https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/vintage-glam-feather-lampshade-from-old-ceiling-shade • Posted by Ruru S.
We all look better in kind light - diffuse a cruel bulb's glare through the forgiving and pretty screen of feathers. Glam vintage boudoir from boring lampshade in half an hour. Thanks for looking :)
We all look better in kind light - diffuse a cruel bulb's glare through the forgiving and pretty screen of feathers. Glam vintage boudoir from boring lampshade in half an hour. Thanks for looking :)
Take your ugly old triangle shaped lampshade (originally chosen for it's 'neutrality' by the people before us who painted the whole house cream). If you don't have a boring triangle lampshade (lucky) then these are cheap from department stores or lighting chain stores.
Feather trim from the local curtain shop. It's on black satin bias binding, and the black feathers have a greenish sheen. Take your feather trim and sew (or glue) it to the rim of the lampshade. My lampshade is plastic covered with a beige cloth with a self-coloured bias binding around the edge. I sewed the trim to the binding as the plastic was too hard to easily sew through, and I wanted to be able to unpick it if I didn't like the result. If you're braver than me, glue it - it's much easier. Careful that your trim will be far enough from the bulb that there is no risk of contact or being too close, and the same goes for glue. You don't want fumes or fire. Safer communities together. Start sewing/gluing at the seam of the lampshade and finish by overlapping slightly and allowing enough to fold over and sew flat.
Voila, you have a glam shade. NB: With a feather trim there is sometimes some internal glue to help the binding hold the feathers. This will gum up your needle and make sewing tougher. I used a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover and ran the needle through it occasionally to dissolve the glue. NB2: A lavender, red or black shade would be really effective depending on your decor.