How to Make Fashion Lampshades

Pleated fashion fabric lampshades have long been popular because they are decorative and suit most rooms furnished in a traditional style. Yet they are the most expensive kind to buy, because they are hand-made and the pleating process takes time to do. The materials, however, are not expensive, so it is worth learning how to make your own.

There are three main styles of pleated fashion lampshade. In the simplest kind, the pleats are straight and in line with the struts of the frame. Alternatively-and this is more tricky to dothey are slanted so that they swathe round the frame in a spiral motion. In the third type, which is the most complicated, they radiate from two central points on each side of the fashion frame.
With all the styles, it is possible to work variations, such as alternating pleated panels with plain panels, perhaps of a fabric which matches something else in the room.

The Fashion frame

Most shapes of frame can be used, but they must have at least four struts between the top and bottom rings. Curved empire-shape fashion frames are best kept for swathed shades only.
Prepare the frame by painting it and then binding the rings and struts.

The Fashion fabric

For the outer cover, the fabric should be a soft and sheer one which will pleat easily and not look heavy. Chiffon, ninon, georgette and voile are all ideal, and are easier to use if made of silk or rayon, rather than nylon.
For straight pleating, allow a piece equal to the height of the frame, plus 2in. for turnings, x three times the circumference of the lower ring.
For swathed pleating, the width is the same as for straight pleating, but the depth of the fabric should be measured in a slanting line from the top ring to the bottom ring across a quarter of the fashion frame.
For sunray pleating, the depth is measured from the centre point of one strut in a straight line over one quarter of the frame to the junction of the side strut and bottom ring. Add 2in. for turnings. For the width of the fabric needed for each half of the frame, add together half the circumference of the top and bottom rings, plus twice the height of the frame, and allow 1 Ztimes this measurement.
The pleats are always more successful if they lie along the warp threads (those that are parallel to the selvedges of the fabric), than along the weft threads. This means that because the total width required for making the shade will be considerably more than the width of the fabric, you will have to join it in one or two places. For straight and swathed pleated shades, the joins are not sewn, however, but simply concealed under the pleats. The turnings are hidden bythe lining.

To calculate how much fashion fabric to buy, divide the total width by the width of the fashion fabric, and take it to the nearest whole figure above. Then multiply by the total depth needed. Usually you will have to buy a piece to the nearest quarter of a yard above this, but any spare fabric can usually be made into an attractive trimming.
For example, with a fashion frame which is 9in. high and has a diameter of 10in. with a circumference of about 32in., for straight pleating you would need a piece of fabric 11 in. long x 96in. wide. If the fabric you are using is 36in. wide, you should buy a yard, from which you can cut three 11 in. strips.

If, on the other hand, the frame has a 12in. diameter and a circumference of about 38in., meaning that the fashion fabric should be 114in. wide, you could then either buy enough to cut four widths, and have plenty left over, or else buy three widths and space out the pleats slightly to compensate. In this case any trimming would have to be a bought one.

The fashion lining

Use a fabric which will stretch easily and look attractive both as a backing for the outer fabric and inside the frame. Crepe back satin is particularly good for this, and looks attractive with either side facing out. Lingerie crepe, taiho and shantung can also be used.
The colour is obviously up to you, but generally you will find that even if you are using a dark colour for the main cover, it is best to use a pale one for the lining, as this will give the best light. If possible, hold both the outer cover and lining fabric together over a turned-on bulb so that you can see the effect.
For a sunray pleated shade, you will also need an interlining. This is made up in a similar way to the lining, but is attached like the main cover of a tailored shade It acts as the foundation for the pleating, so it should match the outer cover fabric as nearly as possible.

Straight pleated fashion shade

Prepare the lining, but do not attach it to the frame yet. Cut the outer cover fabric into pieces of the right depth, and trim off the selvedges.
The safest method of making the pleats an even size is to mark a pencil guide of dots along each long side of the fabric, about 1 in. from the edge. The dots should be ;in.apart (or in. apart for very fine pleats), and start 41 in. from the short edge of the fabric on each piece. The corresponding dots on both edges must lie on the straight grain of the fabric, or the pleats will not form smoothly.
If the shade is a tapered one, the distance between the pleats will be less on the top ring than on the bottom ring, so as a guide for this, find the centre point between each strut on the rings, and mark it with pencil.
Place the shade on your work surface (or lap) with the bottom ring to the left (or to the right, if you are left-handed). Lay the fashion fabric over the shade with one short edge towards you. Turn under ;in. along this edge, level with the first pair of dots, and pin itto the tape on the outer edge of both rings so that the fold lies along a strut.

Move to the next pair of dots and, using your thumbs and forefingers. hold the edges of the fabric taut between both hands. Make a fold along the straight grain between the dots by pinching the fabric on each side of them together. Roll this fold over to the first one, thus forming a pleat, and pin to the bottom ring. Do not pin it to the top ring yet. The distance between the folds should be 4in.
Go on to the next dots and make another pleat in the same way. Continue round the ring, forming pleats in the same way. If possible, place a pleat in line with the centre point between the struts, and a pleat directly over each strut. Pin the fold to the ring at the top of each strut too. Check that all the pleats are evenly spaced, and that there is an equal number in each section.
When you come to within 1 in. of the end of a piece of fabric, finish the pleat and trim off any excess to within 2in. of the fold. Turn under Qin. of the new piece, and place the fold over the raw edge of the previous piece so that it is ;in. from the fold of the last pleat formed.
When you have worked all round the bottom ring, trim the fabric to within 1. in. of the last pleat, unpin the first fold, tuck under the raw edge and repin.

To complete the pleating round the top ring, turn the shade so that the top ring is now on your left and the first fold is uppermost. Unpin the first fold at the top, smooth it along the strut, stretching it slightly so that it is taut but not distorted, and re-pin it in position.
Next, find the dot which corresponds with the centre pleat in the section of fabric between the first fold and the next strut, and pin it temporarily, without making a pleat, to the corresponding centre point on the top ring.
Go back to the first fold and start making pleats following the method above, but decreasing the space between the folds if the circumference of the top ring is less than that of the bottom ring. You may have to adjust the pleats several times until you find the right spacing. On each section, however, the centre
pleat must come level with the centre point between the struts, and the pleats on each side must be evenly spaced and lie on the straight grain of the fabric. On a very tapered frame, this may mean that the pleats have to overlap slightly at the top.
When you are completely satisfied with the spacing of the pleats, the fabric can be oversewn to the rings. Use doubled sewing thread, in a colour to match the fabric. Keep the stitches very small, and catch the tape on the outside of the rings only.
Cut away the surplus fabric at the top and bottom to within 8in.of the stitching. The shade is now ready for the lining to be fitted.

Swathed fashion pleated shade

The general method for making this type is very similar to the straight pleated shade, the essential difference being that the folds are pinned diagonally across the frame. For this reason, you may find it easier to pin each fold to the bottom and top ring as it is formed, though you may have to unpin the folds to adjust them later.
Turn under the short edge of the fabric level with the first dots as before, and pin it to a strut at the bottom ring. Drape the fold across the shade, missing the first strut, and pin it to the top ring at the second strut (Fig.4.) Form the following pleats in the same way, adjusting the distance between folds evenly so that when you reach the next strut on the bottom ring, the fold will lie on the next-but-one strut on the top ring.

Sunray pleated fashion lampshade

Make up the lining and interlining, and attach the interlining to the frame as for the main cover of a tailored shade (see HOME FABRICS 17).
The outer cover for this shade is made in two halves, each of which radiates from the centre point of the main panel on each side of the shade. Start by finding the centre point of each panel, and marking it in pencil on the interlining.
Next, measure the perimeter of half the shade -round half the circumference of the top ring, down one side strut, round half the circumfer

ence of the bottom ring and up the opposite side strut. Divide this into quarters by marking the centre of the section on the top and bottom rings, and then the centre point between the marks on the struts.
Cut the cover fabric into pieces of the right depth, and join them along their short edges with running stitches, taking Qin, turnings, to make a circular strip of the right length.
Divide the length of the strip into quarters, and mark the divisions along both long edges. Along one long edge only, make two rows of fine gathering stitches and pull up the gathers tightly so that the fabric forms a small circle. Place the gathered edge with the right side facing out, to the centre point of the panel. Oversew neatly in position.
Smooth the ungathered edge of the strip out to the struts and rings, and match the division marks on the fabric to the marks on the interlining. Pin temporarily in position
.
Starting at the bottom ring, and working from right to left, start forming little pleats, readjusting them as necessary until they are all evenly spaced, and any joins in the fabric are hidden on the inside of a fold.
The pleats must all lie in the same direction to complete the sunray effect, which means that on one side of the panel they will face upwards and on the other side they will face downwards. When one panel of the shade is pleated, stitch the fabric down to the rings and along the struts.
Work the other side of the shade in a similar way, but reversing the direction of the pleating so that it will correspond with the pleats on the other side where they meet at the struts. There should be the same number of pleats on each side. Stitch this panel down, placing the stitching at the struts over the previous stitching. Cut away the excess fabric carefully and as close to the stitching as possible (Fig.7).
The join can then be covered with trimming in the same way as for the top and bottom rings -a rouleau trimming, made from bias strips of the same fabric, usually looks best.

Rouleau fashion trimming

A rouleau fashion trimming to coverthe turnings round the top and bottom rings can be made following the directions..
To make a rouleau trimming for the side struts of a sunray pleated fashion lampshade, cut a 1 in, wide bias strip of fabric long enough to cover the strut.
Fold it in three down its length, so that the side edges meet in the middle. Place this centrally over the strut so that the raw edges are underneath, and tack in position.
Stitch it down, making tiny catch stitches and working diagonally from side to side taking the needle underthe strip each time.
To cover the raw edges at the centre of each section of the sunray shade, cut a strip of matching fabric approximately l in. wide x 6in. long. Join it along the short edges to make a circular strip and fold it in half lengthwise with the seam inside. Run a gathering thread through the doubled fabric along the raw edges and draw up to a tight circle to make a 'rose'. Cover a small button mould with matching doubled fabric and stitch it to the centre of the 'rose'.
Place the 'rose' centrally over the raw edges of the shade and stitch down invisibly.

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