly centered in my fabric. That is why the instructions recommend you cut your excess fabric off after – not before like I did. Follow them, it will save you some tricky-trying-to-get-it-perfectly-centered time.
Next I trimmed the edges of the fabric as per the instructions…
And glued them down…
I rolled the shade into position using the top frame as a guide and clipped it on.
Then did the same for the other end.
Next I used the glue to tack the fabric down along the rim, holding it in place with the clips while it dried. Make sure to read the part about waiting for the glue to get “tacky” before you stick down the fabric. I somehow skipped that part at first, and it does make the assembly procedure much easier.
Here is what these old lamps looked like before, when I found them at a thrift store. They are brass, but I painted them anyhow because the brass was extremely damaged. I mean, extremely damaged, up close. Trust me.
Done!
Originally, I thought I wanted to make a new shade for the floor lamp in our living room… but instead settled on making some fabulous new lamp shades for my craft room makeover. Maybe you spotted this beautiful colourful lamp when I shared my Craft Room reveal?
I love the way that this fabric draws together the entire craft room colour scheme! Doesn’t it look amazing with my DIY lined drapery panels? That fabric is from Online Fabric Store as well- it is Premier Prints Emily Corn Yellow Slub.
To see more of the Craft Room Reveal head over here…
Want to try making your own lampshade??
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I will be back soon with a Giveaway so that you, too, can win your own DIY Custom Lampshade Kit from I like that lamp!
this is so smart. I’ve been looking for this tutorial for a while. Thanks for sharing.