Making a Cover for a Lampshade

This month I've been tearing down vintage lampshades.  The frames require sanding, spray with Rustoleum, and wrapping the metal frame to provide a wrapped surface to attach fabric to the frame with handstitching.  Here are some photos showing the process of making a fabric cover.  

Drape a double thickness of fabric over half the shade.  Have the fold of the fabric at the top.  Pin and mark side seams with fabric marking pen.  A fabric marking pen has purple ink that disappears later.

 Cut out fabric, allowing extra for a seam.  You can straighten seams lines a bit using the marking pen and ruler before you sew.  At the top, cut the fold.

Place right sides together, pin, and sew seam.  Trim seam to 1/8". 

Turn the fabric, and slide over the shade.  Pin top and bottom snug.  This is a step I repeat several times.  Usually the cover is too big first fitting and I take it off, sew another 1/8" from last seam, and trim seam again.  You want a nice snug fit.  

 Eventually, you'll get the nice snug fit you want.  I use a thick bathtowel on my kitchen table to protect the finish from the sharp pins. 

 Once the pins are in place, you can handstitch the fabric around the top and bottom.  Be sure to STOP when you pick yourself with the pins.  You don't want to transfer blood from your finger to the fabric.  Take your time.  Your stitches will be covered by trim, so the sewing technique you choose doesn't have to be pretty, but the material needs to be snug and attached with enough small stitches.

 

Above photo: the top is snug and ready to be handstitched around the perimeter.

After you handstitch the top and bottom frame, trim away extra fabriic close to stitches, and add decorative trim with hot glue gun.

I used eyelash trim at the top and acrylic beads at the bottom.