Traditional lampshades are in vogue in a big way.  A room can be transformed with a luxurious, elegant table lamp, complete with fabulous fringing.  On our two-day course over a weekend, you will create a beautiful, traditionally tailored table lampshade with a balloon lining.  Once you have learnt the skills covered in this course, you can go on to make many more shades in different shapes to adorn your home or gift them to your friends.  Our tutor, Jeannie Kelly, is a professional lampshade maker (a veteran!) and is vastly experienced in making soft furnishings.  And she is also a great teacher and very, very patient! Jeannie will be assisted by Angie Hooton, H & H’s multi-talented administrator.  Angie is a professional maker of curtains, blinds and soft furnishings.  There are only six students, so you will get plenty of attention.

Course level: all levels
Cost: £180
Date: Saturday-Sunday | 17-18 March 2024
Timings: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Duration: 2 days
Location: Hamilton & Hodson @ Redland Station
Spaces available: 3 places left (6 in total)

Book your place:
Please email us to book a place or for more information.

Course overview:

• Binding the lampshade frame with special tape
• Making a template for your top cover and lining
• Learning how to stretch the fabric over the frame on the bias
• Hand-sewing: mastering the “lampshade” stitch
• Creating a “balloon” lining to cover the interior stitching and hems (more hand-sewing!)
• If time allows, attaching braid and fringing to the frame

The course fee includes:

• Lampshade frame
• Lining fabric
• Lampshade binding tape
• Glue
• Detailed hand-out

What you need to bring:

• 1 metre of top fabric (or if combining two fabrics, 0.5m of each fabric)
• Matching thread (that blends in to your fabric)
• Braid and Fringing
• Dressmaking pins – these are particularly suitable for lampshade making
• Thimble
• A notebook and pen/pencil (to make notes)
• A packed lunch

No previous experience of sewing is needed.  However, there is a lot of repetitive hand-sewing involved in making traditional lampshades, so patience is required!  You may need or want to do a little hand-sewing in the evening between the first and second day.

Your choice of fabric

The fabric that you choose can either be plain or patterned.  The most suitable fabrics are: silk, Dupion (slightly textured silk), Moire, damask, lightweight cotton or cotton mix, and linen.  Heavier-weight fabrics such as velvet and very stretchy fabrics like jersey are not suitable.  There should be a little give when you pull on the bias.  If you are using a patterned fabric, be aware that it will be used at a 45-degree angle (on the bias), so think about the placement of the fabric and where the design will sit.  You can choose two different fabrics to create contrasting panels (although this involves extra hand-sewing).  Flo-Jo Fabrics on Bristol’s Gloucester Road is a fabulous fabric shop that has an extensive and electic mix of suitable fabrics.

Your choice of braid and fringing

If you would like to complete the lampshade in the two days, please ensure you have bought some braid and fringing.  Barnett Lawson is a great company that sells a huge range of braids and fringing, and they offer a samples service.  If you’re undecided on the type of braid and fringing you’d like, we will demonstrate how to attach it to the frame on the second day so you can add it at a later date.  Once you have chosen your frame design, we will confirm how much braid and fringing you will need.

Your choice of frame

The frames that we offer are all approximately 30-36cm tall and are suitable for a table lamp.  When you book your place, we will ask you to select your frame.  The frame designs are pictured here:

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