DIY- A Crochet Lampshade- A Recycle Project

This is an easy project that saves an old lampshade. I am now eyeing other older lampshades thinking perhaps I can give some other tired shades a new look.

I have always been interested in recycling. I love giving old things new life.

I also have a smidgen of craft knowledge and a little bit of a creative edge that keeps me from ever getting bored.

Several summers ago, while cleaning out old "stuff" I came across a sad and dirty hanging lamp from the attic that had seen better days. For awhile I just considered tossing it.

Ultimately, I decided I could use it as a winter project and perhaps reclaim it.

What did I have to lose? I would have something to "play" with and if it didn't work out...nothing lost except my time.

Initially, I thought to" sew" a shade, but I didn't have any material on hand that seemed appropriate and sewing a lampshade did not appeal to me.

The lampshade sat around until one day I decided I would like to crochet something. Doilies are not exactly in style and I just wanted to enjoy some type of craft through the winter hours inside. I live in Canada, after all, there are days you just want to stay inside!

Many Scandinavian homes are graced with crochet window coverings. They can be quite artistic and beautiful and I quite love them. I wanted to do something similar and took my inspiration from those coverings.

So I just experimented and enjoyed the process.

There were a few false starts and a few times when I unravelled what I had done because it didn't look the way I wanted. At times I thought perhaps I would not be able to make this work...but perseverance pays.

The day I attached it to the lampshade frame, I realized I had created a unique lampshade that added just the look I was going for. I don't think I could have found a better fit from any store. That is satisfaction!

I had no pattern. I started with a crochet chain that went around the girth of the lampshade.

Initially I began to close the circle, but soon discovered the whole piece got twisted, so I redid it as a rectangle until I had about three inches in height done.

At that point I began to work the pattern in a circle with constant fitting on the wire frame to see when I would need to decrease the circumference.

Most of the pattern is single crochet with the open work as double crochet and only one set of shell pattern.

My design,when fitted on the lampshade frame kept creeping up the frame. I decided that the original circumference was not working because it was too tight, so I had to get creative to salvage the project.

I found the spot on the frame where the circumference did not creep up and began to decrease to finish the top and opening section. I ended thepattern when I reached the opening. Now I had to start again at the original circumference and work down. Crochet is good for that!

I now had a good long stretch to finish off along the bottom to reach the bottom of the lampshade frame. Since crochet can be started anywhere, I went back to work the hem... crocheting backward from the open work to a new hem.

I continued until I had enough length to reach the end of the spokes of the lampshade frame. I decided to end the project at that point and stretch the crochet on the frame.

This is when the magic happened...

I wasn't 100 percent sure this project was a success until I finally attached it permanently to the frame.

I placed the shade like a hat on a head attaching the finished crochet to the top circle of the lampshade frame with a whip stitch. This anchored the finished crochet to the lampshade. That was very simple and easy.

I then attached the bottom of the crochet to each of the ends of the eight spokes. first to get an even stretch, I stretched out the single crochet bottom layer to reach the curved bottom wire with whip stitch along the bottom petal-like base, forming an interesting display.

All in all, I was quite satisfied with the end product. This lampshade will now find new life in my house. Not only do I have the satisfaction of recycling something, I was able to be creative and saved myself some money while getting a unique lampshade! Added to that hours of enjoying a craft.

This was a fun project that saved a lampshade frame from landfill. I was not too concerned if the project turned out since the materials were basically cost-free. However, the results were quite lovely.

At times, I look at this treasured shade and I wonder how in the world I could dream that one up with no instructions whatsoever. Then I realize sometimes you just have to go with your gut and start. You never know what surprise waits at the end.

It shows how easy it is to create lovely accents with little or no money and a little bit of creativity.

Add to that; the immense satisfaction of creating something unique!

It is amazing how our ancestors learned this craft and then went on to weave cloth giving rise to the textile industry centuries ago. What is amazing how simple the process is and we can do this with a few simple tools.