I just finished making three out of six tiny Victorian Lampshades. I'm halfway there and I'm so excited to get them all done so I can create my "installation".

Why Tiny Lampshades?

My intent is to emulate and surpass an idea I saw on Pinterest (above). Apparently, hanging small LED lampshades outside is all the rage at weddings these days. However, I don't intend to create them for a wedding. Instead, I will hang them from a beam in a covered eating space at my house, for fantastic Bohemian-style al fresco meals with friends! Rather than using ribbon to obfuscate the hanging cords, I plan on using string ivy. This is going to be so cool.

The Shades

I make all of the shades by hand, including dyeing the silk, lining the shades, selecting the materials, and sewing all the goodies onto the shade frames. While I usually hand-string be beads, I have elected to use pre-strung beads for two out of three shades shown here. Weight is the primary driver for this decision since the shades will hang on cords and glass beads are incredibly heavy. Please enjoy the finished images, as well as some of the shade-making process photos.

The Tiny Mauve Velvet

This shade frame is called "Mini Shelby". I ordered two frames from California last year and never used them because I simply could not find a lamp tiny enough to put them on. So the plan to hang them is a perfect solution.

For this shade, I used Procion dye and made a batch of gold and a batch of dusty rose. I dyed silk charmeuse for a first layer, and silk burnout velvet for the second layer. If I only put velvet on it, you would be able to see right through the burned-out spaces, and we don't want that!

This one was a lot of sewing as, each alternating panel is a separate piece of fabric. I used a gold metal lace on the side panels, a nice gold and white blend trim to follow the lines of the wires, and the beads are pre-strung acrylic.

The Sherbert

This shade was a lot of fun to make, and is insanely elaborate. I dyed the base silk on this one from bubble-gum pink to golden yellow, using Procion. For the next layer, I alternated between beige silk netting, and white French lace. The final and flowery layer is from a 1920's piano shawl that I bought on Ebay. The wire lines are trimmed in heavy bright gold metal, and the beads for this one are hand-strung.

You can see it here on a lamp base, which just doesn't look right to me--so this one will hang, despite the its weight.

The Pink and Blue

Another "Mini Shelby" frame style, this little beauty is covered in silk that I dyed using Hyacinth RIT dye, and Pink Procion dye. It looks purple in the photo, but it truly is a faded blue. For a sense of scale, check out the Diet Coke can! The shade is smaller than a can of Coke!

This shade is loaded with antique textiles, starting with a layer of blue silk lace from an antique 1800's gown. The lace is silk and was a little fussy--I poked holes in it twice trying to sew it onto the frame but it was truly worth it. The side panels host pressed silver metal tape lace, which is no longer made, anywhere in the world, and the front panel has just a touch of silver metal filigree lace. The wire trim is a nice vintage narrow silver trim, and the pre-strung beads are a perfect color match.

Next Steps

I am so excited to finish the next three tiny shades, in completely different shapes and styles! I'll make another post when those are done, for those of you who like this kind of thing.

Until then, here's a sneak peek at the next one in line. This one is made of copper wire, and I've never seen that before. Truly vintage.

Stay tuned for the next set. Peace to you and THANKS FOR READING!

Images copyright @crystalize, with exception to Pinterest image noted above.