Making Removable Slip Cover for a Lampshade

This entire project was created by Nancy Athearn from Milton, Florida. Nancy emailed a very detailed instruction for making removable cover for round flat side lamp shade. We just put it here word in word. If your lampshade is in different shape, but still not too complicated for removable cover - you may use the same idea, just think how to make the original pattern in a way that is possible with your lamp shade.

And this is what came out at the end - a lovely embroidered lamp shade, and cushion.








I decided to make a removable Slip Cover for a Lampshade for my bedroom, so that I could change "themes"...... After making an embroidered shade to complement my newly redone bedroom, I can do one for Christmas, one for Easter, Valentine's Day, etc.! I fell in love with the Elegant Floral Initials, so the floral "A" was my first design of choice.

I had a plain fabric-covered lampshade that had flat sides (as opposed to a curved or flared style). I laid a large piece of white paper on my cutting table and drew a 36" line across one long side. Then placed the shade on it's "side" on the paper, with the seam of the shade approximately on the drawn line. I started tracing lines at the top and bottom of the shade, rolling it slowly until the seam was again facing down on the paper. I added a 1/2" seam allowance to the sides, top and bottom.



I cut it out using some scrap fabric, sewed the side seam together and tried it on the shade for size. It was a little large so I stitched a larger side seam. Once it fit, I prepared the "good" fabric I had chosen, which was an off-white crepe. Silk dupioni would have been beautiful too.

I cut a piece of crepe that the paper pattern would fit on, then ironed nylon tricot iron-on interfacing to the back to give the fabric more body and to act as a stabilizer. From a scrap of this interfaced fabric and heavy water soluble stabilizer underneath, I hooped the two layers and sewed a "sample" of the "A" design. I had intended to put a 3-letter monogram on the lampshade, but when I saw how beautiful the single "A" was, I decided having more letters would take away from the beauty instead of adding to it.

I lightly traced the paper pattern onto the prepared fabric using a water soluble pen, then hooped the fabric and water soluble stabilizer, and embroidered the "A." I laid the paper pattern on top, making sure the design was centered, and it out. I then basted the side seams together and again tried it on (the shade) for size. Once I got it to fit well, I serged the seam, then I checked the top and bottom seam allowances, making sure they were approximately 3/8" - 1/2". I sewed piped trim at the top of the shade cover. Since this cover is removable, I didn't want any raw edges. I stitched the trim onto the inside of the cover (see photo), then turned it to the outside and stitched again. The raw edge was enclosed in the two stitchings. I then sewed fringe trim onto the bottom of the cover in the same manner.



I used the sample sew-out to make a decorator pillow for my bed. The piece of fabric was only about 8" square, so I trimmed it on the diagonal and basted it to an interfaced fabric square. I found some pretty rayon lacey trim in my stash, and used it to cover the raw edge. Rayon cording finishes the edges of the pillow.



That's it. Joyful Sewing!