How To Recover an Old Lampshade
Recovering an old lampshade with new fabric is one of the easiest ways to make a large impact on a room — without largely impacting your budget. No sewing machine? No problem!
What You Need
Materials
- Lamp shade
- 1 yard of fabric (if you are working with a very large shade you may need more)
- Sharp scissors
- Large sheet of blank paper (tracing paper or wrapping paper work great!)
- Spray adhesive
- Lots of clothespins
- Pen or marker
Instructions
1. Remove any decorative trims or ribbons on the shade that could interfere with the fabric adhering to the shade.
2. Make a pattern to cut your fabric by laying the shade on its side, make a small mark on the shade at your starting point. Slowly roll the shade one full rotation running your marker alongside, tracing the movement of each side (top and bottom) of the shade. After tracing each side of the lamp, connect the top and bottom lines by drawing a line with a yardstick.
3. Cut out the paper pattern and lay it on your fabric. With your fabric face down, trace the pattern. I used a red marker on my fabric (it was thick enough that the color didn’t bleed through) but recommend using a disappearing ink marker just to be cautious. When you’re ready to cut your fabric, you’ll want to be sure you leave a 1″ border surrounding the pattern. This allowance will make it possible for you to pull the fabric over the shade and adhere on the inside. Be sure to leave an allowance at the seam as well.
6. Spray your adhesive on the fabric, then slowly roll the shade over the fabric, smoothing out any wrinkles along the way. Hold the fabric in place with clothespins.
8. Secure the fabric overlap with craft glue or fabric fusion tape.
10. You can finish the seam however you like — just be sure it is secured to the lamp with an adhesive. For a clean, finished line, fold the seam over and iron a crease before rolling and adhering the fabric to the lamp. I covered my seam by gluing a little strip of ricrac trim over the seam.
There you have it! The quickest, no-sew method for recovering an old lampshade.
