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How-to: Woven Ribbon Lampshade

May 6, 2013 3 Comments

How-to: Woven Ribbon Lampshade at HandsOccupied.com

Sometimes, you’re out walking the dogs and find a couple of perfectly good lampshades in the trash, and you have no choice but to take their existence as a sign you need some new lampshades. Even if you aren’t lucky enough to find craftable trash lying around, this project can be done with any wire-framed lampshade in need of a makeover.

Supplies

lots of ribbon, in 2 contrasting colors
an old lampshade with a wire frame
scissors
liquid stitch/fabric glue
lots of straight pins

Directions

Using whatever means necessary, strip your lampshade down to its wire frame.

How-to: Woven Ribbon Lampshade at HandsOccupied.com

Since I literally found my lampshade in an alley, and since even non-alley lampshades get dusty over time, I advise you to take this opportunity to throw away the probably-gross fabric removed from the shade and clean off your workspace.

How-to: Woven Ribbon Lampshade at HandsOccupied.com

Cut a piece of ribbon long enough to wrap tightly around your lampshade plus two inches. Pin one end around a vertical support of your lampshade skeleton as shown below.

How-to: Woven Ribbon Lampshade at HandsOccupied.com

Wrap the ribbon around the outside of the shade. When you get around to where you began, fold down the second raw end and pin it to the first, folded over end of the piece of ribbon.

lampshade6

Cover your lampshade frame from top to bottom in this manner. The next step is weaving in vertical pieces of ribbon. You don’t have to do this in a contrasting color, but I found it made the weaving effect really pop.

(I made two lampshades, using the purple ribbon for the horizontal loops for the first, and then using some cute bumble bee ribbon for the horizontal loops on the second. The pictures above feature the first lampshade, and the pictures below feature the second one. FYI.)

To weave in the vertical ribbon pieces, cut several pieces of ribbon that are two inches longer than your shade skeleton is tall. Fold one end of the ribbon over the top of the shade frame and secure to the top horizontal loop of ribbon with a pin. Repeat this process all the way around the shade, leaving the bottom end of the ribbon free and alternating how you weave the vertical ribbon among the horizontal. See the checkerboard effect of the purple ribbon on the bee ribbon?

How-to: Woven Ribbon Lampshade at HandsOccupied.com

Next, it’s time to glue everything in place as well as to glue over the ribbons’ raw ends to prevent raveling. Begin with the top of the vertical ribbons. Leave the pins in place until the glue is totally dry.

How-to: Woven Ribbon Lampshade at HandsOccupied.com

For the bottom of the shade, fold each end around the bottom metal piece similarly to the top, pin it in place, and glue to finish. Remove the pins when the glue has dried.

How-to: Woven Ribbon Lampshade at HandsOccupied.com

When the vertical ribbons are all set, you’ll need to glue the horizontal ribbon pieces too. Put a little glue inside each folded end and over the raw edge of the ribbon to keep it from raveling. Again, wait until the glue is totally dry to remove the straight pins.

How-to: Woven Ribbon Lampshade at HandsOccupied.com

An optional last step, if you’re so inclined, is to cover the exposed metal skeleton of the shade with more ribbon. For once, I decided to go with the shabby chic look on mine and left it raw.

I first posted this project at The Good Weekly, the blog for Goodsmiths. In case you didn’t know, I write twice a month for The Good Weekly. The bee ribbon used was provided by May Arts Ribbon. 

Filed Under: Home Decor, How-to, My Work Elsewhere Tagged With: home decor, lampshade, ribbon, upcycle, woven

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. Carol

    May 11, 2013 at 5:05 pm

    Fun shade.

    Reply
  2. Mia Ethan

    August 7, 2015 at 2:13 am

    Simple and powerful decoration. What ribbon did you use? I have bookmarked your snap. Thank you

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Weekly Reader, May 10, 2013 – Hands Occupied says:
    May 10, 2013 at 11:06 am

    […] On Monday, I showed you guys how to revamp a lampshade with woven ribbon. […]

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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