How to Make Craft Lamp Shades

Create a craft lamp shade to custom decorate your home.

When locating the perfect lamp shade to match your home decor proves difficult or even impossible, create your own. You can use your choice of fabric in a variety of textures and colors for a perfect match in any space. Master the process of creating craft lamp shades and you'll be able to make an assortment of the simple accessories to change your decor throughout the year, reflecting various holidays and the changing seasons.

Things You'll Need

• Square lampshade frame
• Contact paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Fabric
• White craft glue
• Clothespins
• Double-sided tape
• Ribbon

Instructions

1. Place your square lampshade frame on its side onto a piece of contact paper. Trace around the side of the lampshade that is resting on the paper. Repeat this process on each side of the lampshade frame.

2. Cut the shapes out of the contact paper.

3. Remove the paper backing from the contact paper shapes and press each shape onto the back side of your chosen fabric. Do not overlap the contact paper shapes.

4. Cut the fabric along the edges of the contact paper. You will have four fabric-covered pieces of contact paper when you are finished.

5. Apply white craft glue to all of the surfaces along one side of the lampshade frame.

6. Place one of the fabric-covered pieces of contact paper onto the lampshade frame and press it gently onto the glue. Attach clothespins to the fabric and lampshade frame to hold them tightly together.

7. Remove the clothespins when the glue is completely dry. Repeat the process on the remaining three sides of the lampshade frame.

8. Press double-sided tape onto the top and bottom edges of the lampshade frame.

9. Press ribbon onto the double-sided tape to give the lampshade a finished appearance. Secure the ends of the ribbon with a dab of white craft glue, if necessary.

References

• Country Living: Quick Lampshades