How To Make A Lampshade
If you are wondering how to make a lampshade, it may be because you want to dim the light or distribute it better.
But beyond that, lampshades are subtle decor elements. They are much more than just a functional element.
Although lamps usually come with their own lampshade, they can be made from a wide variety of materials, including paper and fabric. Even those made from recycled materials are becoming fashionable!
Let’s take a closer look at it.
You can make a lampshade out of paper
Paper is a very malleable material that can be a great help in performing almost any craft. How to make a lampshade out of it.
Materials needed to make a paper lampshade
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Thin cord
- Safety pins
- Silicone adhesive
- Paper clips
- Measuring tape
- Paper
- Eraser
- Tape
- Recycled lampshade from another lamp
Step by step instructions
To start with, measure the height of the lampshade along the sloping side and add two inches. Measure the circumference on the wider side and walk with 2.5. Cut a piece of paper with these measurements.
Make a line on the white area of the paper with a pencil. The line should be parallel to each long side and 2.5 inches apart. Make fold lines between the lines parallel to the short sides, 4 centimeters apart.
Load the paper face down. Fold along each line and use them as a guide. Turn the paper over and make the lines meet to form accordion folds.
Place the folds in the short areas of the strip you cut out at the beginning to form a circle. Trim the excess paper and divide the folded circle and screen along the top edges into four parts. Mark with paper clips and the lampshade with pencil lines.
Assemble the accordion you made with paper and string. Lay strips of paper first to prevent the cord from leaving marks. Leave it like this for several hours so that the folds stay in place.
Remove the cord and paper. Glue each short end of the folded paper together with silicone glue. Let it dry.
All you have to do now is mount the folded paper with the clips over the bottom screen. Secure with two strips of tape at the top and bottom. The folds should protrude 1.5 centimeters beyond the screen. Glue the top and bottom edges to the lampshade with silicone and you are done.
Lampshade made of fabric
When you learn how to make a lampshade, you will realize that fabric is a material that is much more resistant to time and dirt than paper. Read here how to use it.
Materials
- Fabric
- Pencil
- Thread
- Measuring tape
- Iron ring
- Scissors
- Needle
Step by step instructions to make a lampshade
The first thing you need to do is define the size of the lampshade you intend to make. The circumference is between 12 and 16 centimeters. Then define style and design.
Next, you can cut your fabric. Do it with a clean and precise cut. It may have a slope at the top or be straight, it depends on the style you intend to use.
Once you have done that, put the steel wire in and cut off to make the inner and outer perimeter of the lampshade. Then sew the thread on the fabric so that the shape you designed takes shape. It may be a good idea to start with another lampshade you have.
Then sew the top and bottom rings of the fabric. Take the iron ring and attach it to the upper perimeter using a chain or metal wire to form the piece that helps you hold the bulb in the lampshade.
The importance of lampshades
Lampshades are important, in addition to their aesthetic value. They are a way to dim the intensity of the light and create mood.
What a lampshade does is scatter the light from the bulb at the top and bottom and distribute the lighting in a more precise way. To do this, the material it is made of must be thin so that light can penetrate.
