The Lampshade Lady Blog

Thanks Gazillons to Yankee Magazine

Fini and I are featured in the new Yankee Magazine this summer. The new issue is just out and is a wonderful issue. The cover features an amazing Richard Schultz photograph of an island off of Penobscot Bay; it looks like many I sailed to as a kid in Casco Bay. I was known to take our sunfish out for a sail on a windy summer day and head out to one of the many islands. I'd drag my heavy sunfish down my friend Betsy's beach in Falmouth and off I'd go. Never a fear...and off I'd go. How many fond memories of my Maine childhood. Yes, I stayed mostly on the inside of Casco Bay!

And the full circle of life, the issue also features an article by Bill McKibben on  the once hardscrabbled  Vermont town of Hardwick and their famed cheese makers of Jasper Hill and High Mowing Seeds as well as mentioning the other highlights of the community.

From now on I maybe known as the Cat Lady instead of the Lampshade Lady. Fini my cat loves to wrap around your neck... The nice guy photographer from Yankee came to do the photo shoot of my lamp and shade project. We did the set up and then head shots of me:) He was just about to leave and silly of me, I showed him what Fini likes to do if he has a chance..... wrap around your neck. And he said great, let me shoot it.... famous last words. Oh, well, it is a pretty cute picture of Fini, pretty good for a scrappy stray that hasn't budged an inch since he showed up a year ago April. A real love bug.

P.S. Page 72-73 has a recipe for Rose-Petal Jam. I've been looking all over to buy it. Guess I will just have to start picking my Rosa Rugosa Petals, but they just don't get as big in Vermont's less than acid soil.

P.S.S. There is my Nighty Nightlight Project from my Lampshade Lady Book on Yankee's website. http://www.YankeeMagazine.com , check it out.

 

Society Silk Lampshade

I try to keep my Saturdays at the shop for designing inventory for my shop. Most of my week I am filling orders for custom work or wholesale. I figure that if I have to work on the weekend I might as well do something a little more fun. I know it's still work, but it's of my own making. I have lots of fabric, embroideries and odd ball stuff kicking around my shop. I'd say I know my inventory pretty well, but once in a while I spot something I'd forgotten I had. I hadn't forgotten these little treasures photographed above, but lets say I wasn't sure exactly how I could use them. Most of them are pretty small, maybe 3-4 inches across. Yesterday I designed a pair of scallop shades and I thought maybe I could squeeze these onto a scallop panel. They were a tad small, but the trim covered it up. Great.

 Aren't they pretty. Many of the ones I have are stained and .... not all of these worked, but did get enough panels for one shade. And use the edging as well for trim. You can see below how the embroidery didn't quite fit onto the panel.

The shade panels are attached and drying to the scallop frame. 4inch top x 8 inch bottom x 6" high, clip top. Frame and materials are all from The Lampshop in Concord, N.H. Also shown in this photo is the pressure sensitive cloth tape, also known as bias fold trim backer. It is one question I am asked a million times, so I'll keep mentioning it...:)

Also shown are the 6 strips I made for the vertical trims. The p.s cloth tape is on the backside of the strips.
I have to say, Isn't it beautiful!!! It's the shade, but also it is the quality of the textiles. The edging or trim of the shade was made with the edging of the embroidery. I cut off the edge of the embroidery leaving an 8th of an inch to fold back onto the trim and then added a little glue to hold it all together. It wasn't long enough but easy enough to splice together another piece as I was adding on top of the grosgrain. This is an advanced project, but work your way up to this one.

 Yesterday was a productive day... one of those that zoomed right along. And today, Sunday is a day off. We are all headed to The Phish concert in Saratoga.... they'll probably think that me and Carson are narcs.... you know sort of old to be going to Phish concerts, but, yes, It's Father's Day. I've just packed a nice picnic of summer foods and made an almond cake.

Keep an eye out for the newest Yankee Magazine, July & Aug. but ought to be out Monday, I think.  Me and Fini are sharing a summer postcard lampshade project. Hopes it will give a nice boost to my Lampshade Lady book. I will sure to be known as the crazy cat lady once you see my photo. There is also a night light project from my book on Yankee's website.

gotta get ready for the concert!!! Hopes we are the oldest peeps there....

Oh dear, things are hopping and sure can see the social media and blogging can go by the wayside!

 

Isn't this sweet. Oh, a one of a kind and wishing there was another! Polka dots are from a vintage apron and trim is a soft vintage cotton jaquard that went on like a piece of cake. Some of the new trims can be a little finicky if they are not all cotton. 

It's a busy, busy time in my shop. I've stolen a little time away to sit on the porch to try to get a blog post out. Fini is sitting snuggy, close next to me giving himself a little wash. It is an unbelievably beautiful day in Vermont and had to sneak. I'm poaching on my neighbors internet while I'm sitting out:) thanks, Dave.

I can see that my great blog posting this winter is starting to fall apart... and twitter.... and fb. oh well, it's great to be busy again, not that it was that slow, but now it's rocking. Seems like the economy is having a comeback and some folks are having a sigh of relief. I don't know how many of my friends businesses pretty much ground to a halt last year. I am lucky; I have very low overhead and mostly work alone, although will have a little help this summer and try to keep my expenses down. I sense that things are picking up all around, almost every little boutique and shop I sell to tried to order in the last 2 weeks.... darn. You can imagine the impossibility of this.... stores will hold out to buy until they realize they really need some fresh inventory.

 

I found this metal tree at Brimfield. It makes a perfect lampshade tree. Works well to show off the shades. If customers can't see them displayed they'll never know they are here!
Just made this little Antique French fabric shade not too long ago. Love the shirred french trim on the bottom and fits the lamp to a tea.
I had a pair of these, but now down to one. Just made them before the Open Studio Weekend. Antique Candlewicking with blue trims. Love mixing trims.... I think it gives so much more interest to the eye. Sometimes I feel the same trim on the top and bottom is so ordinary....you know me, always trying to break the rules! And here is the same candlewicking on a hex bell. Just used up the whole spread. Time to look for another! Hey, a good excuse to peek on ebay. That's all it takes, but not always easy to find one at a good price.
please excuse the shade wrap.....but just made it and want to keep it clean. Yes, too lazy to take it off. This is a 7x12x8 hex bell, washer top.

Notes: My October Workshop is full. I suspect there is still room for the July Nantucket Workshop, but not sure. Give them a call if you are interested. tel. 508.228.1894 @ Nantucket Historical Association.