Handsewn Lampshade Masterclass

A truly accessible craft, hand sewing requires very little equipment. It’s also relatively inexpensive and easy to source in local craft shops or online. Chloe provides personal recommendations and trusted suppliers.

Before embarking on the practical side of the course, it’s helpful to understand the different varieties of lampshades available so you can make the right choice for your own room and style.

Deciding on the materials you want to use in your project is an incredibly fun process, but there are some limitations to the sorts of fabrics you can use in order to achieve the very best results. In this lesson, Chloe shows you what she likes to use, and provides a guide for you to source your own.

Chloe offers advice for selecting the perfect trim for your lampshade project, and discusses the different options depending on the look you want to achieve.

To get the very most out of the course, there are three fundamental stitches to learn, and Chloe demonstrates each of them. This lesson is an introduction, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to master them throughout the two projects.

Discover the two types of lampshades you’ll be learning how to make, as Chloe talks through their differences.

A vital key to the success of lampshade making is accurately working out how much fabric to use. Chloe shares her winning formulas with you to achieve perfect results each time.

With the calculations done, it’s time to prepare the lining fabric. Follow along with Chloe as she measures and cuts the lining ready to be used later on in the course.

The process for getting your outer fabric ready is largely the same, but with one difference to bear in mind.

Both projects require a gathering technique, which can be done in two different ways. Chloe demonstrates how to do it with a sewing machine.

If you don’t have access to a sewing machine, you can easily achieve a beautiful gather in your fabric using hand sewing techniques, and Chloe shows you how.

With your fabric now fully prepped, it’s time to turn our attention towards getting the lampshade frame bound and ready.

At this point in the course, you will focus on the first project and during the next few lessons Chloe will be showing you how to create a gathered lampshade with a velvet trim.

With the outer fabric in place, it’s time to tackle the lining. Many of the techniques are the same, so it’s an opportunity to perfect your skills.

By this stage you will have almost completed your first lampshade, and you’ll be starting to see the results of your hard work! The final step is to add the finishing touch; a velvet trim.

You will now move onto the second project, creating a lampshade with a frilly edge. The process is slightly different, and Chloe is on hand to guide you through.

Learn how to accommodate for the frilly edge in this part of the construction, with helpful tips and tricks from Chloe.

Chloe shares another technique she uses frequently in her own studio; making a bespoke trim from a fabric of your choice. It’s a really easy way to give your lampshade even more of a special handmade touch.

The final step to finishing your lampshade is adding the trim around the top and bottom of the frame.

With both projects complete, Chloe offers some final words of support and encouragement.