2.20.2012

Upcycle a Lamp With Ribbons and a Skirt


I seem to be dreaming about lamps and lampshades lately.  Every old fashioned, broken or damaged lamp or shade I come across speaks to me as a project just waiting to be upcycled.  My son understands this about me and “gifted” me with a lamp to fix up.  It has nice lines and a pewter finish.  It used to have a purple glass globe forming the column.  But it became a bit wobbly, fell over and broke.  Well once again, ribbon to the rescue! 


First I had to stabilize the base so it wouldn’t wobble anymore.  Most wobbly lamps simply need to be tightened.  You might need to remove a covering on the underneath side of the base to check the nut that holds the lamp assembly tight.  If you tighten that and your lamp still wobbles, look for other nuts closer to the socket that might need tightening.  It is such an easy fix!  Inspect the wiring to be sure there are no breaks or tears that could be a fire hazard.  If it looks troublesome, you can pick up a re-wiring kit at the hardware store and do it yourself.  It is a fairly simple project.

I wrapped the column with a length of ribbon to cover the metal.  Then I simply tied on 6”-8” lengths of ribbon clustering them closely to fill it out.  It was fun, inexpensive and very easy!

For my shade, I used another fabulous Thrift Shop linen skirt.  What a find!  The cutout design around the hem of the skirt was just perfect for the look I wanted to achieve.  I had to fiddle with it a bit to get the fullness that looked proportional.  I left the lining of the skirt intact for extra support.  At the top edge I made a narrow hem, then a casing.  I was going to pull ribbon or string through the casing to draw it up but ended up using a piece of 1/4” elastic.  That provided it a little give and made it easier to adjust the fullness.  When I had it looking the way I want, I simply stitched around the elastic and the top frame of the shade to keep it secure.

I am so happy with the results!

For more fun with Lamps and Shades
Make a New Lampshade

Upcycle a Dress into a Lampshade