The Lampshade Book Diaries #3: Swathed pleats revisited

In  between the excitement and busy-ness of launching an upholstery school*, I have actually been working on My Book. 

Really!

This most recent chapter – which will end up somewhere near the end of the book – has been an experiment in bringing 1950s era swathed pleated shades out of their dusty vintage doldrums. It's a challenge indeed, as those wonders of folded gold and pink chiffon are beautiful. 60 years on, however, even the best-kept are dusty. 

It is time for a renewal.

Here's an original being unravelled... (look at all that glue!)

I decided to emphasise the swathed pleat-iness further by using candy-cane stripes of colour. In practice this isn't as tricky as it may sound: work a few pleats in one colour; stop; start again with another strip in a different colour. Once you read the chapter, it'll be easy, promise!

The beauty of this vintage shade is in its
tiny Marilyn Monroe waist

Swathed pleats work on two levels. Firstly, it is the angle of the folded pleat that allows the fabric to hug the curve of the shade. This is most important because the beauty of a vintage bowed empire shade is in its very tiny Marilyn Monroe waist... it’s right and proper to show it off. 

On my particular vintage shade, the correct swathe was two and a half panels. It was at this angle that the middle of the pleat just skims the centre of the bowed vertical strut.

The fact that the top ring is double the diameter of the bottom ring, makes the stripes sweep outwards towards the bottom, emphasising the corset shape. 

Colours were carefully considered. As well as being successful in its own right, this shade also has to be a balanced contribution to My Book. A subtle combo of shades would be cowardly. I needed to steer clear of 50s pinks and golds. Blues and greens are required elsewhere...  

So black and white it is, or actually a much softer version in Pongees' ‘charcoal’ and ‘pearl’ French chiffon.

Each stripe is three pleats, with four stripes per
panel, and 32 stripes in total

Once I'd made a start, I began to worry about how the raw edges of the black fabric would look when lit from behind? Surely they would be visible. Would they look crappy? Perhaps I should have chosen not-so-contrasting shades?

Here you can clearly see the not-so-clean-cut edge of the black
chiffon. This disappears when the next folded strips are added.

Happily, after working a few stripes, I shone a bulb through and the multitude of folds blended away any obvious evidence of raw edges, especially higher up where the fabric is most dense. That said, I paid particular attention to making sure that my strips were very neatly cut.    

Time for a tip…

'Oh no..!', I hear you cry, 'Perfect edges are easier said than done with silk chiffon, which jumps about and wriggles and creates a jagged cut line even under the sharpest of blades.' 

The answer, lovely lampshaders, is to draw out a single thread of the silk which will give you an even line to cut along. I found that drawing a single thread out of more than 40cm was tricky without it snapping, but even so, you have enough of a line to follow. 

(Do remember, this chapter will be towards the end of the book where the tricky projects live.)

•••

I mentioned that swathed pleats work on two levels and here's the second.

By folding the fabric, light plays through the layers creating patterns as the density changes. Indeed, a swathed shade is all-glorious when lit. This is also explains why sheer silk chiffon is the ideal choice. 

I decided to push this theory when I considered my lining. I happened to have some ivory coloured sheer Japanese cotton voile with a floral self-colour pattern. Rather than hold up the creative process by ordering something plain, I plunged on in and am really please I did. Look…

The subtle floral pattern is gently revealed when the shade is
lit, especially where the pleats are less dense. Magic!

And this is where I've got to…

Ready for trimming (it's the photo that's wonky, not the shade ;)

It's not finished as I haven’t chosen a trim yet, but there comes a point when you can do too much on a shade. I may well have a little potter through Houles' scrumptious catalogue. Today I like this one...

Another tip…

When not fiddling with your lampshades it's wise to keep them under wraps. This isn't because of creative espionage, but because house flies think it’s funny to sneak into sheds through open windows and poo on lampshades. Not funny at all!!!! 

Everything lives under muslin

Useful resources:

Pongees Silks at pongees.co.uk
Houles Trimmings at www.houles.com
Bowed empire lampshade frames at www.dannells.com

The Traditional Upholstery School* opens its doors this September with classes, courses and workshops in traditional and modern upholstery, soft furnishings and lampshade making.

While such busy-ness has been all-consuming, my creative doings in the Shed have become a retreat from the lists, mis-functioning email accounts and such-like time-consuming tasks. 

Thank goodness for lampshades xxx

The Lampshade Book Diaries #2: Starting in the middle

I once heard a grand film director claim that it's always a good idea to start the first day of filming with the most ambitious and crucial scene of all. Thereby you set the pace for the rest of the scenes to follow.

So I've plunged right in and started writing My Book at what will probably become page 63. This chapter is dedicated to explaining the intricacies and joys of making pleated lampshades. These grand dames are full of tricky pitfalls. This chapter must be both a project and a wider explanation of the general technique. And of course it must be very beautiful.

With such a grand task, I flung myself into making the shade. It was a joy and a relief to make a start. I made notes along the way when I thought up a handy tip or wrinkle. Here's sneak preview…

The choosing... 

 

 

I found the frame in the 'shop' at Denman (for anyone who's been there it's the cupboard behind the dining room stuffed with hand-me-downs of a thready nature). A small vintage straight-sided oval is a rare thing of beauty and just what I needed. The fabric is the most gorgeous palest of pale pink linens from the lovely Ada and Ina.

The making…

 

A pleated shade starts with lots of measuring... on the shade frame itself and even on the fabric. (You can see I kept the original binding on the shade as it was so very nicely done).

Nooo! Ran out of fabric just before the end and had to do a tidy join

Many hundreds of pins are essential. Folk often ask me if I use special pins. Lampshade makers from yesteryear would have metal headed pins just like dressmaking pins called 'lills'. I find these very hard on the fingertips, so I use bead-headed pins. It's most important that pins are very sharp and sturdy, not too long and flimsy. (Having tried and tested many I'd say Asda and Waitrose pins are tops.)

Pleated lampshades really must be stitched in order to keep those pleats nice and firm. I chose to line my linen shade in antique white muslin, which has an open weave but still diffuses the light well, has lovely 'give' on the bias and looks just fabulous with the soft pink linen. You can see 'lampshade stitch' in progress. Here's how...

To start the stitch, come out at A, in at B and out again at C. Then bring your needle back to B and stitch to C again. This extra locking stitch holds the stitching firm as you work and prevents slipping. (Don't worry, a proper artist will re-draw my wonky efforts)

The writing... and a bit of 'needs must'

Once the shade was safely wrapped and tucked away awaiting perfect trimmings, I wrote the words for this huge chapter, which took twice as long... a very long day indeed.

So that my lovely readers don't get lost wading through instructions, there must be at least four other identical shades in various stages of undress which will illustrate the chapter. But by their very nature, vintage shade frames are one-offs and additional straight sided ovals are not to be found. I had, of course, predicted this conundrum but convinced myself that it would be a doddle for a handy blacksmith to attach vertical struts to some of Dannell's most splendid oval ringsets. I posted some off and unfortunately the his quoted cost was similar to a long weekend in a luxurious place.
Euw.

So I rummaged deep into eBay and found some ready-made straight-sided drums which, while not oval, will certainly do to explain the point perfectly.

No-one said it would be easy.

Number of words written so far: 5, 033

And one final thing... remember that gigantic box of lampshade frames sent to me by Dannell's (so big I could re-sell it on Rightmove?). Well, Mr H took great offense to my suggestion of allowing it to fill a corner of his newly tidied garage, so I have taken out all the shade frames and dangled them (neatly labelled) from the Shed ceiling. To all intents and purposes, they've disappeared. Magic!

This diary is about the writing of a book about lampshade making for Search Press. It will be published in summer 2017. The title is as yet undecided, so it is being fondly referred to as My Book.

The Lampshade Book Diaries #1: Yes! Let's do it!

 

This post is the start of recording a year-long project (more or less) which is likely to be my biggest obsession of 2016. My Book.

My Book (as yet otherwise untitled) is completely and utterly dedicated to my love of lampshade making. It is written for the sole use of other lovelies who also enjoy rustling up bright affectations. It will be full of useful tips and wrinkles, very beautiful lampshade project ideas and will, I hope, share the joy that can be had with bits of wire and thread.

When working on the proposal for My Book there was precious little resource for folks who wanted to restore their own shades. Indeedy, my own stash of well thumbed ancient copies were written decades ago by lovelies called Phyllis and Olive. Back then craft books were designed to inform in an economic and largely monochrome way. I had decided to write A Sequel to these dry tomes, to bring the happy wonders of lampshade making to a new audience.

I sent out two or three copies of my proposal to my favourite publishers and it was the lovely folks at Search Press who saw the light and rang me that very day and said 'Yes! Yes indeed, let's do it!!'.

Such are the mysteries of the book publishing world that nearly a year has flown by. Five weeks ago (already!!) I went to meet my lovely publisher and editor, who were kind and enthusiastic and let me chatter about colours and shapes while they nodded and made notes.

And now my Shed is tidy (ish), my working life is reasonably re-organised to fit in this special task and there's nothing left to do but actually make a start. It is suddenly quite daunting. Indeed I have decided think about it only in chapter-sized chunks. I shall start in the places where I feel most at home and then, when I have got into the swing of it, venture into the daunting territories of not-quite-yet-resolved creative ideas. The fact that I won't be writing from the beginning and working my way through to the end isn't at all strange.

Each blog post will keep you up to date on my progress, making tips, creative planning, choosing fabrics and all the stuff and fluff that will go into writing a book about making things.

Meanwhile, I thought you might like to see what my world has started to look like...

my sewing room ceiling

my daughter's play shed... i HAVE promised i'll tidy up

the sewing room book shelves creaking under the weight of other fabulous craft books

the creative hub... the Shed

favourite treasures

i found these in a French car boot...

vintage lovelies that were lurking in the attic til quite recently (I'm not even taking you in there)

...and my lovely assistant Nellie who is a great secret keeper and snoozer

I'll try and keep you posted every week with progress. xx

PS I'm sitting in my Shed in a state of great excitement and anticipation as the lovely people at Dannells are sending a pile of their fabulous lampshades to me in a lorry TODAY!!!!! Yay! Needless to say I am hugely grateful for their generosity and happiness to be part of this great project. I shall, of course, tell you more about it next time (...like where on earth I found storage space) xxxxxxx

Lampshade tutorial #1: Jenny Wren (Part Two)

If my last post inspired your crafty soul to have a go at making your own  'Jenny Wren' shade... hooray! Your frame will now be beautifully bound and ready for covering with treasured fabric scraps. As promised, this post explains how to do just that. My Jenny Wren combines sugar sweet vintage sheeting with an odd-ball piece of embroidered table linen. Choose whatever makes you happy. As long as your fabrics are of a similar weight, all will be fine.
'Part Two' is pretty straightforward, but I would be fibbing if I said  little sewing know-how wouldn't be useful. Just take it steady and be as accurate as you can. Here goes:

How to make your Jenny Wren lampshade: Part Two

 

5. To make a template for your fabric panels pin a scrap of sheeting, on the  bias, to the wrapped shade. It's tempting to start in one place and work around... but no. Instead, place a pin top and bottom, side and side. Then work from the middle of each side to the corners, gently stretching as you go. This method will enable you to achieve an evenly-stretched piece of fabric sheeting. To check that yours is sitting happily straight and perfect, look closely at the weave of the fabric - the lines should be running diagonally and be straight and not wavy.

A little tip about pinning Insert pins so that they are pointing in towards the centre of the panel, braced like tent pegs or tug-o-war people. This will allow them to sit firm and not scratch you quite so often.

6. Mark around the outline of the panel with a pencil. Unpin and then cut out the shape following the pencil line. Your shape should resemble the shade frame panel and be symmetrical when folded in half. If it is very wonky have another go, concentrating on keeping the stretch and tension neat and even.

A little note: Most shade frames have six or eight panels all the same shape, so just one template will do. Mine was an oval empire so the four side panels were different to the two centre panels. This meant I had to make two template: one for the centres, and another for the sides.

7. Use your template to cut out all your panels. You will need to leave about an inch seam allowance up the sides and two inches top and bottom for finger-pulling room. To be accurate, use a water-soluble fabric pen to mark the two side seams. A dotted line will do. Mark the two top corners clearly with tailor tacks. Arrange your fabric panels in a pleasing order and pin together, making sure the tailor tacks all meet up. 

Machine sew using a small stitch and easing stretch into the seam as you go. Sew from edge to edge, not just along the dotted lines. Once done, sew another line 2mm to the outside of the first seam, again easing stretch in. Sew all the seams so that you will finish with something that resembles a skirt. Dab out the marker pen, leave the tailor tacks in and press. The picture above shows the panels laid flat before the last seam is sewn.

8. Now you can stretch your fabric cover onto, or into, the frame. Start by pinning the top of each seam at the tailor tack to the top of each vertical on the inside of the ring. Pin with the pins facing inwards and down. Then pin the bottom of each seam, pulled to give a little tension, to the bottom of each vertical strut. Fill the gaps along the rings with pins working an even stretch across the shape. Now spend time adjusting the pinning, aiming for an even spread of tension until the cover is smooth and wrinkle free. You are finished when the fabric is taut with no puckers or wrinkles.

Another little tip about pinning As you adjust, only take out one pin at a time. It is usually only necessary to pull the bottom only to create enough tension. The tailor tacks should stay in position around the top edge. The seams should line up with the vertical struts. 

9. Navigating the shade carrier. To fit the cover all the way around you will need to navigate around the gimbals, or shade carrier. Essentially you need to cut down form the top edge of the fabric to the point where the fabric meets the gimbal at the top ring. Do this once you feel confident that you have pinned and stretched the cover to a reasonable fit. Mark the place where you are cutting down to, remove one or two pins to either side and then use sharp scissors to make the cut. Once cut and re-pinned you will be able to continue adjusting your pinning to create a perfect wrinkle-free cover.

10. Use a sharp needle and strong sewing thread (I use upholstery weight thread) to sew the cover to the inside of the wrapped top and bottom rings. Use small stitches only taking out one pin at a time. To avoid getting pricked too often, sit with an old cushion on your knee or stand up to your workbench.

Once sewn all the way round, trim the top and bottom edges to 0.5cm from the stitching, fold back over the stitches and use a very fine line of UHU to stick down. Remember that when light shines through the fabric, any overlap will show, so make sure your raw edge is no deeper than the top or botton rings. If you don't wish to line your shade you can cover this raw edge with braid, ribbon or bias binding.

11. To line your shade used exactly the same technique. I used a lightweight cotton jersey fabric. I created another template so I had just two panel and two seams. Once pinned and stretched, I trimmed the edges to just 0.5mm, tucked them in and stitched them in place using a small curved needle.

12. Now you can embellish your fabulous inside out shade with a feathered bird, papery butterfly or fabric blossom... indeed any cheery item of handmade happiness to gladden your heart. 

Tweet tweet! xx

Lampshade tutorial #1: Jenny Wren

It is my intention to share useful handy tips and wrinkles (as doris would say) to fellow lampshade makers, especially those still getting the hang of this most rewarding craft. The plan is to start by working step-by-step through a handmade tailored silk shade trimmed with handmade frills. As it's been a busy few days in the Shed, this happy shade is still on the workbench so I've decided to share a little number already tucked up my sleeve... 

'Jenny Wren' was first created for Tend magazine. It is quite original, in that no-one to the best of my knowledge has ever created an inside out shade. Indeed it is one of my trade mark shades (and so it goes without saying that it should only be made for personal enjoyment). A little lampshading experience will stand you in good stead, however even utmost beginners can join in and create a beautiful and impressive 'bird cage' Jenny Wren by just wrapping the frame in bright fabrics.

As this project is quite involved, I have decided to split it into two posts. Here is...

How to make your Jenny Wren Lampshade: Part One

 

You will need: 
An old lampshade frame
Fabrics for the cover and to make binding strips (lightweight cottons and linens are ideal)
Berry-headed pins
UHU glue
Old sheeting to make the template
Cotton jersey lining fabric (optional)
Strong sewing thread, needle and scissors
Clip-on birds, butterflies, flowers or other lovelies

1. Start with a tatty old shade. Any shape will do as long as you love it. Use old scissors to strip of the old fabric and a blunt edge to scrape off any glue. My shade is an oval 'banded' empire, which means it has an extra ring around the bottom edge... great for perching on.

2. Choose your fabric. The cover is a patchwork of panels, so make the most of treasured scraps. Choose fabric of a similar weight and character, with similar stretch when pulled on the bias. I combined various scraps of vintage sheeting with a little bit of embroidered table linen. It was all looking rather polite so I threw strong shades of silk into the mix for binding.

3. Rust has a habit of creeping through so paint your shade frame with a quality primer of stain block.

4. Now bind your frame with strips of fabric. This all-engrossing job can take a couple of evenings. Start by cutting your fabric into 1in (2.5cm) wide strips on the bias. Bias-cut strips bind neatly and fray less.

Bind the verticals first, wrapping around the top ring to start off, securing with a dab of UHU and a pin. Fold the trailing edge of the strip under to hide the raw edge and wrap, keeping it constantly tight and evenly bound. It takes a while to get the knack, so don’t feel too bad if you have to undo the first one. Once you get the hang of it, try combining two colours to create a candy stripe.

Once all the verticals are bound, bind the top and bottom rings, hiding all the raw ends as you go. Finish with your end at the back of the ring, fixed with a dab of UHU or a stitch.

At this stage if you wish you can attach a pretty handmade accessory and stand back to admire your work. If you'd like to carry on and make the complete Jenny Wren shade this is what's in store next week…

Making the template, sewing and stretching on the cover. Happy frame binding xx

Lampshade Masterclass #1: The Secret of Uprighteous 70s Shades

 

Along with peacock wicker chairs and macramé hanging baskets, iconic 70s West German chimney-shaped shades are back.

The original chunky earthenware bases still crop up in charity shops and, while far less shades have made it through the decades, keen drum lampshade makers will be able to create exact replicas. Yay...! 

HOWEVER, dear lampshaders... a wise word before you begin. 

A tall, narrow and top heavy shade attached by a tiny ring to a disproportionately small fixing will lean and wobble in a most disappointing and dispiriting way. The good news is that our 70s hipster predecessors discovered just how to ensure that their iconic wonders stood straight and tall. And so, my first 'tip' in the revival of this blog is...

The Secret of Uprighteous 70s Shades 

Imagine you are all set to create your new 70s shade and are about to roll your rings onto the fabric-covered laminate panel. A wise lampshader would have her smaller ring at the top and the larger ring complete with gimbals at the bottom. But no, my nimble-fingered dearies, not this time… 

Instead, along the bottom wider edge you will be rolling two rings: a plain ring AND a gimbal-fitted ring tucked along next to it on the inside. Yes… double ring rolling. 

The plain ring will be covered in Tessa tape (the one at the bottom in the above photo) and so will stick to the card, yet the gimbal-ring will not be taped. To make this less of a circus trick, I attach the two rings together using three or four spacers (tape-covered match sticks) to make it easy to prise them apart when rolling is done. While temporarily attached, they will act as one while rolling.

So, once rolled you will have one ring at the top as usual, and two at the bottom. At this stage you can remove the match stick spacers, nudge the gimbal fitted ring a little further up the chimney and create the rolled edge around the plain ring by tucking in the fabric as usual. 

The gimbal fitting will be held firmly in place by the tightly fitting shade, but there will be just enough give to allow you to compensate for any lopsided wobble when attached to the lamp base.

And here is another I made earlier...

A little note:
This making tip is written for lampshaders who have already made one or two drum shades. If you haven't yet made a start, take a peep at the ever-so-useful Needcraft website.

Another little thought: 
It has occurred to me that you could simply roll a single plain ring at the bottom edge and then try to slot the gimbal fitted ring inside afterwards. To be honest, I haven't done it so I simply do not know if this would work... but do let me know if you've tried it successfully as it would save a little circus-trickery.

in between days

The teaching of upholstery and lampshade making has taken up much time during the first two months of 2015, which means all is going to plan. even so, my little grey Shed is the place i potter to many mornings for a quiet day absorbed in chair renovations.

Right now the most lovely chaise longue is almost finished in Peony and Sage's Just Bees, but as i can't stand back far enough to take its photo it will have to wait for another post. Here's a hint of its loveliness...

Just to show that the days in between the busy bustle have been industrious, here are three very contrasting projects which have been in and out of the Shed so far in 2015...

Vanessa's smart chair…

…the old frame is wobble-free and the seat re-sprung and re-stuffed before covering in Sanderson's nattily perfect houndstooth check. 

Sue's mid Century heirloom fireside chair…

…again, the sorry seat was treated to new stuffing. Gorgeous woolcoth brought it bang up to date (Moons, I believe?).The piping styling is in keeping with the era.

And Naomi's gaming chair. Not my usual thing at all, but i do love challenge...

…the whole thing was pre-sewn then pulled on like a super-tight jumper. Underneath are rubber runners on which the chair rocks (they looked rather like wind-screen wipers). Buttons were essential as the shape is concave. 

It seems that a quiet colour palette is very now. Indeed, more shades of grey are expected. In the meanwhile if you'd like to find out the ins and outs, costs and quantities of having your own furniture renovated, I'd be happy to help. Here's where to find me: www.thetraditionalupholsterystudio.co.uk