Shelf 513 2bskife0l

Flaming Juno

Extract from Handmade Lampshades • By Natalia Price-Cabrera • Published by GMC Publications

About

Cost
$ $ $ $ $
Difficulty
• • • • •
Time
3h00

Handmade Lampshades
A flamboyant statement piece in a fiery orange and teal

Frame type: Collar top
Technique: Swathed lampshade
PROJECT Time: 9 hours
SKILL LEVEL: 5 out of 5

Posted by GMC Group Published See GMC Group's 304 projects » © 2024 Natalia Price-Cabrera / GMC Publications · Reproduced with permission. · Handmade Lampshades by Natalia Price-Cabrera, published by GMC (£14.99, available from www.thegmcgroup.com). Photography by Chris Gatcum.
PrintEmbed
  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 1
    Step 1

    Measure from the base of one strut where it meets the bottom ring, to the top of the next strut but one, where it meets the top ring. Make sure you skip a strut, and use a tape measure to mimic the swathed line not a completely straight line. Add around 2in (5cm) to the top and bottom of your measurement (4in [10cm] in total) as handling allowance. This is the height of fabric you need. In this case, it is 11in (28cm) plus 4in (10cm) = 15in (38cm).

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 2
    Step 2

    Lay out your fabric face down on your work surface. It is important that you work on the straight grain of the fabric. You need to be in alignment with the selvedge. Mark out your panel height, which in this case is 15in (38cm).

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 3
    Step 3

    Mark out your panel length, which in this case is 31½in (80cm). Make sure you work at least 1½in (2cm) in from the selvedge.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 4
    Step 4

    Bind the top and bottom rings. I am using a collar top frame, so I have also bound the ring of the collar. To determine how much fabric you are going to need, measure the circumference of the bottom ring and multiply this by three to give you the length of fabric needed. In this case, it is 31½in (80cm) x 3 = 94½in (240cm). You may need to use several panels of fabric.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 5
    Step 5

    You are going to cut three panels of 31½in (80cm) x 15in (38cm) out of the fabric. On each panel, mark halfway along the length, in this case 15¾in (40cm). This is the amount of fabric you will have to swathe between two struts. The frame I am working with has six struts and therefore six panels, so each of the three cut pieces of fabric will work across two panels.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 6
    Step 6

    Cut the selvedge off.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 7
    Step 7

    Cut out your three panels, and iron. The beauty of taffeta is that it retains a soft, crushed look, so excessive ironing isn’t required.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 8
    Step 8

    Lay out the first of the three lengths of fabric, right side down. Fold over a seam of 3/8in (1cm) on one of the short ends.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 9
    Step 9

    Turn the fabric over so it is right side up. Using both hands, stretch the fabric from the bottom ring at a join with a strut, up to the top of the next strut but one. Make sure you leave a 2in (5cm) handling allowance top and bottom.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 10
    Step 10

    Start pinning out your swathed shade on the bottom ring at the join with a strut. The convention is to pleat from right to left, turning the shade as you go.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 11
    Step 11

    I am creating approximately 3/8in (1cm) pleats. You will need to leave a gap of double this, ¾in (2cm), before you start the next pleat, and so on. You must maintain the 2in (5cm) handling allowance throughout the pleating process, or you may run out of fabric.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 12
    Step 12

    Pin out the whole panel along the bottom ring, creating even pleats as you go. Once you have reached the 15¾in (40cm) mark — in other words, the fabric allowance for that panel — you will know how many pleats you can fit to a panel. You may have to adjust your pleating and pinning to get this even. In this case, I have made ten pleats per panel.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 13
    Step 13

    Once the bottom of the panel is done, move on to the top ring. It is very important that you remember to skip a strut in order to create the swathed effect.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 14
    Step 14

    Start to pin out the fabric on the top ring, remembering to create the same number of pleats as the bottom ring and to use up all the fabric allowance for the panel. As the top ring is a lot smaller than the bottom ring on this frame, the pleats will be smaller 
and there will be more overlapping of fabric.

  • Step 15

    Once you have pinned one panel top and bottom, oversew using the streetly stitch (see below). It is important not to sew your very first pleat. Leave this pinned. I have used white thread here for visibility’s sake, but it is best to match the colour of thread to the fabric. Hold the fabric as taut as possible while you sew. The last thing you want is baggy pleats.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 16
    Step 16

    Keep checking to make sure you’ve sewn all the way through to the binding tape, particularly on the top ring, as you have a lot of layers of fabric to get through.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 17
    Step 17

    Once you have pleated two panels, you will have run out of fabric. So, start with the second piece. Trim any excess fabric from your first piece, leaving at least ¾in (2cm) allowance.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 18
    Step 18

    Take your second piece of 31½in (80cm) x 15in (38cm) fabric. As you did at the beginning, fold over a seam of 3/8in (1cm).

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 19
    Step 19

    Turn the fabric right side up

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 20
    Step 20

    Using both hands, lay the new piece of fabric across the bottom and top rings. Ensure the handling allowance of 2in (5cm) top and 2in (5cm) bottom is kept even. Starting with the bottom ring again, leave a 3/8in (1cm) space from the last pleat you created.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 21
    Step 21

    Pin the first pleat of the new piece of fabric to the bottom ring, and follow steps 11 to 16 once more.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 22
    Step 22

    You can see here how the swathing is starting to look. Continue to work around the frame until you have pleated every panel.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 23
    Step 23

    You should eventually arrive back at your very first pleat.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 24
    Step 24

    Remove the pin from your first pleat on the bottom ring.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 25
    Step 25

    Trim any excess fabric off your final pleat, to leave it measuring ¾in (2cm) all the way from the bottom ring to the top ring.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 26
    Step 26

    Lift the first pleat up and slip the last pleat underneath it.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 27
    Step 27

    Fold the first pleat back down and make sure the last pleat is approximately 3/8in (1cm) to match the rest of the pleats.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 28
    Step 28

    Repin the final pleat. Follow the same process on the top ring. Then oversew any remaining pleats to the binding tape.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 29
    Step 29

    When everything is stitched, trim all the excess fabric back. Be very careful not to cut into your stitching. If you do, restitch immediately.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 30
    Step 30

    The finished, swathed shade is ready for trimming.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 31
    Step 31

    If you wish to add lining, now is the time to do it. Follow the steps on below to do this, then return here to add the trim.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 32
    Step 32

    To add the feathered trim, apply glue with a wooden stirrer. I am not using pegs here to hold it in place while the glue dries, as the pegs would distort the shape of the feathers. Instead I am using lills.

    TIP
    Taffeta is a surprisingly robust fabric, so I chose not to line this shade. If you are using a sheer fabric, I would recommend lining.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 33
    Step 33

    Add the gimp to the top ring using glue applied with a wooden stirrer. Here I have used pegs to secure the trim in place while the glue dries.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 34
    Step 34

    Tidy up the feather trim with gimp, attaching it with glue and a wooden stirrer.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Flaming Juno - Step 35
    Step 35

    The flamboyant finished shade is one of my favourites.

Made this project? Share your version »

Comments

More Projects