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September 2, 2010

Fabric Covered Pendant Light

Since I added those wall stencils to my kitchen, it motivated me to keep on the spice-it-up vibe.  I had leftover fabric from my curtains so I thought I'd make some valances for the small windows over my sink.  But I know valances aren't "hip" - I just didn't know what else to do.  A friend said "why even have curtains at all" - good point!  They're small windows and don't need curtains.  But I really felt that I needed something fabric over there to soften the look of the corner.  She suggested a pendant light covered in fabric and I loved the idea - so here's a quick how to make a fabric covered pendant light.















First, find a drum shade.  I found a few that belled out a little, but I wanted a true drum, and small in size so it didn't overwhelm the corner.  I ended up buying a whole lamp from the back-to-college section at target, just to use the shade.  I figure I can find an ole shade to put on the lamp later. 
 Then cut your fabric to go all the way around.  I hemmed one edge and left one raw.  With the raw edge, I just folded it and hot glued it to the top of the shade in sections.
It's not perfect, but it hangs a little high so people aren't looking directly at the edge, so I tell myself there's no need for perfection.
For the bottom edge, since it would be seen a little more if any looked up at the light, I used the hemmed edge.  I then wrapped the fabric over the bottom edge of the shade and hot glued it to the inside.
Can you see the difference between the top and bottom - on the top you can see the edge of the lampshade, and on the bottom you can't.
Then grab a hunky husband to do the wiring work, all using stuff he had laying around in the garage.  I think it was a simple thing to do, but I wasn't the one who did the wiring so I can't give details.
I LOVE how it came out and I can't believe how dark my corner used to be.  This new light gives so much light since the light glows through it instead of just aiming out the bottom - it's great!!  And I love how it looks even when the light is off.  Adds the fabric to the corner - without curtains that I wasn't going to like.



7 comments:

  1. Thanks for joining our blog party over at Sassy Sites! I always love to see the fun blogs and cute stuff that everyone is working on! Come back next Friday... xoxo

    Great job on the lamp! It's beautiful! :)

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  2. Oooh, I love it! The fabric is wonderful. Great job!

    I'd love it if you would link up to my Friday link party! Have a wonderful weekend. http://alittleknickknack.blogspot.com/

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  3. It looks really cute! I like the fabric you chose.

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  4. This is so great! I have been thinking about doing this, and it looks easier than I thought! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  5. It's really cute. I like the fabric and the fact that you changed at pot to a pendant.

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  6. So cute! I'm going to have to try this. Love the fabric.

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  7. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I linked to this post today from the Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. :)

    Your feature will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/10-pretty-pendant-lights/

    If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here!
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

    ReplyDelete

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