How to Cover Lamp Shades With Material

Covering a plain lampshade with fabric is an easy and quick way to give the room a splash of color, or give your lamp a new look. Keep in mind when selecting your fabric that thicker, darker fabric will make the lamp appear much dimmer, while a light, thin fabric will let more light through. This project can be used on any lamp, and may be especially helpful for garage sale lamps that may come without a shade to begin with.

Things You'll Need

• Plain, smooth lampshade
• Newspaper
• Pencil
• Straight pins
• Fabric
• Scissors
• Fabric adhesive spray
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue
• Ribbon at least 1 inch thick

Instructions

1. Begin by selecting a plain, white or beige colored lampshade that is perfectly smooth. This may be the shade that came with the lamp. Otherwise, you can find plain lampshades at craft or home and garden stores.

2. Lay your lampshade on its side on a piece of newspaper. With your pencil at the top of the lampshade and located at the seam, roll it all the way around along the paper until you reach the seam again, marking the path on the newspaper. Roll the lampshade approximately one inch further, marking this as well. Repeat the process while marking the path of the bottom of the lampshade as well.

3. You should have two curving lines marked on your newspaper. Carefully line up the top and bottom lines with a straight line on each end. These lines should be slightly diagonal, leaning towards the top line of the pattern.

4. Cut out your newspaper pattern. Pin this to the fabric, and cut out the fabric to the pattern marked on the paper. Remove the newspaper once the fabric has been cut out.

5. Spray the inside of the fabric with a fabric adhesive spray. Beginning in the center of the fabric, and on the opposite side of the shade from the seam, carefully lay the fabric over the lampshade, smoothing it out in both directions as you go.

6. Press one edge of the fabric down on the lampshade. Fold the other edge over, making a seam about a quarter to a third of an inch thick. Lay this over the other edge of the fabric, giving the lampshade a finished look.

7. Apply hot glue around the top outer and inner edges of the lampshade. Wrap a length of ribbon around the top of the shade, folding it evenly over the top. Repeat this process on the bottom.

8. Allow 24 hours for the glue and adhesive to dry completely before using your lampshade.

Tips & Warnings

• Apply the fabric to the lampshade very slowly so that you can quickly pick it up and smooth out and wrinkles that occur as you go.