Victor, Victorian
VINTAGE BEADED LAMPSHADES have been popping up on the sets of some of our favorite shows, like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and What We Do in the Shadows, and they’ve left us thirsting for that same shady glamour. There is no need to throw down stacks of cash for the real old deal when you can give a basic lampshade a glow-up with this simple DIY.
Materials
- Measuring tape
- Vintage-looking lamp base
- Non-pleated lampshade (at least twice as wide as the lamp base and a third of the height)
- Fabric (we used brocade)
- Beaded tassel trim
- Edging trim
- Craft or wrapping paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Pins
- Pinking shears
- Spray adhesive or fabric glue
- Binder clips
- Cardboard
Instructions
1. Make a pattern by laying a large piece of craft or wrapping paper on a table. Place the shade near one edge of the paper, with its seam facedown. Use a pencil to trace the bottom edge of the shade by slowly rolling the lampshade, as you trace, until you get back to the seam. Repeat for the top of the shade so you have two curved parallel lines (A). Use a ruler to draw a straight line connecting the top and bottom lines at both ends (B). Add 1″ above and below the top and bottom lines, and add ½” to each of the straight sides, extending the top and bottom lines to meet them, then cut out the pattern.
2. Use this pattern to determine how much fabric you will need for your lampshade cover. Pin the pattern to your fabric and cut with pinking shears. To prevent the edges from fraying, coat with spray adhesive. On one of the straight edges, fold in a ½” hem, secure with spray adhesive, and let dry.
3. Lightly spray the back of your fabric with adhesive, then line up the un-hemmed edge with the lampshade’s seam, making sure that your fabric is centered on the shade, with 1″ of fabric extending above the top rim, and 1″ below the bottom (C). Slowly press the fabric onto the shade, smoothing out any wrinkles as you go, and keeping the fabric centered on the shade. Spray on more adhesive as needed. The hemmed edge should overlap the un-hemmed edge by ½” (D).
4. Once secure, spray adhesive on the back of the of excess fabric at the top of the shade and fold it over the edge, securing to the shade’s interior. Repeat for the bottom. Place a binder clip at the top and bottom of the hemmed seam, and let dry completely for about an hour. 
5. For the beading, you’ll need a piece of beaded tassel trim that is as long as the circumference of the bottom of your shade. For the edging trim, you’ll need a piece that is as long as the circumference of the bottom of the shade plus the circumference of the top of the shade. Make sure the edging trim you choose is wide enough to cover the ribbon of your beaded trim.
To prevent fraying, spray the cut edges of the beaded and decorative trims with adhesive and let dry. Attach the beaded trim first by laying it facedown on the table and covering the beads with a piece of cardboard so they won’t get stuck together (E). Spray the first few inches of the trim with adhesive, then set the bottom edge of the shade on the trim so that the hemmed seam lines up with the sprayed edge of the trim (and the beads will hang down when the shade is upright). Press to adhere. Spray a few more inches of trim with adhesive and repeat (keeping the beads covered) until you are back at the hem. Place a binder clip on the hemmed seam where the fringe trim ends meet.
6. Next, attach the edging trim to the top of your shade. Cut a piece that is the length of the circumference of the top of the shade. Spray the back of this piece and, beginning at the seam, wrap the trim around the outside of the shade’s top edge. Secure at the hem with a binder clip.
7. Cut a piece of trim that is the same length as the circumference of the bottom of the shade. Rest the shade upside down and flip the beaded fringe inside the shade. Spray the back of this trim and affix it to the edge, beginning at the seam (F). Secure the trim with a binder clip at the hem. Let dry for about an hour. Place your new fancy schmancy shade onto your lamp and bask in the glow of decadence.
By Callie Watts
Photographed by Kristen Blush
This article originally appeared in the September/October 2019 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
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