as promised,
the tutorial:
this project is really easy!
i promise.
what you will need:
and old lampshade.
(i bough mine for $1 at the downeast clearance center.
it has a few scratches and bumps on it, but this technique
covers a lot of imperfections and is very forgiving)
a cricut, or other personal cutter
(or, if you want, you can cut the circles by hand)
heat + bond/iron-on fabric stabilizer
2 yards of fabric
(i used 1/8 yard of 6 kinds of linen, and 1/2 yard of another,
but using 100% cotton will give you cleaner edges)
trim
enough to wrap around the top and bottom of your shade.
i bought my trim at joanns, and used 2 yards.
repositionable spray adhesive
glue + foam brush
the first, and most time consuming step is to cut out your circles.
i used my cricut, and cut the circles in sizes ranging from 2 1/2" to 5".
before you can run fabric through a cricut, you need to stabilize it. i used heat and bond.
this video tutorial was super helpful:
here you can see some of the circles, all cut out.
i lightly sprayed the circles with a repositionable spray mount, and began placing them on my shade.
if you are more daring than me, you
can start applying your circles with permanent glue.
the repositionable adhesive lets you move things around, so you can move any circles you want as you go.
i found myself moving things around quite a bit...
i tired to alternate the colors, sizes and textures of my circles as i went.
be sure to leave some circles hanging off the edge. this gives a more random appearance, which is what you want.
once all you circles are in place, carefully
trim the excess from the edge of your shade.
then, using a brush and some glue, i glued all of the circles down permanently.
i just went around the shade, and gently pulled up the edges of the circles and
spread the glue on the backs with the foam brush.
taking the same brush, i applied the trim to the top and bottom of the shade.
at the end, i folded the edge of the trim over for a neater look,
and to prevent fraying.
all done.
thanks for all the comments on the shade so far!
the best thing about this shade is that you can customize it for
your home. i used more neutral colors for mine
because i knew it would work better in my home...
but don't you think this technique would
look amazing in just ONE color?
or in a kids room with several brighter shades?
if you decide to attempt this project on
your own, be sure and send me pictures!
i would love to see the variations that
