HERE’S A SUPER FUN STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL ON HOW TO MAKE GOREGEOUS CUSTOM PLEATED LAMPSHADES – THE BEST PART – NO SEWING REQUIRED | YOUTUBE VIDEO
Hi, #sifamily, and so happy you’re here because today I’m sharing how to update your decor on a dime with a DIY custom pleated lampshade! I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for new bedroom lamps. I found a pair of gold swinging arm lamps with these plain shades for $12! I’m not ready to install them quite yet (I really want to paint my back wall first), but in the meantime, I went ahead and fancied up these lampshades. You can find amazing second-hand shades for only a few dollars. These went from looking very generic to elegant. Wait until you see them now!
In today’s post, I’m also sharing –
- Where to find super cheap lampshades
- How to pick the right material
- A 5-cent clamp to glue your fabric perfectly
- And more!
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Here are the two lampshades I started with. Nothing fancy. Pretty plain.
THIS POST IS SPONSORED/CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE. YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.
YOUTUBE TUTORIAL
Here’s the full step-by-step YouTube video tutorial published for you. Then, keep scrolling for all the products, supplies, colors, and step-by-step details! Our #siyoutubefamily is already a community of 58.8K, so don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t yet. You’re the BEST, and I SO appreciate your support! 🙂
SUPPLIES
Thrift Lamp Shades + Lamps – SALVAGED
Fabric — SALVAGED
Ruler/Straight Edge
Sharpie
Scissors (for cutting material)
Iron (for pressing fabric)
Hot Glue Gun
Binder Clips
WHY DIY YOUR OWN LAMPSHADE?
I was looking for a pleated lampshade on Amazon and Wayfair and found some gorgeous shades but they were costly.- I couldn’t believe the prices!
There are a TON of shades at local thrift stores, and so long as you like the shape, the design can easily be changed with supplies you probably already have at home. (see supply list above) This is a great way to save money and create something custom for your home. All you need is a piece of fabric you love and some hot glue.
The best part – NO sewing required, and this project takes around 30 minutes from start to finish!
PICKING AND CUTTING FABRIC STRIPS
For DIY pleated fabric lampshades, a light or midweight material is the easiest to work with. Nothing super heavy like a thick corduroy or heavy embroidered velvet because that may be hard to iron flat and keep a neat appearance on the shade after gluing. A light or midweight fabric is super easy to work with, so this is the best choice.
I like finding fabric remnants from thrift stores. Often, I can find meters of beautiful quality fabric selling for a few dollars. I bring them home. Wash them up. And they are good as buying off the bolt at a fabric store! For these custom lampshades, I used a fabric I already had on hand – this classic black and gold paisley.
Here’s how I cut the fabric to size:
- Use a straight edge and a Sharpie to mark out 3-inch strips of fabric
- Cut along your Sharpie line
- Cut strips the length of your lampshade and add 2 inches so you have extra fabric to glue
- Fold the fabric over approximately a third of the way and press with an iron
The beauty of this DIY is that it’s VERY forgiving and doesn’t have to be perfect. I just eyeballed my fabric length, and each strip ended up being ‘approximately’ the same size.
HOT GLUEING THE FABRIC ONTO THE SHADE
Gluing the strips on couldn’t be easier. I added a blob of hot glue to the top and bottom of the fabric strip.
Then I wrapped it around the top edge of the lampshade and secured it with a binder clip. Pulled the fabric taut towards the bottom lip and glued the bottom to the underside. I added the binder clips to hold it in place while it dried, and I glued up my next strip. If you have all your fabric cut to size and ironed, this step goes quickly. And I hope you give the binder clip a try. For a few cents, it stopped my fingers from getting hot glue on them and also sped up this project considerably!
I kept working my way around the shade until I only had a small gap of the original lampshade left. Then it was time to finish it off…
FINISHING TOUCHES
For the very last pleat on the shade, I folded BOTH sides over and ironed them flat. This way, when you attach your last pleat, you have two finished-looking sides.
And for the very last detail, I cleaned up all the excess fabric on the inside of the shade.
I’m perfectly okay with a raw edge on the inside but you can always create a band of ribbon or fabric to glue along the interior as well.
STEP-BY-STEP DIY NO SEW PLEATED LAMPSHADE
- Use a straight edge and a Sharpie to mark out 3-inch strips of fabric
- Cut along your Sharpie line
- Cut strips the length of your lampshade and add 2 inches so you have extra fabric to glue
- Fold the fabric over approximately a third of the way and press with an iron
- Add hot glue to the top and bottom of the fabric strip – glue the top and clip with a binder clip
- Pull the fabric to the bottom – glue to the underside and clip with a binder clip
- Work around the entire shade until you have room for one more piece
- This last piece of fabric will have an ironed edge on both sides – glue down
- Cut off all the excess fabric on the inside of the lampshade
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THE BIG REVEAL…
Here’s the finished look! What do you think!?
Here’s a close-up of this classic paisley along with the DIY pleats.
Light on! This is going to give a beautiful glow at night. And do you recognize this table? It’s the old trashed table that I made over with gel stain. I still have it in my hallway, and I’m still loving it!
I had a couple come to my home to buy a piece of my furniture, and she looked at this table in my hallway and proceeded to tell her husband the entire backstory on the table makeover… the dollar store fix and everything!
I was super flattered she was a long-time follower of the #siblog! You can see the full before and after of this trashbound table here.
I also tried the pair of lampshades in my bedroom with my existing lamps. Super cute. It adds pattern and texture, which I love. And when I paint the brick darker (which I’m planning to do soon!) I think they will look great. Especially if I fix up swinging arm lamps and attach them above the nightstands.
For now, I think the shade is a tad too small for these lamps, and I like this fabric better with the brass. Where do you prefer them?
And just for fun, I prompted AI to generate a styling of these lampshades in a darker room setting. Here’s what it generated below.
There’s something funky going on with the brick wall on the right, and it has duplicated the tray. And I wonder if it pulls imaging from Salvaged Inspirations because that’s almost the EXACT headboard I painted in French Linen! What are your thoughts on this room’s vibe?
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!
Thank you so much for spending time with me today! I hope this no-sew DIY lampshade makeover inspires you to give it a try! I’d love to hear what you think of the DIY lampshade makeover. And if you have a question or want to say hello, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below — you always brighten my day!
Happy painting, sweet friends! 💙
Denise x
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OHH my. This looks wonderful. I had anxiety – thinking the pleats were made on 1 piece of fabric. It never would not have occured to me to do it in strips. It makes so much more sense now that you have demonstrated it !!! Thanks. Lamp shades are crazy pricey. I have a few that could use a refresh – and now I know how 🙂
Loved your staging – it was great. The AI dark saturated colors staging was dramatic.
You are a woman of many talents – so glad you share them.
I would have anxiety making the pleats out of one piece of fabric as well! This is more my easy DIY style.😆 I hope you give it a try on your shades because you are so right, lampshades are pricey and this is such an easy way to make them beautiful and customize them to your decor.
Another great idea for updating home decor, Denise! This one… I’m all over it. I’m thinking of a dropcloth shade for my spare bedroom. The dark and moody bedroom- it’s gorgeous. I’m wondering the same thing with AI. I do believe it pulls from other posts, but I’m not mad about it. It’s a good tool when used correctly. Pinned 📌 Thanks for sharing, and have a lovely week. xo 🙂
I was thinking of drop cloth shade as well! – and YOU were the inspiration on that b/c I remembered how lovely your drop cloth drapes turned out. I think that would look amazing! Wishing you an lovely weekend as well my friend. XOXO
Nice tutorial. You have inspired me to give it a try. You may want to add that you need to gradually increase the “reveal” of the fabric at the bottom to compensate for the larger circumference.
Yessssss thank you! I’ll be sure to add that to the Youtube video, much appreciated!🤗
They look amazing now! Isn’t it insane how much lampshades cost these days? This is such a fantastic alternative! XOXO
Insane, right!?!😳😆😆 This is so easy and cost effective. Especially if you grab the shades and fabric thrift… which I know you always have AMAZING luck finding gorgeous fabrics. Now I’m keeping my eyes peeled for beautiful thrift fabric as well. So many home decor diy ideas!
What a fabuylous idea, and I can’t believe how elegant they look! I’m going to do this on a set of my old lamps! Thanks for sharing and always inspiring me!
Thanks Nicki! 🤗 Have fun with your lampshade project – I’m sure they are going to look awesome!
Your shades look amazing, such an easy fix too, thanks for sharing. xx
So easy! Thanks Janette!🤗
I love, love, love this. THank you!
Oh I’m so glad. I love it too… super easy with big looking results!
Very pretty and very easy to follow instructions. Thank you. I love pleated shades but they are expensive. I like the versatility of using my own fabrics.
Thanks Kathy and I can’t believe how expensive they are either. I went to Homesense, Ikea (priced better but I didn’t like the selection/look) Amazon, Wayfair and they were all so costly.😲 I really like the idea of fabric selection as well.
I have had a lampshade with a piece of fabric sitting on the top of it for at least six months that I was going to cover for my son. And now I think I know the best way to do it. I was struggling about how to keep the pattern and the fabric looking good but I think the method you used will be perfect for what I need. I think I am going to make my pieces a little bit wider though To show a little bit more of the pattern. Thanks so very much and I’m looking forward to the YouTube video.
The AI generated picture looks nice, but I prefer lighter colors than dark.
I hope you try this and making your fabric strips a little wider to showcase more of the pattern is brilliant! You also just gave me a really good idea Mary Jo. When I generate the AI pics, I could do one in dark and the other in light. Two contrasting images with two totally different vibes! 🤗
😊Love that we can all share ideas and make our homes beautiful. Your ideas are fabulous. i’m excited to watch your YouTube video of how you completed this project and finished the inside of the lampshade.(words and pictures are fun but “action” shows so much more)
I love that too!💙 Here’s the link to the DIY Pleated Lampshade Video. Enjoy!
Hi Denise. Your DIY lampshades look fabulous. Very expensive looking. Perfect timing for me. I’ve been looking for lampshades and been very disappointed in the options at the stores. Thanks for the idea!
Thanks Monique and I’m with you – shopping for lampshamps was frustrating for me as well.😆 Have an awesome week my friend. XOXO
I think your lampshades look amazing!
Never would have thought to do that myself but now, I’m inspired!! Thank you!!!
Thanks Marion and if you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it all turns out. It’s a super fun project! XOXO