I've wanted to run a proper vintage-style lampshade workshop for a while, but every version of it in my head kept running into the same problem, the technique I love teaching most, full hand-stitching, is genuinely a two-day skill. It's slow, it's meditative, and it's exactly what my Traditional Lampshade Workshop is for. But it isn't a "pop in for an afternoon" kind of thing, and I knew a lot of people wanted the look and the experience of making a vintage lampshade without needing to commit a whole weekend to learning the craft from scratch.
So I did what I usually do when I'm stuck on an idea, I sat down and just made one.
I pulled out a deco domed frame (a shape I've been quietly obsessed with lately, it's having a real moment in vintage and vintage-inspired interiors right now) and set myself a timer. I wanted to know, honestly, how long it would actually take to make a beautiful, finished lampshade using a simpler, more accessible technique than the full hand-sewn method, no shortcuts on how good it looked, just a different, quicker way of getting there.
Three hours later, I had my answer. A genuinely gorgeous shade, finished with braid and tassel trim, sitting on my lamp exactly as I'd hoped it would.
That was the moment the workshop clicked into place. Not a replacement for the traditional technique I love teaching, but something different, a lovely, achievable morning or afternoon where anyone, regardless of experience, could sit down and make something properly beautiful to take home the same day.
What you'll actually be making
The workshop centres on that same deco domed frame, finished with braid and tassel trim for that unmistakable vintage look. You'll choose from a small curated selection of vintage-style fabrics I've picked out myself, sourced secondhand wherever I can, which felt like the only right way to do this. A workshop about making something beautiful and lasting, using fabric that's already had a life of its own, just made sense alongside everything else I believe in when it comes to making things properly and sustainably. Or if you've already got the perfect fabric sitting at home, you're welcome to bring it along (just drop me a message first so I can check it'll work nicely with the frame).
It's an approachable technique, not the fully hand-sewn method from my traditional course, which means you'll leave the same day with a finished lampshade rather than a project to take home and complete. If you fall in love with the process and want to go deeper into proper hand-stitched lampshade making, that's exactly what the Traditional Lampshade course is there for.
Why now
Vintage interiors are having a proper moment, and the deco domed shape in particular keeps popping up everywhere I look. In the fabrics people are drawn to, the frames I keep gravitating towards myself, and the general shift back towards things that feel made rather than mass-produced. It felt like the right time to offer a way in that didn't require a full weekend commitment.
A few afternoon sessions are launching first, with more sessions added as they fill up. If you fancy a few hours making something genuinely beautiful, I'd love to have you along.
