Looking for a quick, easy upgrade for a boring lampshade? Grab an old sweater and dress it up! This super simple DIY project just requires a shade, a sweater, some hot glue, and about twenty minutes… and that's it!
Beth from Unskinny Boppy found a small sweater at a thrift store, and cut it to fit her shade. It was snug enough that it didn't require a lot of securing, but she hot glued the top down for a nice even edge, and then called it a day! The result: a pretty, textured lampshade that adds interest to an otherwise plain floor lamp.
See more details and photos on her blog: DIY Sweater Lampshade Tutorial on Unskinny Boppy
MORE USES FOR OLD SWEATERS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• 1 Old Sweater + 1 Old Towel = A New Bolster Pillow
• How To: Repurpose Old Sweaters into Chair Covers
• How To Create a Laptop Sleeve Out of a Sweater
(Image: Unskinny Boppy)
100 DIY Ideas for the 3-Day Weekend
Danielle's Charming, Classic Walk-Up
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Flatwa...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
Perfect Summer Cocktail Recipe: Honey Bourbon Lemonade
Wow - Is that not a fire hazard? I would have thought so, but I am no fire marshall!
Good Idea!
i love it! though i would probably trim the edges inside a little neater since the outline is still visible when light shines through the shade.
@sarajanie I don't think it would be a fire hazard unless you kept it on for days at a time or used very high wattage lightbulbs. I have a lamp shade that I made with felt circles and hot glue and I have not a any problems in over 5 years.
are most not using cfl bulbs which give off minimal heat?
i find amazing the number of 'fire hazard' posts regarding lamp shade coverings when you can't even find incandescent bulbs any longer....
This one looks so elegant in the large pictures. I'be never owned a sweater that would look anywhere near that good.
This last fall I found some lampshades at Target (Threshold line) that were covered in a cable-knit sweater material. I love them on my bedroom lamps. They give a nice warm glow. Never occurred to diy it!
it's just the angle the light is hitting the opaque edges...
it's really all quite tidy.
This is awesome.
LOVE THIS!!!! What an amazing idea
Love it and love the room. What is that pile of things on the table? Driftwood and a starfish|? Looks cool.
This is awesome! I want to try this one myself, even though I'm not very handy at all
I love,love,love it. In fact, I like the whole blog. It's been a long time since that's happened.
Pure wool is inherently fire retardant. So no worries.
Love it and regarding it catchiing on fire; If you are just coverning a plain lamp shade, you have that protective plastic-y stuff on the inside so there really should be no worries.
I covered plain white lampshades in fabric and love them. No issues with burning either.
Yes you can buy incadescent bulbs, just bought a 3 way the other day, and I live in the states.
I think there is a misconeption about bulbs being phased out completely, what the law is saying is to phase out old style bulbs, and all NEW bulbs have to meet new laws. I'd go read up on it, it does not say to get rid of incadescent bulbs, and some variants are NOT affected AT ALL, like decorative bulbs for instance.
I meant my reply to Glasseye further up the thread.
You could have a whole wardrobe for your lampshade, different "outfits" in various colours and patterns. Just don't glue them down, make them fit nice and tight like a slipcover.
For those of you worried about the "loss" of the incandescent bulb, at least here in the US, what the article says, if the info I have is correct, that the typical 100, 75, 60, 40W bulbs that we know today will be phased out, and new replacements, with roughly the same lumens as current incandescent bulbs create will be 72, 53, 43, and 29W each, making them much more energy efficient, but are still incandescent, as far as I know.
Some countries, and maybe some individual states here in the US are phasing them out completely, forcing consumers into other technologies, such as halogen, CFL, or LED bulbs, though specialty bulbs, such as black lights, candelabra/flame bulbs, other decorative bulbs, all reflector (PAR) bulbs will be unaffected, though the proposals submitted back in 2007 have had some changes/omissions done since then so it is best to do a little reasearch before you spouting off about not being able to buy incadescent bulbs anymore.
This info was just from a brief Google search, and further research is needed to get to the bottom of the final law to know exactly what, though the 100W bulb, as we once knew it should be phased out by now. All new bulbs manufactured for the 100W, now have to be a max of 72W these days.
Totally irrelevant, but where is that rug from, i LOVE it!
Gorgeous lamp! If only I had a sweater this lovely to convert....some thrift store shopping perhaps? Great post.
Hi Sarah!
Here is more information on the rug. http://mohawkhomescapes.com/finding-rug-love-when-you-least-expect-it/
It's a Mohawk Forte area rug from Home Depot.
Thanks so much to Apartment Therapy for featuring my lampshade makeover, and to everyone who has been so supportive of this idea!
That is really creative! I have been looking for something to spruce up my boring old lampshade...
Thank you! its wonderful and i need one just like it!! :)