Hey Friends! My recent project is complete! A hand-sewn and beaded shade for a friend.

The Challenge

My friend at work asked me to make a new shade for her existing cut crystal lamp. Here's a shot of the existing shade, which is rag-tied lace trim on an unwrapped wire. Pretty, but not stunning.

She absolutely insisted that the shade I make for her must be silver and white only--no color. This is a bit of a challenge for me as, I love color and have never made a pure white shade before.

The Shade-Making Process

The frame I selected for her lamp is hilariously called "Little Old Lady", which is something I will not be telling her. This frame was selected because the shape is a complimentary mirror image to the base.

The image depicts the frame before and after the wrapping process. I used an off-while seam binding tape, and wrapped it very tightly.

Here, you can see the process of lining the shade. This lining is so fantastic! It has a very subtle and tiny pattern that will shine through the silk, adding a layer of complexity to the overall look of the shade.

For this project, I selected pure white silk charmeuse because it has a stunning sheen when unlit. I decided to alternate each panel of the hexagon with white lace I purchased in Paris, and a fantastic metal-infused mesh. The trim pictured here was not used on the shade and I instead decided upon a silver metal gimp. I just could not get right with the seqins.

Above is a montage of the process for sewing on the laces. I think this montage should be set to the theme song from "Mission Impossible", because avoiding a needle-stick in this process is impossible, and bloodstains clash ever so badly with white silk.

Here's a closeup of the laces and trim sewn onto the wire frame.

Sample bead strands. I won't lie to you..I grueled over this for a couple of hours. Making bead strands using only one color is brutal. Considering that the shades can last 20+ years, it really matters that the bead pattern is perfect. I selected the second from right as the master strand.

Getting busy making seventy bead strands! Here's the bead tray, the first "seed strands" and the finished strands. It took me two days to make them all, working about five hours per day.

The Finished Project

A nice close-up on the beads after sewing them onto the shade. While it is quite difficult to photograph, the smaller white beads are actually opalescent, and the larger clear glass beads have a finish called Aurora Borealis. When lit, the beads sparkle like an ice sculpture!

The strands are typically spaced one centimeter apart, unless the curve of the wire is steep.

Lampshade montage!

All lit-up and looking pretty. This shade is going to look so beautiful on its cut crystal forever home base, and truly hope that my friend falls in love with it. I can't wait to see her face when we pop the shade onto her base.

Thanks so much for coming along for this project. Have a fantastic #NeedleworkMonday!

Peace to you.