Thrift Thursday and Tutorial Tuesday: My New Shade

Well..

where else would Thrift Thursday and Tutorial Tuesday Meet but WIP Wednesday?
Here is my new thrifted lamp, and a tutorial so you can make a fancy paper shade...
Just like mine!

Thrifted Lamp: 4.00
plus Paper to recover shade: 2.50
Equals Deluxe Custom Bedroom mood lighting for under 10.00
(and greenish to boot.)

Many lamps from the thrift store are fine except for shade issues. This one was pretty good but very lightly crunched on one side and dusty and cheap looking all over...

Recovering the shade with paper is a quick and inexpensive fix that works best on squared or drum shades.


This type of fix works best on shades that are in this good of condition or better. For shades that are discolored, deeply dented or torn, you would want to mount the paper onto a plastic lampshade backing or heavy bristol board white paper (using a spray mounting adhesive) and use only the metal frame of the lampshade, removing all the old fabric and lining.

For this easier fix, I simply traced the lamp shade panels and cut them out of the pretty paper. I used a high quality sheet of wrapping paper for mine, and a rotary cutter and straight edge to cut it, for a more professional edge.



These panels were glued onto the dusted shade with a strong permanent glue stick. I used a line around the edges and held it in place manually until it adhered firmly.
I used a glue stick to avoid any discoloration or puckering that you can sometimes get with liquid glue. A permanent book binders double sided tape might also work, but only if your paper isn't too transparent.



I then cut 2 inch strips which I folded into a paper bias tape of sorts. Folding the strip in half and then folding each edge in until it met in the middle on the fold line.

You could also use a pre-made fabric bias tape in a coordinating color, as it would both look beautiful and be very easy to work with, needing none of the notching on the corners outlined in the following steps.

The paper trim is then glued on the inside fold and applied to the sides of the shade. They are mitered to exactly fit the sides with no bulky overhang.

If you are not recovering a lamp, but rebuilding one from the frame up, it would be a good idea to use a single thickness of paper glued tightly on each seam and the top and bottom of the lamp before applying this paper trimming over the top.

To apply a strip of paper trim to the top and bottoms of the shade you modify the strip by unfolding and trimming a 1/4 inch off of what will be the inside edge (That is the side of the trim paper that will be facing the inside of the shade and wrapping over the wire frame.)

Then glue the side with the fold so that the crisp edge of the fold meets the bottom, if you are doing the bottom ( Top for the top, of course) of the wire on the frame. Notch a small 'v' in the outside of the tape, Just at each corner edge, so that the paper folds neatly around the outside.
additional touched of glue will make this lay just right.

You next fold the unfolded trimmed inner paper over the wire and glue in place. Make sure your crease stays visible by not over pulling the paper to the inside. I made several small cuts to get the paper to round perfectly on the inside corners and made sure each side was well set before moving to the next. I also hid the seam on a back corner of the lamp shade.

If you are recovering a drum style shade, make these tiny cuts all along the inner edges. But if you used fabric bias tape, don't need to make any.


Place the shade on your lamp, or on your head, and do a happy dance, because you're all done and it was un-believably easy!

Workbasket Wednesday: Coffee Tea or Me?

Sorry for the long sign off... I switched to Postum and I haven't been able to get out of bed for a week.
I kid, of course. They will be prying my coffee cup from my cold dead hands.

I actually have been sewing like a veritable fiend. I am almost done with a dress for myself and I finished a little dress for a sweet little Muse from New York, both out of fantastic vintage fabrics.
I just love working with vintage fabrics! I used new patterns in classic shapes from the new Burda Magazine I picked up last Monday, so the dresses still look "vintage-y". I liked using the magazine patterns. It was my first time with a Burda Magazine and I have to say.. It was Well Worth The Money. In fact the stuff in the new issue is looking so yummy, I may have to subscribe or something. It won't keep me from sewing true New Vintage... but it might help me work through this stash!

It's finally sunny today so I hope to get a couple of quick snapshots to share.

Oh and I have a Thrift Thursday Tutorial tomorrow. Wooo Hooo.

And I have made a cute little crop of mushroom babies.

Busy, busy, busy.
Thank You, Caffeine. You poor maligned darling.
You are my best friend.

Made it Myself Monday: Prototypical Mushroom Baby

This is the prototype WIP Mushroom Baby I made for the Mushroom Swap Hosted by Knit Sonya.
(It's closed now... so sorry.)

This idea and the Very Literal Non Spotty Mushroom idea duked it out in my head as far as swap item direction went. Due to an overabundance of personal internal whimsy, the dolls are winning.
I still have some stuff to work out like hands and feet and weighting but, I think I'd be excited to get something like this in a swap.

I have to say the Mushrooms are sprouting up at the Flickr swap page and all are looking pretty luscious. There is a lot to live up to out there!

Happy Birthday Grandma

Today is my grandma's birthday.
I love her... and I don't tell her that enough.

Happy Birthday, Grandma.
You are the coolest grandma in the whole world.

Workbasket Wednesday: Damn Near a Decade of Craft

Not too long ago I happened upon a remarkable find at the Goodwill store near my house.
The Workbasket Magazine, not one or two, but a nearly complete collection of issues from 1952 to 1960.

Say it with me now: Bo-Nan-Za!

This magazine is a treasure trove of handi-crafted miracles of semi-modern housewiffery including recipes, gardening, canning tips and all make and model of needlework.
Not to mention the advertising, which is the absolute last word on the fact that we have indeed "Come a long way, baby". (Ummm, "Free Style Book For The Stout", anyone?) It is chock fill of kitschy advise and ideas for a crafty girl who is just trying to hustle up a crafty buck. Want to make a few pennies off your neighbors? Plant a tiny succulent in cleaned out marrow bones! I bet they sell like hotcakes. My! Now, that is crafty.

Relax honey... I said you looked "kitschy"

I will be putting these in my etsy shop in yummy batches, as I have enjoyed them, but need to find them good homes with people who might be able to do the tatting, knitting, and adorable crochet patterns that I alas, cannot. If you are interested in the whole lot please drop me an email and make me an offer.

However, I will be using my Wednesday blog space to share some tasty tidbits found in their slightly yellowed pages.

And Today, we will start with

"Success With Stuffies"

(click pages to enlarge and print)

Additional Sizes Also Available on my Flickr Page.

Made It Myself Monday: Japanese Linen Shirt Redux

Once upon a time there was a semi savvy seamstress who thought she was clever enough to do just about any old thing. She bought fancy linen fabric. She bought an exotic Japanese craft book.



She was baffled that the patterns weren't in the craft book but since she reads and speaks no Japanese what-so-ever, it takes several days for her to realize it does include instructions to draw up the pattern yourself. The blouse in the picture was lovely.




There were diagrams. The fancy pleating looked straight forward enough. She thought she could handle it. She cut right into the fancy linen.

The blouse was a disaster. There were no photos.



Her confidence blown, she shelved the whole mess for 4 long months.

A New Year came... and with it, the Annual Cleaning of the Closet. The Unfortunate Blouse came out of the closet and on to "The Pile That Must Be Finished". The crafty woman, using a technique both simple and forgiving, finally completed the project.

(you know the drill: click on photo to enlarge)

Not too bad.



Clever, once again.

(thanks to KnitSonya for the photos in the park!)