Shade-y Business

I wish I had progress to write about and show regarding the master bathroom mini-makeover, or even the loveseat this week, but alas, the only thing we've accomplished in the bathroom this week is ripping off the backslash and the loveseat is just chillaxin' half covered in foam.  So, we explore the tangent of a project I've been meaning to take on for a few months now but just managed to squeeze in this week.  It regards lamp shades.  Last year I scored some off-white, satin-covered, drum lamp shades for like four bucks each at a local discount store.  They were a teensy bit banged up (hence the low, low price) but nothing that a little bit of fabric and a glue gun couldn't hide...even though the 'hiding' happened several months later.  But anyway, on to the good stuff.  I decided to recover them with burlap, white burlap.  Only I found out that the 'white' burlap I ordered from JoAnn's isn't really 'white', it's more ivory.  I took it home anyway, brainstorming on how to make it white.  First, I tried soaking a small piece in pure bleach.  Fail.  It actually changed to a more tan color.  (I know, I'm as confused as you.)  Then I tried soaking another small piece in a bleach and water mix.  Fail.  No change.  I had one last option...spray paint.  Semi-fail.  My burlap turned 1/10000000 of a degree lighter.  So, I threw white to the wind and just worked with what I had.  

First, I cut out my pieces by wrapping the entire chunk of burlap around one shade, making sure it was fitted tightly around.

I then secured my tight fit with some clips and cut around the shade, leaving an inch of extra fabric around the top and bottom.

       (I really could've used another hand for this project when it came to picture taking.)

For the second shade cover, I just used my first cover as a pattern and cut away.  Behold my two pieces:

Know that they don't have to be perfect.  All excess fabric will be cut off at the end, leaving a perfectly fitted fabric cover.

Next, starting with the seam, I glued one side down.  (Side Note:  The burlap I bought had a great finished seam along the ends so I made sure my top seam was made with that pre-finished end, making the bottom seam an unfinished end that would be covered up.  You also need to make sure that your seam is straight up and down.  Before gluing, I made sure the pre-finished top seam was straight and then cut my bottom unfinished seam to be straight.  Comprehendo?  I hope so.)

Then I wrapped the rest of the fabric around, made sure it was tight, and glued the other seam down.  I might also mention that I glued my new fabric seam right over the existing seam of the shade just to keep things cool. 

On I moved to the inside of the shade where I began gluing down fabric by squeezing a line of glue into the crevice there and using the tops of my fingers to press the fabric into place,  holding them there until it dried and the fabric was firmly attached.  I worked in three inch sections so that I had enough time to glue, put the glue gun down, and hold fabric.  Had I tried to work in larger sections, it would've been hard to get the fabric down before the glue cooled and dried, leaving me with no stickage.

Little by little, I made my way around...

...until I had one side done and moved on to the next.

When I ran into a hardware rod, I cut the fabric so as to fit around the rod like so:

It was lookin' good, but my fingers, not so good:

 

After I was done gluing, I simply cut off the extra fabric inside the shade.  It still looked a little unkempt for my taste though so I think (another day, another post maybe?) I'll get some thin ribbon to cover the inside ends of the shade but for now, they're livable.  :)

One shade down, one to go.  See the difference? 

They're not much of a change in color, but they definitely scored points in the texture area.  And who knows, some applique or some sort of border might be in these shade's futures.  Who knows what I'll think of next?  :)

For now though, I'm happy with what I've got.

Total Cost:  Around $12.  ($10 for the shades and $2 for a little over half a yard of 'white' burlap (purchased with a coupon at JoAnn's)).  Not bad considering these...

 burlap shades from Pottery Barn will run you back at least $29 (the shades that are the same size as mine - large - are $59 each...ouch!)  Now THAT'S some shade-y business if you ask me!  :)

Anyway, I've got two new, long-awaited shades after completing a pretty simple project that didn't require a ton of time or energy.  The best part about this project is that you can use any fabric you want - bold, patterned, solid, textured - add appliques, ribbon, fabric flowers, or whatever lights your lamp to get a bright impact.  Haha...pun intended. 

Anyone else taken up the task of switching up a lamp shade or two?  I'd love to see them!  I have a little bit of a lamp obsession (just ask Anthony)...you can check it out by clicking on my lamps label under Hot Topics up there on there right.  :)

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So that's all folks!  I hope everyone has a great weekend!  If you're in the mood for some make-believe, a tid bit of diy, a super cute baby, and a few laughs, head on over to my sister's blog - www.patrickandfarrah.com