The Lampshade Lady Blog

Glens Fall's Chronicle Bookfair this Sunday, November 1st

I will one of the many authors and vendors attending the Glens Fall's Chronicle Bookfair on Sunday November 1st. It will be at The Queensbury Hotel in downtown Glens Falls. The hours are 11am - 4 pm. I will be signing Lampshade Lady Books and doing a lampshade making demo. The will be many Adirondack authors in attendance.

Come for a literary Sunday.

Last Workshop of the Season is Oct 27th

Just got this great HUNT Scene vintage bark cloth at Brimfield. It wasn't any great bargain, but you know those horse fans. My photo doesn't show the richness of the fabric... but nice old fabric. I used the crochet trim from another dresser scarf; just turned the edges under and added it when it was finished. This shade is a rectangle. The size is 10.5" high and 10"x14" across the bottom. cost$150. I have more of this fabric in-stock for custom orders.
Oct 27 is my last workshop for the season. I have 2 spots left if you were interested. Class is from 11am - 5ish. Check back to prior blog to see all the info. Our last class on the 14th was a fun day. Great shades were made. It is always amazing to see the variety of styles made in a day with ladies from all over the map. We had a mom and daughter group, a lighting/lampshade store owner, an antique shop owner and a couple more that were interested in learning for their homes. The day flew by.

Anyone can make lampshades. It does take practice and the more you do it the better they get. My book, The Lampshade Lady, has a wide variety of projects from easy-medium to advanced. I always get frustrated when craft books have only the simple/easy projects and don't get into more interesting projects. So, in designing my book I wanted to make sure there were some good challenges included for those that wanted it, not that they are that hard but you might not want to start with a cut corner square rectangle or a scallop hex.

Are You Making Lampshades, Yet?

Great Christmas/Holiday gifts. Get started now and you'll be on a roll.

I thought I might write a post on some of the questions I have gotten from emails since my book has come out. I love hearing from my new readers. Thanks for all the great comments.

Questions from readers:

1. where do i find supplies? There are 2 main sources for lampshades supplies, The Lamp Shop and Fogg Lighting. They both have very good websites and are very helpful on the phone. Over the years I have gotten used to ordering supplies. There are many frame choices, ribbons, etc.


2. can i use grosgrain from craft supply stores? The grosgrain ribbon used to make lampshades needs to have a % of cotton and rayon. Most craft stores have grosgrain, but it does not always have the cotton in the fiber content.


3. where do i find the pressure sensitive styrene? Pressure sensitive styrene is available from The Lampshop and Fogg Lighting for small quantities. If you are interested in 25 yards plus, try Artistic Bias in New Jersey. They ship out of the country. I have heard from many of you guys down in Australia trying to find STYRENE. Perhaps it is a niche business needing to be started down your way. Perhaps get together and put in a co-op order or try buying from a small lampshade manufacturer down your way.

4. what kind of glue do you use? Quick glue loaded into an accordion squeeze bottle. Glue bottles can be used over and over. Glue is available from The Lampshop and Fogg Lighting. Dries in about 15-20 minutes.

5. how many shades do you make in a year.... good question.....no idea but what's the saying about idle hands...

6. what do you suggest for the beginner? There are a couple ideas. Start with a small frame. I also suggest the idea of buying a kit from The Lampshop or Fogg Lighting. I think it's a good way to get started; all the materials except fabric are included in the kit.
or take a workshop.... more to be scheduled for 2o10 or one more in Oct. 27 (still a little room, left)

7. can i use my old lampshade frame? Sometimes. If you have an empire shade, aka regular old round shade, you can take it apart and use the old shade as a pattern. Instructions in book.

or if you have an old frame. You can use it if the top is not round. Silk shades often have pretty frames but they can not always be used in making hard back shades.

if you use an old frame, give it a coat of enamel paint and sand if rusty.

8. which brings me to the question of galvanized frames. RUST is the lampshade makers enemy. If you can find galvanized frames or powder coated frames go for it. If your frames are steel you will need to coat them to try to retard rusting.... all of the lampshade ladies and men have issues with this topic.

9. what is your favorite lampshade of the hour? I have loved using vintage needlepoint pieces on my shades. It is a fun challenge to design shades using the needlepoint panel on the front of the shade and compliment it with other fabrics and trims. It takes some searching to find all the pieces to the puzzle, but often with delightful results.

enjoy the weekend.
judy

Memoirs of A Bathtub Psychic

Today is Bethanne's day at last! She is releasing her first book, Memoirs of the Bathtub Psychic. She'll be in Rutland tonight 7pm at Annie's Bookstop signing books and book talk. I met Bethanne many years ago when my dearest shop dog Odie first got sick.

Bethanne was a new customer at my lampshade shop. She loved my lampshades and kept coming back for more. Each time she came back we got to know each other a little bit better. One of the times she arrived at the shop she mentioned that my dog looked sick. How could it be? Odie was incredibly strong and had always seemed in perfect health to me.

Odie's story is one of the chapters in Bethanne's new book; The Lampshade Lady's Dog. Odie has since died but he went on to live another 5 years with Bethanne's help. I will be forever grateful for her generosity and wisdom. He lived till almost 15, which is pretty good for a big handsome Australian Shepherd. I will always miss him, he was the world to me, but I was fortunate to have met Bethanne just at the right time in my life.

Check out her book, The Memoirs of a Bathtub Psychic!

Tonight at 7pm Annie's Bookstop, Rutland, Vermont

Drum Shades Still Rule the Day and Easy to Make

Drum shades are one of the easiest lampshades to make. They take lots of fabric and trim, but go together pretty fast. I like making drum shades with equal dimensions top and bottom. These shades are 16" across the top x 16" across the bottom and 10.5" high. It's a handy size for floor lamps, pendant lamps and large table lamps. COST for this shade, $150 plus shipping.

This top shade is trimmed with a turquoise and green trim; it adds the perfect finish to this eye stopping shade.


Drum shades are made by drawing a large rectangle. The size can be adjusted to your room needs. Cut styrene to the size needed for shade. The diameter of shade x 3.14 = needed length plus an inch for the overlap. Cut out and laminate to the back side of fabric. You will need a top ring and a bottom ring. Glue top ring into place running a light bead of glue and setting ring in place with clothes pins and then do the same with bottom ring and glue up back seam.

Use grosgrain on top and bottom to hold wires in place. Make sure to use grosgrain with 40% cotton. Add decorative trim to finish. These are quick basic directions, many more tips in my new Lampshade Lady book, plus great sources for trims, fabrics, lampshade materials and more.
Love this one! You'll probably recognize the chenille spread. I just may have to take one of these home. It's fits the bill for VINTAGE MATERIALS MADE MODERN. This chenille was hanging in my shop for days. I looked over to it to see the circle pattern. ooooh, very exciting. I was psyched to give this shade a try. SHADE cost for this one: $150. plus shipping.

And lastly, a quite shot of the lampshade shop. No photo prep here!!! It was a busy Columbus Day long weekend. A day off today. Phew, good thing. And a busy workshop tomorrow, big group from all over New England. One last workshop after this on Tuesday, Oct. 27 th 11am-5pm. I still have spots if you are interested, call this shop. 802-325-6308. Last class for 2009. I'll be scheduling winter 2010 workshops shortly.

thanks to all of you for all the great emails about my new book. I appreciate all the good words. It has been a special time for me. Very rewarding after completing such a big project.

Just Set up at Hildene Craft Show

I'm just back from setting up for The Craft Producer's Hildene Craft Show
I haven't been a vendor at craft shows in many years. When I started my business Lake's Lampshades many moons ago I was a crafts girl on the craft show road. Oh, to think of those weeks that I booked 5 shows in a row.... one day to bounce back and crank to make enough inventory for the next show. How did I ever do it? Many people still do it all summer long.

I'm taking my Lampshade Lady Book to the show and doing a lampshade demo and maybe selling a few shades, too. I just purchased a fancy new tent that is stiff as the dickens and was missing some rivets. Luck that I had today, a craft guy and his wife were walking by just as I was setting up my tent. He just happened to have a rivet thinger- ma- gig. Fixed my tent, what luck was that. But it still is too stiff raising it up....???

The weekend weather sounds sort of wet...and cold. Just stopped at Shaws for some good soups, light bulbs and snacks.

Yesterday I had my first lampshade workshop of the fall. It was a fun day with great stories. We all had such fun together. Creativity was happening on School Street. I love how our life's stories all work together finding out how small our world is. A fun day yesterday made todays pack up/ set up all that much easier.

If you are in Southern Vermont this weekend, head down to the Hildene Craft show in Manchester. I am right by the gate, 2nd vendor in. I am praying for some sun and light rain and no snow. One year perhaps 20 years ago, Charlie Dooley the original owner of the craft show was staying on the top of Mt. Equinox at the motel that used to be there. Shorts and sandals... and that year were got lots of show this weekend. Power outages, tents collapsing. Glad I wasn't there then, but must have been a total disaster. Can you imagine the weight of all the heavy snow? Not this year, I hope.