Tripod member marinemom asks:
I want to make some lampshades.... Actually, I have old frames but don't know where to start. What kind of fabric, etc.?

Handy Girl Jennifer suggests:
You can make a shade out of virtually anything that can be bent around the old frames. Burlap gives off a great light. Any kind of parchment could work, too. Go to your local art supply store and check out their paper supply. If there are some pictures you are fond of, you could Xerox them onto vellum. Ask the copy store what they are capable of. Can they copy to big paper? Can they copy onto odd papers?

Perhaps you should go to an antique shop and see how the material is attached to the frame. I think some gimp and a hole punch will do the trick for thick or ridged material. Wrap a page from the newspaper around the frame and cut away the shape you want to remain. When you remove the paper you will have a pattern to work from. If you choose a fabric, you might want to conceal the stitching by carefully sewing the material onto the frame. As long as the material doesn't come into contact with the bulb and you don't use a really high wattage you probably won't burn your house down. Maybe you should give them away as gifts.

More Handy Girls Answers | Ask the Handy Girls