The Lampshade Lady Blog

Crafty Girl 1975-2013

I am visiting my folks in Falmouth, Maine where I grew up. My mom has just gotten a new knee and am around to keep the pieces together. All around the house are many of my old lampshades. It's fun to see the progress of my work. Yes, our work does get better the longer we stay with it. But some of my early work was also really beautiful. I'll post a few of them as well as a few of my early fiber art.

Okay, here's one of the first! Sort of sweet in a folky way. I did cut and pierced shades for about 10 years until my good friend Judy Pascal urged me to try making fabric shades with her vintage fabrics. Thank goodness for Judy! Most lampshade makers that continue making the cut shades end up with carpel tunnel, not to mention lower back pain. Ironically I studied textiles in college... sometimes it just takes longer to end where we are suppose to be.
Here's a sweet embroidery I did before my lampshades. Mom dated it on the back; I think it was 1975. Embroideries are still my favorite to work with in my lampshades.
This must be around 1976. I had a great weaving teacher, Rosalie Smith at North Yarmouth Academy. I hope Rosalie knows how much us crafty ones loved having her share her art with us. Not many high school kids had this level of teaching.

A little more tapestry weaving...
Detail of an early cut lampshade. I loved making up my own patterns from fabric designs or vintage prints.
Here is the full shot. My shade on a Flower Brook Pottery Lamp Base.
More cut and pierced. This one was very popular in it's day. Oh, how easy it was to screw up. Any little fleck of coffee or pen mark or slip of the #11 exacto blade and it was done for!!! This one has seen better days!
detail of shade. These are all hand cut. Many cut and pierced shades these days are die cut, ie cut but machine. You can tell the difference if the cuts look flat they are die cut.  If they are hand cut they are cut on an angle. Big difference!!! I ventured into it once, but just didn't want to sacrifice the look.
a variation on the paneled shade. These were pretty time consuming as I recall, but I liked the overall pattern.

This is the grand finale of my lampshade history tour! This is the crown jewel! I love loved this pattern. A HUGE challenge. I found the pattern in a victorian pattern book. It was the size of a postage stamp; I blew it up and reworked it to fit the shade. Tons of work. Only did a few of these!!! Of course Mom got one!


Today. Favorite fabric/embroidery/coronation work Lampshade. This is a shade I did last summer for Mom. Love this fabric!

detail of the beautiful vintage textile work.

I guess we never know paths our life will go or where it will continue. At least I don't and kind of like it that way. It's like antiquing or flea marketing--- you never know what treasure might be around the corner or WHO might walk into your shop! Speaking of shops, I am missing my dear shop while I'm here in Maine, but a little sabbatical will only spur the creativity for foliage. My hands are really happy to take a break from work.

Make Custom Lampshades: My Ski House

Vacation is over. I'm back at the shop. If you have been following my blog, I often threat to put up my "Gone Skiing" sign. We just had a wintry week of spring skiing; only about 10 minutes of deck time, but the snow was great, even champagne powder. Over the years I've made a few ski lampshades for my family's  condo. It's fun to give a personalized gift. I admit they are kind of corny, but they are perfect for a ski camp or summer beach house or your hunting trophies!  Hunt for cards that are from your ski area or home town. Keep an eye out for them when your are out antiquing or fleamarketing. Check on ebay, too. This was a Christmas present a few years ago. Ski houses always have all kinds of ski posters, photos, etc. Even raid your photo albums. Cut and paste and head to your favorite laser printer.
It's always a good conversation piece. Oh, remember the old days....  My mom was putting together some of our old ski photos.... here's a good laugh. Me at maybe 16??? sure not putting this one on any lampshades... But sure cracked me up! Thought you'd get a good laugh, too. But I did make a shade for my Dad's birthday a few years ago. See next photo.
This was a huge hit. It's always hard to know what to get your Dad. I had Mom send me some old photos, ski news clippings, etc. You can personalize your own shade. Raid the family photo albums and make copies, laminate them onto pressure sensitive styrene and make up into a shade. Pick up a copy of my Lampshade Lady Book and follow The Vintage Postcard Shade directions.

Vacation's over and I can already feel the wonderful, poky winter coming to an end and the busy, bustling spring coming on. Shops will be calling with orders..... usually all at once....yikes. My April Workshops are quickly approaching; students are coming from all over the country. Only 2 spots left on the Thursday, April 14th class, Saturday is full. Give me a call if you want to hold a spot. Brimfield is fast approaching and will be here before I know it. 

I am so ready for Spring!!!! Aren't you? We have all shoveled our fair share this winter; I can't remember a winter that I have shoveled as much.  I am looking forward to my shop sign being delivered in the next few days. Roy Egg of West Pawlet painted my lampshade sign many years ago and it was time for it to be spruced up; the paint had faded and was peeling off. Roy just happened to stop by before I was headed away; it was great timing. Yipee, the sign will look so fresh for spring.

gotta get back to work,

judy