Wow - gorgeous! What a beautiful job you did! Love it!

Thanks, Lukajoey! One of my favorite online Victorian lampshade sellers has a motto I love --
"Because too much is never enough!" :)

It's one place where we can really let the feminine frippery rip. I guess that's why I love them.

It goes well with my red antique sofa.

I have another one to do, a table lamp, but I have no idea what I'm going to do to it yet.

Beautiful! And, BTW, it's nice to see you posting again.:)
Dee

Outstanding & very special! Great job.

When you get a chance, please post a pic of the lamp with your sofa! Sounds perfect.

WOW! Impressive to say the least. Good Job!!!!! :0)

Oops -- please excuse the Mexican (?) sign in my post. The host site Tiny Pic goofed up and will NOT give me that picture. So with apologies, here is the picture I meant to post except in a too big size (because every time I try with the correct picture it gives me something goofy I've never seen before).

Here is the picture that was supposed to go there:

Oh well.

Hi Deeinohio! Thanks, and it's nice to see you, too. :)

Stinky-Gardener, thanks! It's not actually by the sofa. It's by the chair that matches the sofa. I don't have a pic of that right now but I do have a huge bird cage for sale in the way - lol.

Thanks, Nicole!

This was actually my second shot at this frame. I made up another version almost all the way, embroidered it in silk and everything, then didn't like it, so ripped it out and had to start over from step one. So this baby was many, many weeks in coming. I'm glad it's done.

Incredible. That looks amazing!

Thanks, Eclecticme!

Sorry that last pic is so "in your face." Now I see the pic above has mutated to some sort of security check thing. Looks like Tiny Pic is having hiccups!

I swear when I first posted it, it looked all in order. Weird. Good grief, I hope it isn't something naughty next time I look!

Oh WOW...this is very inspirational...you did a fabulous job. I have an old lamp pole I need to make a shade for some day. Your work is exquisite, I love the combination of materials. Thanks for explaining everything. Your colors are awesome!!!

That is gorgeous!

Thanks, Vampiressrn and Texanjana!

Well, that didn't explain everything. The main thing is you have to get every panel REALLY TIGHT. So I pinned the panel on, stretching it as tight as I could (pin it to the Snug Hug with pins facing inward toward panel center. Then I also pulled it tight as I sewed it. If you can hand sew just a regular stitch like you'd use to hem a skirt, that's the kind of sewing you do. Stitches not longer than 1/4" max. Every 4-5 stitches, take a double/knot type stitch for extra strength.

If you do the ruched chiffon and you glue down your trim do NOT rip your trim off because you're unhappy with it -- it will pull the threads in your chiffon. :( On the chiffon panels they have the lining, then a colored silk, then the chiffon, so they are triple.

Other than that, it's fairly straightforward. Oh, and you can in some cases (depending on the shape of your shade) cover more than one panel at once. Especially with the lining.

If you turn my shade upside down and look at the underside, you see the snug hug, and the lining sits on top of that.

That's the way the professionals make them. I bought a video on how to make them off eBay and that did help some. But that's the main thing is stretch it TIGHT because nobody wants a baggy lampshade. Kinda hard on your hands. After sewing each panel on, trim the fabric away as close to your stitching as you can but don't cut your stitching. Your gimp braid covers the seams.

That's pretty much it. Oh, and don't try to do your own beading unless you have the patience of a saint or you really WANT to go into lock-up. :) Best place to buy bead fringe: eBay.

Here is the best place to buy the wire frames:
http://www.lampshademaker.com/victorian_lampshades.htm

Here is the best place to get inspiration, plus her hubby makes a few frame designs.
WARNING: SEVERE EYE CANDY!!
http://www.vintageshades.com/

What a lot of hand work, you did a fantastic job.......you must love detail work. I hope you don't have any cats that can reach it, HAHAHAHAH. Thanks for sharing your new shade.

Thanks, Susan! I'm fairly patient with detail work, yes. I've got something worse than a cat -- four parrots. But I won't let them near it.

Fabulous!!

Wow, it's gorgeous! Congrats on a job well done!

WOW! Great job! It looks professional. Are you using this in your pretty LR?

I'm glad to see you here again. :)

WOW! That thing should be enlarged and used over a Rajah's throne.

Can you post a picture of it in the final spot?

Nicely done!

Oceanna...thanks for that link...eyecandy is right...those are breath-taking. :-)

Oceanna,
That is a beautiful shade. You must have lots of patience.
I admire your talent.

Oceanna, I sure would like to see the rest of your house! Do you decorate Victorian?

I'd love to do beading but I don't have the patience. What a beautiful shade!

Amazing ... you are so creative and artistic!

Now you have me thinking about all those beads I have sitting around for jewelry making!

LOL! I need another project like I need a hole in my head!

Ha! I look today and see that TinyPic got it's act in order and the original pic is showing up as intended. Computers! (and men! shhh) Eh?

Loribee, Gsciencechick, Sheesharee, Lazygardens, Ttodd, Lyban, and Oakleyok, thanks for your kind words. I feel doubly blessed because I know the crowd here is no slouch when it comes to knowing pretty decor. :)

Lyban, yes, I am pretty patient with detail work. It can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse.

I took some pictures, but I haven't figured out yet how to shrink a picture with this s/w. I'll post and ask about that.

Here is a picture of my sofa, which many of you have seen:

Pamghatten, thanks for the kind words. I hear you about projects, but we artsy folks seem to always be taking on more, have you noticed? You're in good company.

Question for Pam or anyone who beads -- is there some type of (hopefully inexpensive) tool in beading that would help us make long strands like that more quickly? Seems to me there is. I would make my own bead fringe much more readily if there were. I even got a book about it.

That is absolutely gorgeous!! I've been thinking about doing one for several years, and it would be a darn good winter project. Thanks so much for the inspiration. ;o)

EEEEKKKK I love to bead. Your lamp is Stunning Gorgeous. I totally appreciate the work you put into all of it and thanks so much for links on frames and the how to.

I use bead boards . I bought mine at Joanns. They are mostly for necklaces or bracelets to lay out.They will work for lamp fringe.

If you have some one or you to run a router you can make your own bead boards. Just rout out a grove as long as your board allows. Lay the beads in trough and thread by either running your needle up the groove or picking up one bead at a time. I also use Thread Heaven on my thread. For me it works better than bees wax.

Don't you just hate it when you miss a bead on the return thread and the thread shows . OH GGGGRRRR. I am sorry I chuckled when you mentioned the time and IF you did not make a mistake. I have a beaded curtain I have been restoring and it got put away about 6 years ago and I have not hauled it out since. Each strand is over three foot long. I really should get it out and finish it. The house I bought the delapitated curtain for has long been sold.

Friend wants me to bead a hat band for him. The beads they sent are lovely checz three cut beads.

Chris

Patty Cakes, thanks! Oh please do, and please show us when you're done. I can't wait to see it.

Chris, thanks! Oh, you are brave. I can't imagine trying to do 3' long strands. Although I guess they're bigger beads, but still. Got any pictures? I can see a hat band, that would be neat. Is there a board to share beading projects here? I haven't seen it.

Okay, a beading board . . . would that make this job easier? I would have beaded the entire thing and had planned to do so, but I made lots of mistakes and had thread tangles and so on, careful as I tried to be -- it just drove me bonkers.

Could you please be so kind as to look at this and tell me which one would you get for a project like, maybe up to 7" or so long strands? http://www.firemountaingems.com/shopping.asp?SKW=KWTOOLDESIGNBOARDS

I never heard of Thread Heaven. I'll have to look into that too, thanks!

Morning Oceanna, Just barely awake. Hope I can get this right. I think I would like the linked below. Mine is not as long but it does work. I like the center section on the linked one and for what you do with the lamp shades I think it would give you lots of options for lay out.

Most of the beads on the curtain are seed beads. Some of the longer ones. I really should get it out and deal with it again. It is just so large and can not be disturbed and where to put it in our little house to work on it. Hummmmm

I do not know of a beading board at GW. Will look around. Maybe there is a general craft board. Maybe if enough ask for one?

Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: Bead Board

Extraordinary, beautiful! The artist in me would love to be able to do that!

See, *this* is why you should be here--don't bother with all the dopes in H.T. Stay here and share your fabulous projects with us!

Chris, thank you so much for looking for the right bead board for me. Oh my gosh, I can't even imagine working with 3' of seed beads. What were you thinking? You must be Super Woman!

Calirose, thank you. The artist in you CAN do that. Go on ebay and look for a video on how to make Victorian Lampshades, if you're a visual learner. Or maybe your library has one? Or, wing it and learn as you go. I gave some instructions, above. You really can.

Flyleft - lol! I went over there and just read a few posts and you're right, it's the same folks all with the exact same positions as before. It really did make me laugh. Some of those folks over there are quite clever at how they say "you're a dope" so very politely though. hahaha Thanks for the compliments. I'm afraid my projects are few and far between. I've been working on my dining room drapes, then guess what I did? LOST the heavy duty rod (not the holders, not the finials) I paid $50 bucks or so for. It was kicking around here so long I got tired of looking at it, so I hid it from myself. Can't find it anywhere! I'm so mad at myself. Meanwhile, my curtains to be languish down in the sewing room. :/ I need to hit the hardware store and see if I can buy just the pole part. Gotta take measurements. Anyway, I WAS excited about the drapes. I appliqued the edges.

Do the rest of you do that? Very carefully hide things from yourselves? Maybe I need a hypnotherapist to get it out of me where I put it??

I've hid the cut list for my DD's bathroom countertop for about a week. It took me a good long time to do it--measurements down to the 11/32" kind of thing with porcelain tile and my DH just found it. I was in denial about what would have to happen if I couldn't find it.

Worse, I've hid my glasses from myself since Thursday. Making do with my old ones for now.

Oohhh, that is a lovely lampshade! You make such beautiful things. I still remember your lovely gallery glass. Thanks for sharing. I'd love to try something like that.