Like most of you, I really fancied getting my hands on a copy of this here magazine, book thing. I got the last one, I kind of liked it, but I wasn't as impressed as I should have been. There was far too much of a re-hashing of the same articles that had already appeared in Mollie Makes to make it anything truly new or exciting. This time around, I'd had a sneak peak and liked what I saw, plus lovely Jane was in it and I fancied seeing more of her pad too (because - like most of us I'm nosey ok).
Apart from buying it online, I just couldn't find the darned thing anywhere. Then having a quick sleepy time shuffle through Instagram (where I've sort of joined in as Bobobun68) I saw that Jane had pointed someone in the direction of Hobbycraft. That was me sorted then. After dropping the girls at school I whizzed off for a quick food shop and then patiently waited for the HC doors to open.
Back home in time to truly enjoy a Monday off, I threw together my favourite breakfast, gathered my latest hooky thing and my newly found magazine.
I only looked at the pictures this time round. Words will follow later when I'm in the mood for them. I did have to stop to read a few words near the back mind you. There in the back pages are instructions for recovering a lampshade. I've wanted to re-jig all of ours for a while now, but couldn't get my head around the instructions in the books I have. These seemed really straightforward. Easy enough to jump in and have a go right now I thought as I binned all of my other plans for the day.
For my first ever attempt I decided to use some small scraps of a precious barkcloth. I've had it stashed away as I only have it in small pieces, too small to make most things with, but perfect for cutting out small lampshade panels from.
Once I'd stripped all of the red gingham fabric off the shade I got on with the easy to follow instructions. First off I made a pattern.
Then I chopped up the eight panels to cover the shade.
Once stitched together they came up a bit bigger than I needed so I did a bit of extras stretching and stitching and there it was fitted all snug pretty.
After handstitching around the top and bottom, I really wished I'd bought a glue gun the last time I was staring at them. No glue gun at the ready, so off I went with my stitchiness to add a zig zag of
red for a finishing pzazzzz.
There are a few Heath Robinson bits in this make, but what the hell. I can't believe I've actually got round to covering a shade and it looks ok
Do you know the lampshade making even went so well that I still had enough time to make a couple of the cushions I'd had planned.
I bit the bullet and used two of my most favourite fabrics that I've been saving for goodness knows what really.
Other than wishing there were more hours in a making day, I'm really really pleased with how it's all turned out. More lampshade and quick cushion making will most definately be happening.
