How to make a lampshade with your own hands at home. How to make a fabric lampshade with your own hands

Any interior decor starts with the little things. So, by changing a few details, you can create a completely different interior. Try changing a lamp or lampshade on it, and you will see how the entire interior design changes. Depending on the chosen room, the lampshade can be classic, made of fabric and lace, modern, made of plastic, buttons or paper, abstract, made of feathers or other improvised means.

With some effort, you can get a truly unique item, the likes of which you will not find anywhere else. It is known that designer designer items created by hand are not cheap, since their production takes a lot of time, but the result is something unique and inimitable.

To make a lampshade yourself with your own hands, you will need cheap materials at hand:

  • plastic spoons, forks and glasses;
  • wooden ice cream sticks;
  • fabric scraps;
  • ribbons and lace;
  • buttons;
  • tubes from magazines;
  • beads and seed beads;
  • cardboard and paper;
  • shells and pebbles;
  • clothespins;
  • plastic straws for drinks;
  • threads and twine;
  • metal wire for the frame.

Typically, a lampshade consists of two metal rings connected by jumpers (from 3 pieces). The shape of the frame can be trapezoidal, cylindrical or curly.

Wire made of any metal is suitable for the frame: copper, aluminum, steel. Using wire cutters, you need to cut two pieces of wire and make two circles out of them - one larger, the other smaller.

It should be noted that the design for the lampshade of a pendant chandelier is slightly different from the design of the lampshade of a table lamp, but in any case there is always another inner ring through which either the socket or the cord from the chandelier is threaded.

To work with wire, you will need wire cutters and round nose pliers (in order to make a neat loop to hold the wire together.

But, nevertheless, the most correct thing would be to buy a ready-made frame for the lampshade - fortunately, construction hypermarkets are full of them.

You can make a pattern for a lampshade like this:

So, the frame for the future lamp is ready and the most important thing to choose is the decor of the lamp and the material with which to work. We offer several options for making a lampshade with your own hands.

Lampshade made from scraps of fabric

To make such a lampshade you will need the following materials and tools:

  • two pieces of fabric of different colors;
  • lampshade frame (purchased or made yourself);
  • threads with a needle;
  • scissors.

And more options for inspiration: fabric lampshades:

Ribbons and lace, buttons and beads, pieces of other fabric and bows are suitable for decoration. Even old pants or other clothes can give life to a designer item.

Most often, such lampshades are sewn according to a template: for this, a pattern is cut out of paper or newspaper, and then transferred to fabric:

The lower and upper parts of the product can be decorated by gluing or trimming them with fabric of a different color or with lace or braid.

Paper lampshade - options and ideas

No less interesting can be a lampshade made of paper or cardboard.

Suitable for work:

  • pages of glossy magazines;
  • old newspapers;
  • old unnecessary book;
  • notebook (can be covered with writing);
  • paper napkins with patterns.

Remember: paper is flammable, so you will have to use either energy-saving or LED light bulbs - they heat up less than incandescent lamps.

To make a simple paper lampshade you will need the following materials:

  • base - a lampshade-ball made of paper of any diameter;
  • square-shaped note paper;
  • scissors and glue.

First, cut out circles from note paper (can be replaced with regular colored paper).

Decorative elements need to be glued from below, row by row, until the entire surface of the lampshade is covered.

Instead of regular colored paper, you can use corrugated or velvet paper, or you can replace them with lace fabric - in this case, the lamp will look lighter and airier.

More options for lampshades made of paper or cardboard, photo:

In order to change the look of the room, just a little is enough: change the pillows or blanket on the sofa, throw in a bright rug or make a lamp with your own hands.

Decorating interior items can be interesting and addictive! Vases, napkins, panels, lampshades - it’s these little things that change the face of the interior!

To avoid buying a designer lamp, make your own lampshade from plates. For this you will need:

  • the base for the lamp is a cylinder made of paper or cardboard;
  • several sets of disposable paper plates;
  • glue gun;
  • scissors.

Procedure: fold each plate in half and glue it to the base along the fold line:

A similar lampshade can be used for a sconce, a pendant lamp, and a floor lamp. If desired, you can use different colored plates or paint white ones in different shades.(42)

Similar things became popular several years ago. Light and weightless balls of thread, depending on the diameter, can become either a Christmas tree decoration, a decorative item, or a lampshade. Threads can be used in any color, or you can dye them when the craft is ready. You can also decorate the top with ribbons and lace, beads or buttons - this will make the craft look more elegant.

How to make a lampshade from threads? For work you need materials and tools:

  • a balloon (or an inflatable ball that can be deflated);
  • a skein of thread (the thicker the thread, the more reliable the lampshade will be);
  • PVA glue;

Depending on how often you wind the threads, you can get either a completely airy and light lamp, or a denser lampshade.

Attention! Before winding the threads, the ball must be lubricated with Vaseline - this will allow it to be easily separated from the dried lampshade.

Operating procedure:

  1. First, you need to inflate the ball - whatever the diameter of the ball, the lamp will be the same. Mark the hole at the bottom that will need to be left open.
  2. Wind the threads around the ball in any order. Between layers, as well as on top, coat the entire ball with PVA glue and let the glue dry for about 4-5 hours.
  3. Now the ball can be burst and pulled out. All that remains is to thread the lamp socket and hang the lamp.

Using threads and glue, you can make a lamp in a different way: instead of a ball, use a plastic bottle, and use denser threads. The bottle must first be covered with tape to make the dried lampshade easier to remove. The shape of the lamp will also be different:

More thread lampshades, photo ideas:

Using some simple techniques and a few packs of disposable spoons or forks? you can create an excellent original lamp that will decorate your interior. Such lampshades can be used in almost any room - in the kitchen, in the hallway, on the balcony, and even in the bedroom.

To make such a lamp you will need the following materials and tools:

  • several sets of disposable spoons (table spoons or tea spoons - it all depends on the desired size of the product);
  • plastic 5-liter cylinder;
  • scissors;
  • glue gun or universal assembly glue for plastic products.

Operating procedure:

  1. Cut off the lower part (bottom) of the cylinder and degrease the surface.
  2. Carefully break off (or cut off) the ends of plastic spoons.
  3. Using a glue gun, glue the spoons to the balloon in rows, starting from the bottom.
  4. Then make a headband and glue it on top.
  5. Pass the cord with the socket through the hole on top and screw in the light bulb.

If desired, the spoons can be painted in any color. This way you can make a lampshade for a floor lamp, wall or pendant lamp.

In addition to spoons, you can also use disposable forks or knives for the lampshade - the lamp will be a little different, lighter and more elegant:

Or from plastic cups:

Original do-it-yourself lampshades, photo

If you wish, have good imagination and skillful hands, you can make a lamp from other available materials - wood, cocktail straws, clothespins, burlap, packaging cardboard, even plastic bottle caps.

We have selected original ideas for hand-made lampshades; we hope our ideas will help you choose what suits your interior. So, photos of lamps and lampshades made and decorated with your own hands:

So, having figured out how to do it correctly, let’s take on its main lighting and at the same time decorative elements: lampshade and shade. Reflectors are technologically simpler; their manufacture and fastening to the supporting structure of the chandelier does not cause any difficulties.

About attaching lampshades

The Internet is full of pictures with really very beautiful homemade lamps. However, looking at them, ask yourself: how do you replace a light bulb? The answer is not always found in the primary sources. Methods for fastening lighting elements in lamps, allowing lamp replacement without the use of tools, will be discussed in, but the technological methods described later in this are designed for the fact that the lampshade in this case either moves up, or is removed down, or you can simply climb into it with your hand.

Materials

In order of increasing complexity (and durability), lampshades and lampshades can be made with your own hands at home from paper, plastic, thread, ready-made tubes of various kinds, twine or yarn, framed with a fabric cover, and stained glass. The last 2 are quite complex, but with a skillful approach to work, the lighting and decorative qualities can surpass expensive store-bought ones.

Paper

Making a paper lampshade is the easiest way: from materials other than paper, you will need threads and PVA glue, and from tools - a sewing needle, scissors and, possibly, a sharp mounting knife. However, paper lampshades are fragile and therefore suitable mainly for chandeliers. But a damaged paper lampshade can be easily replaced with a new one.

You can make a paper lamp somewhat stronger in various ways. The simplest way is to make a lampshade-ball from paper strips, gluing them at the poles and among themselves, pos. 1 in Fig. However, the design in this case is uniform: sufficient strength of the product is ensured only and only by its spherical shape.

Another way is to strengthen the paper itself. It will require a little additional material: enameled copper winding wire with a diameter of 0.25-0.4 mm or thread. In the first case, the lampshade will fit without additional reinforcement for a floor lamp, and in the second, for overhead decorative elements you will need a solid supporting base, for example. from a plastic bottle. The lampshade paper is strengthened with wire as follows:

  • On a sheet with a density of 90-140 g/m2. see the contours of the parts are drawn.
  • Using a finely sharpened pencil or a mechanical one with a 0.6 mm rod, draw the lines of the rigidity grid. If the lampshade is glued together from several whole or slightly cut sheets, the grid lines should form a seamless pattern.
  • Apply a thin layer of PVA glue with a brush.
  • When the glue dries to the touch, apply veins - stiffeners - made of wire along the mesh.
  • Lubricate the same PVA sheet with a density of 35-60 g/sq. cm, place it on the first one and gently smooth it with your fingers.
  • A day later, the parts are cut out with scissors, glued together and painted. In this way you can even imitate the wings of rare species of butterflies, poses. 2; in this case, the Swallowtail Maak.

When using threads, both sheets are taken with a density of up to 60 g/m2. cm. Then, as said, you will need a supporting base, but you can even imitate the texture of rose petals, pos. 3.

Note: a paper lampshade, durable “almost like a real one,” can be made from papier-mâché. The technology, which is quite labor-intensive, is described below, see about lampshades for the kitchen.

Plastics

It’s easy to make a lampshade for a chandelier from disposable plastic cups fastened with a stapler, see fig. Its lighting qualities are very good, but its appearance is frankly utilitarian. Therefore, it makes sense to use such lampshades in rooms with fairly high requirements for the quality of lighting, but not in front rooms. The directional pattern (DP) of a lampshade made from cups is formed by a cardioid pattern.

Lampshade made from plastic glasses

A fan pattern with a wide opening, very soft light in the central spot and uniform illumination in the side zone allows you to achieve a lamp with a lampshade-cone (or pineapple?) from bitten plastic spoons on a base in the form of a PET bottle with a cut off bottom, see fig. Effective light softening is achieved by the spoons acting as translucent bowl-shaped reflectors. They are glued to the bottle and glued together with silicone glue, mounting or a glue gun. Cyanoacrylate glue is also suitable, but it must be thick. Cheap “superglue” is very fluid, drips will spread everywhere and spoil the glossy surfaces of spoons.

You can also make good lampshades from bottles alone. For example, a sphere from their bottoms, fastened with a stapler, like stopper cups (see the figure for a mini-master class), will give a cardioid pattern; however, compared to the “established” one, it is noticeably distorted. But at the dacha or in utility rooms, a chandelier made from bottoms is quite useful.

Lampshade made from bottle bottoms

Romantic soft light, somewhat spotty, but within acceptable limits, will be provided by a globe lamp made of bottle “hedgehogs”; however, they look more like blooming sea anemones - sea anemones, see photo on the right. It’s not difficult to make the “hedgehogs” themselves: the bottoms of the bottles are cut off, the side walls are cut to the scar before narrowing into the neck, the strips are wrapped around the neck, glued with drops of glue and secured with thread or tape for reliability. However, to assemble the “hedgehogs” into a lampshade, you will need a transparent spherical base. It is made in the same way as a lampshade made from threads (see below), only the threads are white nylon or propylene no thicker than 20 gauge, and instead of PVA, colorless water-based acrylic varnish is used.

A lampshade made from leaves cut from bottles allows you to achieve very uniform illumination and is very decorative, see fig. It is assembled on a temporary spherical mandrel, see below.

The step-by-step master class in this case is also simple, but requires patience, accuracy, some additional tools and, possibly, material:

  1. We are preparing a soldering iron with a nickel-plated bronze tip (for dry soldering) at 40 W or with a regular copper tip at 25 W;
  2. If the tip is copper, you will also need Teflon (fluoroplastic) tape 0.06 mm wide, 60-80 mm wide;
  3. Cut out leaves from the bottle. From a lighting engineering point of view, pale green or light brown are better;
  4. Using a soldering iron tip (copper - through the film) slightly melt the edges of the leaves, otherwise they will look unnatural;
  5. Using the tip of the sting (copper also through the film) we “draw” the veins;
  6. Using the flat of the sting between the veins, with light touches, we slightly melt the surface so that it is, like real leaves, not completely smooth;
  7. Again, using the tip of the sting, going deeper, but without piercing, we bring out the central vein. It is convenient to do this on a soft, heat-resistant backing (calico or felt in several layers will do);
  8. We place a thread in the central vein and fuse it by “screwing” the side roll onto the hollow;
  9. If required, we form complex leaves by tying together threads of leaves;
  10. Having laid out the leaves on the film (now any film), using a pipette we impregnate the threads with acrylic varnish. Once it dries, the foliage is ready for assembly.

Threads

The procedure for making New Year's decorations and lamps from threads has been described many times in RuNet. For example, video:

Video: DIY twine/thread lampshade

Here we can only note that, firstly, you will need at least 100 m of thread for a medium-sized lampshade. Secondly, there is no point in using inflatable balls as mandrels: after 10-20 turns, under the pressure of the stretched threads, the ball protrudes where it is not necessary, and the end result is something inconceivable. Thirdly, there is also no need to soak the threads in flour paste in advance: the product will turn out fragile and not moisture-resistant.

As a mandrel when making a lampshade from threads, it is best to use a tightly inflated chamber from a sports ball or a durable silicone beach ball, inflated from a pump through a nipple. The mandrel is lubricated several times with petroleum jelly (lanolin), carefully rubbing it with your hands. It won't harm the ball in any way; on the contrary, it will prolong his life.

Next, the thread is wound onto the mandrel, continuously pulled through a simple device, see fig. This mini-impregnation bath, so that it does not accidentally crawl, tip over or spill glue on something, is secured on the table with tape; convenient double-sided. The glass is first pierced with a needle and thread, then PVA or acrylic varnish is poured and wound, tightening as necessary. Usually the thread goes through the bath itself, because... glue until it dries is a good lubricant.

When winding, do not forget to leave a window for entering the cable and cartridge - the strength of the cut thread ball drops sharply! A day later, after its completion, the air is released from the mandrel and pulled out through the same window. “Vase-green”, it sticks to the threads very rarely and weakly: you can tear it off by slightly pulling or pressing it with your finger, but the product remains intact.

Note: Instead of threads, you can use jute, sisal or propylene twine, but there is a better use for it in a lampshade, see below.

And where is all this going?

Ball lamps, see fig., are suitable for children's rooms, because... form an even soft light. The one on the left is made from paper cupcake wrappers - on a yarn ball base. Threads – propylene or thin colorless nylon; binder – acrylic varnish. White in the spool, after impregnation with varnish, such threads become almost transparent. The lampshade-ball made from cups (on the right) is not so interesting, because... The dishes are all the same, but it is also more difficult to tear it apart.

A hemispherical lampshade made from the same cups would be more suitable for the hallway, see fig. on right. With a low lamp power (more precisely, its luminous flux) it will give a bright spot below and acceptable illumination of the rest of the room, so you can use low-heating incandescent lamps of 15-30 W. The fact is that the resource of energy-saving lamps and LED lamps decreases sharply when switched on/off frequently. And a low-power incandescent lamp, especially in the hallway where the light is not constantly on, will not significantly increase electricity costs.

A special case is the kitchen. The lighting requirements for it are set out in the previous article. But the lampshade in the kitchen quickly gets dirty, and the soot eats away firmly. Let us remember: bright light promotes condensation and bituminization of vapors of organic compounds. This is the deposition of soot; the lampshade is lit the brightest.

The simplest solution is a disposable paper lampshade. “Bump”, as in pos. 1 pic. below will give just the right type of lighting in the kitchen, but you will have to redo it quite often. It is better to mold a papier-mâché lampshade on a suitable frame, pos. 2. After varnishing with acrylic varnish, it can be carefully washed with a cloth and dishwashing detergent, and painted with a blacksmith’s patina, it will look like a hand-forged item and certainly not like some old newspaper.

But the lampshade for pos. 3 – juice straws glued to the bottle – an example of a bad solution. Such a lampshade will provide ideal light for the kitchen (the straws also work partly as light guides), but it will get dirty quickly, you can’t clean it properly, and the product is labor-intensive. Plastic reflectors for kitchen lamps for local lighting are best made from reusable plastic dishes, pos. 4, it is quite durable, inexpensive and easy to clean. Cups with handles and saucers, of course, are a matter of design decision, but bowls without a pattern are what you need.

How to make papier-mâché?

Papier-mâché is a useful material for many purposes, so let us recall the technology of its preparation and use:

  • Old newspapers, or, better yet, the cheapest unglued writing paper are torn into shreds about the size of a thumbnail. You will need a lot of paper!
  • Fill a suitable container with scraps to the top; say, a liter glass jar.
  • Dilute 1/3-1/5 PVA by volume in boiling water.
  • While the solution has not cooled, pour it into the paper pulp.
  • Stir until the paper completely dissolves into fibers.
  • Once the papier-mâché has cooled, pour it into a consumable container or use it immediately. Paper paste can be stored for up to 6 months. in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container.
  • Prepare the next portion in the same way.
  • If the paper paste goes into use right away, you can add the next one to the stuck area of ​​the mandrel while the previous one is still wet and crumpled with your fingers. If you apply it dry, the product, when dry, may fall apart into “cakes”.
  • The workpiece is ready for varnishing, painting, etc. after a week of drying at a temperature not lower than 22 degrees. The air temperature around the workpiece must be the same on all sides! Drying on a radiator, convector, in direct sunlight or an infrared emitter is prohibited!

Tubes

Lampshades and shades from sections of tubes are most often made for bedside lamps and lamps in the bedroom: due to their round cross-section, there is always a significant refraction of light, which can be very intimate and romantic, but in most cases is undesirable for constant and working lighting. Lampshades made of translucent tubes also provide a rather dappled light, see figure; if you use pieces of thin transparent PVC hose, the play of light will turn out very beautiful, but you don’t need to look at it for a long time, much less read or sew in such light.

Paper and other fibrous materials refract light little, but tubes made from them are not strong in themselves. For example, it is better to make a lampshade made of newspaper tubes on a frame, see below: precisely because they wrinkle easily, thin paper tubes are an excellent material for weaving. As for the lighting properties, paper, especially clean paper, has excellent ones.

Lampshade on frame

Now let's move on to lampshades that are suitable anywhere, incl. and for a table lamp that can be pushed to the floor with an elbow. In addition, we will set the condition that the lampshade covering can be washed, cleaned, and changed at will. Therefore, we do not touch glass or solid hard plastic lampshades; Besides, you can’t make them at home yourself. That is, we will work on lampshades on a frame with soft lining.

About fabrics for lampshades

It is preferable to sew the decorative light cover of the lampshade from fabric with fleecy threads, i.e. natural. Due to diffraction on smooth synthetic threads, the light penetrating through such a lampshade may be hard. Choosing fabric for a lampshade by eye is not difficult: through the sample, turning it smoothly, look at some compact bright light source; preferably LED, because it gives the most coherent, i.e. ordered, light. The selection criterion is simple: the less moire fringes are observed from different viewing angles, the better the fabric.

About restoring the lampshade

The lampshade frame is quite labor-intensive and technologically complex, so first you need to look around the household to see if there is a lampshade from an old lamp lying around somewhere. Straightening it, repairing it and updating the lampshade with a new cover will be easier than making the frame from scratch.

The discovered “basket” may turn out to be of a very elaborate shape, and to create patterns (see below) you will need to accurately measure its diameters in several places. In this case, a homemade caliper made from 3 wooden slats and a pair of drawing squares will help out. Of course, it will not give the accuracy of a factory rod, but achievable (+/–1 mm) is enough for cutting and sewing work. And an idea of ​​the capabilities of such a tool is given in Fig.

The measurement procedure is a 2-step procedure: marks are made with a pencil on the sponges where they touch the object, and then the size is taken between the marks with a tape measure. In order for the movable sponge to glide more smoothly, and, accordingly, the measurement to be more accurate, you need to place a fluoroplastic film under the rubber bands holding it. To measure small diameters, the jaws are turned over with the squares facing out.

Constructing a pattern

Now we remove the necessary diameters: the lower and upper hoops (D1 and D11 in position 1 in the figure), the largest and smallest on the belts (D2, D6, D10), in places of kinks, i.e. where the curvature of the generatrix changes sign (D4, D8) and at kinks (D5). We take the others more or less evenly between the mandatory ones.

The diameters of the pattern of 6 wedges will, taking into account the tightening of the fabric, be equal to half the measured diameters (item 2). If there are supposed to be more or fewer wedges of the finished sleeve, proportionally change the proportion of the diameter in the corresponding diameter of the pattern. But it’s too early to cut and sew.

There at pos. 2 it can be seen that the seaming allowance is not geometrically completely similar to the template. In knot I (kink inward) this is not so bad: you can sew on a drawstring sleeve and tighten the seam with a cord. If the decor of the lampshade involves ruffles, frills, scallops, etc., then perhaps this is how it should be: small folds will fall into place, and the cord will not be visible at a break in the contour.

However, on the shelf of the contour (node ​​II), no matter how you look at it, it is in no way possible to give an allowance so that the seam does not “run away”. In higher geometry it is proven why, but we don’t need to go into this jungle: we will simply cut the paper template according to “capricious” diameters at the kinks and shelves (item 3).

Sewing a cover

Now, how to sew a lampshade using our patterns? First, individual parts of the sleeve are sewn; in this case, bottom, middle and top. Then the widest adjacent part (here the middle) is sewn to the widest belt (bottom). Next, the 2 parts that are next in width are sewn together in the same way, etc. The point is that the shortest transverse seam (we have Seam 2) is sewn last. In this sample, after sewing the bottom to the middle, the top is sewn to them. The sewing of the cover is completed by trimming off the excess allowances, except for the lower and upper hems. The edges must be trimmed.

Frame covering

The next stage is placing the cover on the frame. This is where the machine can be put in the closet: the work is entirely manual. Step by step covering the lampshade frame with a cover is done as follows:

  1. The cover is turned inside out (it is probably clear that it was sewn from the inside out) and put on the frame;
  2. Wrap it inside and stitch the top flap;
  3. Pull and trim the fabric to the first bend (here D8). If there was no hoop in the original sample, it must be installed in advance, see below;
  4. Baste the fabric to the edges of the frame from top to bottom, alternately, and to the hoop at the bend;
  5. Repeat paragraphs. 3 and 4 to the next bend (now D5), and so on to the bottom hoop;
  6. Wrap and stitch the bottom flap.

Frame

How the simplest frame of a table lamp or floor lamp is constructed can be seen in pos. 1 pic. The pendant for the chandelier is different in that the ring will be at the top, the extensions from it will go to the upper hoop, and then additional holes are needed in the ring for attaching the pendant.

The ring is cut out of well-soldered and fairly durable sheet metal (bronze, brass, galvanized steel 0.4-2 mm thick) or durable plastic from 1 mm. A computer disk is suitable; for the E10 cartridge, you will only need to drill holes in it for braces and fasteners. The main dimensions of the ring for the E27 cartridge with fastening with union shaped nuts (item 3) are given in item. 2. But making a ring for fastening in the gap between the body and the clamp of the cartridge with a skirt (item 4) is unacceptable! Such cartridges are attached only with a threaded fitting in the lid!

How the stretchers are attached to the ring is shown in pos. 5: their blanks are not bent completely with a hook, inserted into the mounting holes and carefully pressed with pliers. Then, if the ring is metal, solder it (see below). If it is plastic, fix it with drops of superglue or silicone.

Soldered assembly

Frame parts are made of plastic steel wire with a diameter of 1.5-2 mm or bicycle spokes. The latter are much stronger, do not rust and do not require painting, but they need to be bent carefully and they are less soldered. To solder the frame you will need:

  • A soldering iron of at least 65 W (preferably 100-150 W).
  • 6% solution of orthophosphoric acid. Sold for soldering in radio stores and construction stores. Orthophosphoric acid is also available as food additive E338 in the form of needle-shaped, colorless, hygroscopic crystals.
  • Flux paste (gel for soldering), always with borax.
  • Thin, 0.15-0.35 mm, bare copper wire. You can take strands from an electrical wire.
  • Solder POS-30 or POS-40. They are refractory (that’s why you need a powerful soldering iron), but much stronger than POS-61 and other low-melting ones.

Note: phosphoric acid of medium strength does not emit highly toxic and/or caustic fumes. But all the same, when working with it you need to take precautions - wear safety glasses and gloves (household latex ones will do).

The key procedures for assembling the frame using soldering are shown in Fig.

The brazed steel frame is assembled in stages as follows:

  • The ends of the linear blanks are kept in acid for 3-4 minutes (item 1), and then rinsed in water (item 2). You need at least 1 liter of water, and it must be changed after 4-5 washes.
  • If the soldering is in the middle or the part is bent, soak a clean white rag in acid and wrap it around the soldering area. Hold for about half a minute, then rinse the rag in acid, wrap it around the soldering area again, and so on until the total time of exposure of the acid to the metal reaches the same 3-4 minutes. After acid treatment, the part is then washed under running water for 1-2 minutes.
  • Without touching the treated areas with your bare fingers, the frame is completely assembled without soldering: the soldering areas are butted tightly, but not tightly, i.e. with gaps between turns of 1.5-2 mm, wrapped with copper wire, pos. 3 and 4, and apply 2-3 drops of flux paste to each joint. The soldering areas at the cross parts of the parts are wrapped with 2-3 turns of copper wire crosswise and fluxed with 1-2 drops.
  • Semi-dry, i.e. without a hanging drop of solder, use a soldering iron tip to heat the soldering areas until the flux spreads over all the cracks, pos. 5. There is no need to heat the flux until the flux boils and vapor appears. Also, the final result will be better if you heat the flux with a separate soldering iron with a dry nickel-plated bronze tip.
  • Take a drop of solder, apply it to the soldering area (item 6) and heat until it flows everywhere, like flux before. The excess solder hanging below is carefully removed with a soldering iron tip. It is impossible to apply unmelted solder in the form of a flexible wire, and refractory solders are produced mainly in rods.

Fabric or twine?

Propylene packaging twine and paper tubes have good lighting properties. If the lampshade is made from woven twine or newspaper tubes, it will give an even, soft light, and complex cutting and sewing work will be eliminated. But the frame for a wicker lampshade must, firstly, have at least 10-12 ribs evenly spaced around the circumference.

Note: if the frame is of a simple shape, then only 3-4 ribs can be load-bearing (steel). Let the rest be made of straw; they are glued to the upper and lower hoops.

Secondly, to create rims at the top and bottom, respectively. The trains are either made double in height, with an interval of 2-3 cm, or strips of thin metal or hard plastic of the same width are attached to them. Headbands are needed for decorative reasons: a solid one is wrapped with twine or a tube, and if the headband is double, the weaving can be done in a figure eight. The entire side surface is woven like a basket.

Stained glass lampshade

Stained glass lampshades generate light flux mainly by refraction, so they are more suitable for the living room.

stained glass lampshades and lampshades

Stained glass fragments are made from rhinestones, faceted or cabochons. The stained glass lampshade is assembled on a heat-resistant frame (for example, a steel bucket). But compared to stained glass for a window or door, since the connections of the elements are not solid, but point-based, there are significant differences:

  1. Only strong, refractory solder is used, the same as for the lampshade frame, as well as flux with borax.
  2. Before soldering, the framing of rhinestones is made only from special copper foil - folia - 3-15 mm wide, depending on the width of the crystal rim.
  3. The protective film is removed from the foil immediately before applying it to the crystal; You cannot touch the outer (soldered) surface of the foil with bare hands!
  4. Also, you can’t put off soldering foil-wrapped rhinestones until tomorrow: the copper will have time to oxidize, and the joints will turn out to be fragile.
  5. Upon completion of soldering and thorough washing of flux residues (with a rag with alcohol; then with distilled water), the soldering is copper-plated by applying a thick blue solution of copper sulfate with a brush.
  6. The remaining vitriol is washed off under running water. You cannot rub with a brush or even cotton wool, because... The copper film on the solder is very thin.

A small surprise - about New Year's chandeliers and lampshades

New Year is coming, it's time to do it. And - a New Year's chandelier. A chandelier? Yes. Remember how the festive mood drops if the overhead light is turned on in the room with the Christmas tree. No matter what, New Year’s lighting should correspond to the spirit of the holiday. Let's put off lighting technology until serious days; nothing from the festive light will happen to us in a few evenings. It’s time for business, but it’s also time for fun.

Typically, a New Year's chandelier is a Christmas wreath attached to the chandelier in the living room with light bulbs woven into it. But even an experienced electrician would not need to do electrical installation work at heights in the pre-holiday rush. And what if the Christmas tree is in the nursery, where the chandelier is made of paper? Then you can at least buy inexpensive plastic blanks for Christmas tree balls, a garland with colorless light bulbs, stuff them into the balls, and hang such a heap (on the left in the figure) where it is more convenient.

If the design of an “everyday” chandelier is suitable, you can screw candle lamps into it and decorate it with the same balls or, for example, painted pine cones, on the right there. Or you can try a little and make a New Year's jasmine chandelier with your own hands, as in the video below. New Year is New Year, no matter what you say.

Video: DIY jasmine lampshade on the ceiling

Decorating lamps or creating lampshades is not only an interesting, but also useful activity. You can get the perfect item that completely matches the interior of your home, and at the same time save a lot of money. You just need to buy the simplest lamp and make it exclusive. After all, the basis of the comfort and individual style of our home is things lovingly selected or made with our own hands. A good step-by-step instruction will help you get a truly exclusive piece of decor. By following it step by step, you can independently texture even an entire wall of furniture or a kitchen set using the decoupage technique, or even make an original cover for a sofa or armchair, or after a few evenings, put a lamp in a new square one. lampshade of our own production.

A cozy home is not only about the right furniture, but about the right lighting. Thanks to a beautiful lampshade, the interior will become exclusive, and the room will become warmer and more comfortable.

If you want to rearrange the room, then along with it you need to update the chandelier and floor lamp. You can simply buy a new product, or you can change the textiles on the lampshade yourself.

A detailed master class on making a lampshade will help you create a unique, decorative piece of furniture. After familiarizing yourself with all the possible manufacturing methods, you can choose exactly the option that will be ideal for you.

Material for making a lampshade

Having a ready-made frame, you can start choosing material for the lampshade. It could be:

  • textile;
  • plastic;
  • Knitting;
  • leg-split;
  • beads;
  • paper.

Waste materials that are usually thrown away are also suitable:

  • cardboard containers for eggs;
  • newspapers;
  • gift wrapping;
  • old spare parts for a bicycle or car, etc.

When choosing material for a lampshade, you need to remember its color. It should perfectly suit the created style. In addition, you need pay attention to the lighting in the room. If the room is poorly lit during the day and is in twilight, then a lamp made of transparent or light material is more suitable for it. For a bright room, you can choose a dense and dark material for the lamp - but this will depend on the overall decoration of the room.

As you know, red and yellow colors add warmth and light to a room; Therefore, to make the room warmer, you need to install a lamp with a yellow or red lampshade. If the room is located on the south side, and the sun warms its walls all day, then the lampshade for the lamp installed in this room can be blue or green.

Gallery: DIY lampshade (25 photos)




















How to make a lampshade frame with your own hands

The frame is a stable base, mainly consisting of two circles. Circles can be either different or the same diameter; they are connected to each other by vertical partitions. The length of the partition is the height of the lampshade.

To make cylindrical frame, you need to make two circles of the same diameter. If you need to make a classic frame for a lamp, then the bottom circle should be larger in diameter than the top.

Round shape can be obtained if the partitions are not straight, but slightly curved. The classic frame will only benefit from this.

The shape of the frame will be interesting if there is a ring at the base, but not at the top. It turns out that the concave partitions will be connected at the top at one point, and at the bottom they will be fixed at the same distance from each other.

Best suited for making a frame wire, since it can ideally keep its shape, and it is also non-flammable. Suitable for work copper, aluminum or steel wire with a diameter of 2 mm.

Types of lamps made by yourself

After renovating the room, I really want to update not only the furniture, but also the accessories. These include lamps, chandeliers, floor lamps and table lamps. It is desirable that such a piece of furniture be an exclusive detail; it can be installed in the room on a coffee table or in the bedroom on a bedside table or on a chest of drawers.

To get an exclusive model of a chandelier, you need to attend handicraft exhibitions. If the model you like costs a lot of money, then don’t be upset. You just need to use your imagination, “turn on” your hands and head - then you can make an exclusive model with your own hands. Since a chandelier usually has not one, but several identical shades, their production will take more time than one.

Modern lampshades can have a variety of shapes and can be decorated to suit your taste. Preference is given to products decorated with colored beads.

If you want to update your table lamp shade, then cardboard is the ideal option. It must be durable, but thin, then the product will be completely different from others. The work is performed in the following sequence:

  1. You need to cut out 4 identical frames from cardboard, similar to those into which photographs are inserted.
  2. You need to glue a piece of fabric to the back of each product.
  3. In each product, on the side, you need to make holes at the same distance. A needle or awl is suitable for this. Using laces, the parts are sewn together to create a lantern.

This method of creating a new lampshade is considered the simplest, and the product is very light. Depending on the situation in the room, the color of the fabric and cardboard is also selected. The decor of such a product can be anything.

Thread lampshade

A ball made of threads looks very impressive in the interior. To make it, you will need patience and perseverance, and besides them:

  • threads or twine;
  • inflatable round ball;
  • PVA glue;
  • scissors.

The work table needs to be covered with oilcloth or unnecessary newspapers, and only after that start working.

  1. The balloon needs to be inflated and tied with thread.
  2. We wrap the selected thread around the ball. You can try making different patterns, or you can simply wind the thread around the ball without changing direction.
  3. The winding must be tight.
  4. Having reached the desired density, the thread can be cut.
  5. Carefully saturate the entire winding with glue. The better the thread is impregnated with glue, the stronger the lampshade will be after drying.
  6. When the glue is completely dry, the ball can be pierced with a needle and pulled out. Where the tail of the ball was, you need to cut a hole for the cartridge.

If, for some reason, you do not like the color of the resulting product, you can repaint it differently using spray paint.

The finished twine lampshade can be varnished, decorate with beads or beads.

Paper lampshade

To prevent the paper from heating up and catching fire when the light bulb is on, the lampshade should be quite large. Under such a lampshade, it is better to buy an economical light bulb that heats up less.

Many ideas for making a lampshade for a floor lamp from paper can be found on the Internet. Different colors are used, different figures are cut out. The result is a unique creation that can decorate any room.

DIY fabric lampshade

To work you will need:

  • a piece of new fabric;
  • scissors;
  • tape measure or centimeter;
  • thread and needle;
  • pins;
  • textile glue or stapler.

Next, you need to choose an object for restoration: it could be an old table lamp or any other lamp that has been “living” with your grandmother for a long time. Consider in detail its appearance, which should match the already created interior of the room.

For example, you can make a new lampshade from fabric to plaid. It is sewn onto a frame of a certain size. If the old lamp has a frame, then consider that half the work is already done. And if the lamp frame is missing, then this is not a disaster - you can make it yourself, there is nothing complicated about it. A lampshade made of checkered fabric is ideal for country style.

How to make a lampshade for a floor lamp? A master class on how to make it can be found on the Internet.

To sew a lampshade onto a cylinder-shaped frame, you need to measure its circumference and height. Make a pattern on the fabric according to the dimensions obtained, then cut it out like a template.

For the cone you need to make a blank from whatman paper. Try on what you cut out, trim off any excess. If something didn’t work out, it needs to be redone.

The fabric for the lampshade is attached to the cone, and the pattern or ornament must be placed correctly. To ensure a smooth surface, the fabric must be stretched.

The fabric for the lampshade can be cotton or linen.

Lampshade for a lamp in a children's room

When a child is small, a lamp in a nursery is very important. You can always buy such a product, but to make it, you need not only time, but also imagination. It is advisable to make a lampshade for a lamp together with your child in order to develop his imagination. Since the lampshade will be in a children's room, you need to completely trust the child's taste.

Naturally, the child will want to see his favorite cartoon characters on the night light. You will need to work hard and cut them out of paper together or buy ready-made translations. You need to use the idea with a print on cotton.

For the bedroom

If the bedroom is purely female, then the ideal option for a lampshade would be a model thread-related. The proposed option is knitted from white iris-type threads, which are used to knit napkins to decorate shelves or tables. You can choose a pattern for thin knitting needles, if that makes it easier for you.

For a classic frame, they start knitting a napkin not from 3 air loops. The length of the chain should be slightly longer than the top ring of the frame. Then the lampshade is knitted in the round, according to the pattern, like a napkin. It is possible that the height of the product will be greater than the length of the napkin, then you will need to knit several more rows.

The finished product needs to be washed and be sure to starch so that after drying it has a certain shape.

White knitted lampshade decorate with colored beads or colored ribbons- It all depends on your imagination.

In a creative experiment, the main thing is to choose the right shade of small decorative elements. When the style, color scheme and shape are chosen correctly, even the simplest thing made by yourself will look elegant.

To make a home-made lampshade look neater and more beautiful, you need to first paint the new frame made of thick wire and then carefully wrap it with cotton tape. Then the fabric of the sewn lampshade will not be damaged.

Conclusion

It is very easy to update a lamp whose lampshade has, over time, lost its original appearance. After reading the relevant information and purchasing all the necessary materials, you can make a unique thing that will decorate the interior of your home.

It is not always possible to find in stores an offer of lamps that meets our needs. Often an old lamp takes on a rather unsightly appearance, and it’s a shame to throw it away. Why not try to design your own lighting and make your own lampshade for a table lamp?

Where to start, where to find inspiration? What materials are needed? You will find answers to these questions and several interesting master classes in this article.

DIY paper lampshade for a table lamp

Lamps with paper lampshades are not products that are made exclusively by craftsmen. Similar lamp caps are sold in many stores that sell lighting fixtures and home furnishings. Their price, as a rule, differs significantly from the cost of production. For this reason, many people decide to purchase cardboard, paper, and make them themselves. How to make a lampshade for a lamp out of paper with your own hands?

Paper selection

A paper lampshade can take on various shapes and be used in interiors of various styles. What paper should I buy?

  1. For manufacturing, it is necessary to purchase sufficiently high-quality and suitable paper, since the durability of the product directly depends on this.
  2. The paper cannot be thin, like regular paper, as this will quickly destroy the product.
  3. It must let light through.

The best option would be a rice paper cap. This material, despite its small thickness, is very durable. Rice paper is sold in sheets of various sizes. For example, a sheet with a colored pattern can have a size of 50 x 70 cm.

Made from rice paper

Rice paper can be glued onto an old lamp to give it a new look. You can also remove the old material and wrap new material around the metal frame. Sometimes the paper is additionally decorated using special stamps. This allows you to add additional decor to plain paper.

White paper lampshades are not only a tribute to the Far East, they are perfect for a Scandinavian-style interior. Almost everywhere where muted colors and natural materials dominate, you can safely use such solutions.

From wallpaper

Another interesting idea that does not require virtually any financial costs is a lampshade made from wallpaper for a floor lamp or table lamp. The most popular option is accordion-folded paper. For this purpose, wallpaper left over from a recent renovation will be useful; such an interior element will fit perfectly with the walls. If there is no wallpaper, you can always buy a roll from leftovers; large stores usually offer favorable discounts on such products. You can use wallpaper to make a lampshade for a table lamp, using an existing frame, or for pendant lamps.

What you will need:

  • a piece of wallpaper;
  • ruler;
  • pen;
  • hole puncher;
  • lace.

How to make a lampshade from wallpaper - master class


This is a simple solution that even a child can do.

DIY lampshade made from mesh

In a modern apartment decorated in an industrial style, as well as in the garden, a lamp made of metal mesh and wire will work perfectly.

The mesh can be formed into any shape you like and the ends connected, for example, with thin wire.

Then, using wire, the mesh is attached to the top of the cable with the light bulb.

The shape of the lampshade is usually reduced to a ball or ellipse, but you can make any option, for example, a parallelepiped. To obtain this shape, you must use a frame made of durable wire or thick cardboard. The lampshade can be complemented with artificial flowers and intertwined with colored laces. As a result, the mesh loses its harsh minimalist character and the product can be used in an interior of a different style.

Made from lace

Lamps with lace lampshades will add lightness and elegance to the interior. Depending on the type of lace, they provide diffused or bright light. This lamp is suitable for:

  • living rooms,
  • bedrooms,
  • children's rooms.

The main material required to make the body is lace. However, due to the relatively high price, lace can be replaced, for example:

  • unused lace doilies;
  • a piece of lace fabric;
  • remnants of tulle curtains for windows.

The lace needs to be cut into circles, squares or stripes. The most labor-intensive process is gluing individual elements with glue. You can use regular wallpaper glue.


A lampshade for a chandelier looks very romantic, made from lace created with your own hands using a hook and a thin thread. Such a product will decorate a needlewoman’s room and will be an excellent demonstration of the needlewoman’s skills.

From beads

In this case, beads are used instead of paper and fabric. Made from beads, the glamorous lampshade lets in a lot of light. Its implementation is simple and the end result is definitely amazing.

You will need:

  • lampshade frame,
  • fishing line,
  • beads.

Work order

  1. Attach the end of the fishing line to the frame.
  2. String beads or beads, making knots so that the balls do not move.
  3. Then attach the other end to the frame and place the beaded lines about 3cm apart.

Making a lampshade from threads with beads can be a little more labor-intensive than making crafts from paper or lace, but the unique and impressive decorative effect more than makes up for it.

Thus, there are many interesting ways to make a lampshade with your own hands. Using the above recommendations, you can refuse to buy an expensive, non-original lamp and replenish your interior with a unique decorative item of your own production.

Master class on making a lampshade at home - video

A floor lamp is a multifunctional lighting device. A properly selected floor lamp will make the room practical and individual. Unfortunately, floor lamps become outdated and wear out very quickly, so the question arises about discarding them or their further reconstruction.

Making a lampshade is an interesting and educational activity that develops perseverance and attentiveness. An updated DIY floor lamp will definitely attract the attention of guests.

Floor lamp cap can be made from various materials and items:

  • textile;
  • threads, lace;
  • thick paper;
  • glass;
  • buttons.

The list goes on and on. Do not forget about the color scheme of the decor, since the saturation of lighting depends on it. The denser the base of the lampshade, the darker the lighting. These floor lamps are best used in a sleeping room. You can decorate not only the lamp, but also its base.

The main thing in creating a lampshade with your own hands

At the beginning of work you need choose the type of fabric. It can be linen, silk, cotton, denim and others. For a harmonious combination, it is advisable to choose a color scheme that matches the interior of the room. Prepare all the materials that will be required for the work:

  • textile,
  • glue that can quickly bond,
  • stencil paper,
  • scissors,
  • pencil.

When everything is prepared and thought out lampshade option for frame, then you can start working. The most simplified method is to reupholster the surface of the old lampshade with new fabric. No special skills are required for this.

However, you can create a new, original lamp with your own hands. With subsequent attachment to the base of the old lampshade. Let's look at some of them.

Master class on making a lampshade with your own hands

Felt (butterflies)

We apply the paper pattern to the felt fabric. Using a pencil, draw smooth contours and cut them out. We find photos of butterflies on the Internet. We'll draw them or print them out and cut them out. Received Place stencils on fabric and highlight the outlines with a pencil.

It is advisable to make butterfly patterns of different sizes and draw them randomly on the fabric. Using scissors, cut out the butterflies along the marked boundaries. The main point is not to cut all the way through. For example, only the wings, which we then lift and press onto the outside of the future cap.

Apply glue to the frame of the lamp. Carefully glue the resulting workpiece. That's it, the lampshade with lovely butterflies is ready.

Classical

We transfer the paper pattern to the selected material, outline the boundaries. Spray the back of the fabric with an adhesive solution (you can apply regular glue with a brush). Then we slowly apply the prepared material onto the fabric of the old floor lamp, smoothing it in a circle, carefully pressing the edges. We cut off the excess fabric.

To give the lampshade a neat look, you need to trim the edges. We glue or sew ribbon, braid, fringe. If desired, you can decorate with buttons and appliqués.

Crochet

An original solution for a new floor lamp is a do-it-yourself lampshade. Learning to crochet is not difficult at all. You will need two balls of any yarn and a hook number 3.

Let the diameter of the lampshade be 26 cm. Let's put 52 loops on the hook in a chain, connecting them into a ring. AND We begin to connect the rows according to the scheme:

All the loops are assembled using a hook, the lampshade is ready. The knitted lampshade is quickly and easily attached to the base. We decorate with various elements.

Openwork

Openwork differs from other types of lampshade in its visible lightness. You will still need glue, a base and, of course, openwork napkins.

We soak napkins with glue, after which, without waiting for it to dry, we paste over the lampshade. A round lampshade will look impressive. To do this, we inflate a regular balloon and cover it with openwork, leaving room for screwing in the light bulb. As soon as the napkins dry, pierce the ball with a needle. Carefully remove the remains. The result is a delicate, weightless lampshade.

A master class on crocheting napkins can be found on the Internet. Using different patterns and hooks, we get openwork napkins of various patterns and sizes.

Original, made of metal elements

You can change the appearance of a floor lamp not only with known materials, but also with the help of various improvised means. In this case it is metal openers from tin cans. To make an original lampshade, you will need a large number of them (about 200).

We disconnect each element from the container. On the top row of the frame ring we place elements bent in half. The easiest way to do this is to use pliers. When the bent caps are on, we press their ends firmly with our fingers, making the row strong.

From the second row, wire cutters are used. Each cap has a slot on one side. Thus, using a cut, we string the caps (rings) of the top row onto it. Having placed all the metal elements on the top row, we compress them to seal the entire structure.

Next, we perform the same manipulations with each subsequent row. The more rows are made, the more clearly it will be visible. texture of the future floor lamp. The number of rows depends on the height of the lampshade frame.

The last row is the most difficult to work with. To create an even and aesthetic appearance, you will have to try. To do this, cut the caps in half. We will make a slot on the half and use it to fasten the lower elements of the row. We bend the other half slightly and attach it to the hoop of the lower part of the frame.

This lampshade resembles chain mail and looks original in any room.

From plastic containers

Looks very unusual lampshade made from a plastic bottle. Required:

  • plastic containers with a volume of 3–5 liters,
  • disposable spoons (plastic),
  • glue (hot melt),
  • lamp socket.

Ratio of volume (liter) to number of spoons:

  • 5 liters – 170 spoons;
  • 3 liters - 120 spoons.

The shape and size of the container affects the final version of the lampshade. And the brightness of the lighting depends on the color. The neck of the bottle must be wide enough to fit the light bulb socket.

To begin, carefully cut off the bottom of the bottle, having previously marked the outline. Using wire cutters, divide the plastic spoons into two parts. You will need an oval part.

Stages of work:

  1. We heat up the hot glue gun.
  2. We apply glue to our petals in four places.
  3. Glue it to the bottle, starting from the top. We glue the petals end to end in a circle.
  4. We attach the petals of subsequent rows so as to completely hide the space of the container.

After all the steps, we cut out a hole in the lid for the cartridge. The lampshade is ready. This lampshade will be interesting to assemble for both adults and children.

DIY decorative elements

A DIY lampshade you can decorate with various small elements:

  • bows;
  • checkboxes;
  • photos;
  • icons;
  • herbarium.

A classic lampshade decoration is hand-made roses. Roses are made from fabric. The material is cut into strips. The beginning of the strip is the starting point of the rose. We apply hot glue to it. Then we gradually wrap (collect) the remaining fabric around this point, gluing it at certain distances. A more difficult option is stitching (if there is no glue). Using this simple method, you can make various compositions. The entire or part of the lampshade is decorated with created flowers. Look beautiful roses of several colors.

The answer to the question of how to make a lampshade for a floor lamp is simple - it requires a minimum of skills and a maximum of imagination. With the help of master classes you can implement various complex ideas.



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