How to Make an Easy No Sew DIY Pleated Lampshade

Making a simple DIY no sew pleated lampshade using cotton fabric, scissors, an old shade, iron, and a hot glue gun.

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How to Make an Easy No Sew DIY Pleated Lamp Shade

Pleated lampshades are making a comeback and its no wonder because they add so much cozy character to any space.  Custom lamp shades can be very expensive so I decided to try my hand at a DIY version. It was so easy and only a few dollars to make.  The best part is that no sewing machine is required for this project!

Watch this video to see the full tutorial of making my Easy No Sew DIY Pleated Lampshade

What you’ll need to make a DIY Pleated Lampshade

• Lampshade
• Piece of fabric
• Hot glue gun (I love my cordless version)
• Scissors or rotary cutter
• Iron & Ironing board

How to make a DIY Pleated Lampshade

Prepare your materials:

The first step is to source a lamp and lampshade.  Sometimes lamps will come with a lampshade, but any old lampshade will work for this project.  I sourced my plain lampshade from a thrift store.  The color of the lampshade doesn’t matter, just look for the shape you ultimately want because the lampshade serves as the base structure.

Next you’ll need fabric.  The amount of fabric you’ll need depends on how tight you want your pleats and the size of your shade.  I used about a yard and a half of fabric for my small shade.  This project does require quite a bit of fabric and a larger lampshade will require more.  You want to be sure you have enough fabric for the size of the shade because running out of supplies in the middle of a project is a real bummer!  Start by ironing your fabric.

Once your fabric is ironed, cut two long strips to be used as the finishing trim pieces.  Make sure each fabric strip is long enough to wrap all the way around both the top edge and bottom of the lampshade.  Depending on how think you want your trim will determine how think to cut the strip of fabric.  Remember that the trim pieces will be folded in half, and then folded in half again when wrapping it around the bottom edge of the shade to create a clean edge.  Therefore, the width of your trim piece will need to be at least four times the width you want the final trim to be.

Next cut strips of fabric for the pleats.  I cut each individual pleat but I recommend cutting longer strips (like the ones saved for the finishing trim pieces) and then cutting them to size as you glue them to the shade.  This will make your fabric go a lot farther.  The width of the fabric depends on how wide you want the pleats to be.

Attaching the pleats:

This is the fun part!  To create the pleats start by using a line of glue to attach the fabric to the top of your lampshade.  If you don’t want a finishing trim piece on the top and bottom rim then leave about a half inch of fabric overhang to later be folded over and secured.  If you do plan to add a finishing trim piece I don’t recommend leaving excess fabric at the top and bottom.  The rough edges at the top and bottom will be covered when you add the trim, so no need to leave an edge to fold over for each individual pleat.

Important first step when attaching pleats!

For the very first piece only add glue to the back half of the pleat, leaving space under the folded side for the last pleat to be neatly tucked in and disguised.  This will allow for a seamless start and finish.  Please watch the attached video to see this step in more detail.

To add each pleat, simply line the top of the fabric up to the top rim of the lampshade and attach with a line of hot glue.  Then attach the bottom the same way.  Make sure to apply slight tension so the pleat is nice and smooth.  Once the glue has dried on both ends of the lampshade trim the additional fabric so there is no overhang.  The raw edges will be covered in the final step when we add the trim pieces.

Continue attaching pleats by overlapping the previous pleat to create the pleated look until you’ve made it all the way around the lampshade.

When using a tapered lampshade the last few pleats will need to be tucked under the first pleat.  This is why we didn’t glue the first pleat completely.  It can be helpful to trim some of the additional fabric off the last few pleats to prevent the fabric from bulking up.  You can see how I did this in greater detail in the attached video.

After tucking in the final pleat under the first pleat, the next step is to add a dot of glue to attach the two pieces.

Adding the final trim pieces:

The final step is adding the final trim pieces.  Start by securing the folded edge of the trim to the top of the shade, making sure that the trim will cover the raw edges well still having enough to fold over and secure with glue on the inside.  Work your way around the top, attaching the folded edge of the trim to the top of the lampshade with glue as you go.  Once the trim is secured all the way around cut the extra fabric.  Be sure to leave an extra inch of trim.  Fold the raw edge over and secure with a dot of hot glue.  then secure the finished edge to the lampshade.

Complete the top trim by adding hot glue to the inside and folding it over, attaching the trim to the inside of the lampshade.  Work your way around the top of the lamp until it is complete.

Repeat the steps for adding the finishing trim to the top of the lampshade on the bottom of the shade using your second piece of trim fabric.

That’s it!  You just made your own easy no sew DIY custom shade!

Tips for making a DIY pleated Lampshade

• If you plan to add a top and bottom trim piece don’t leave extra fabric at the top and bottom when making the individual pleats.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I made my lampshade (it looks great both ways).  I ultimately added the trim pieces and the additional fabric from the pleats created a lot of unnecessary additional fabric.  This also made it challenging to attach the inner pieces of trim.
• If you are using a tapered lampshade it can be easy for the pleats to get a little wonky.  Check frequently to be sure the pleats are lining up the way you like.
• For tapered lampshades, the top pleats should be closer together and the bottom pleats should be farther apart.
• It is best to use an led bulb with a DIY fabric shade

         

Thank you for stopping by the blog today and everyday you do.  I hope you found this tutorial helpful.  I had so much fun making this project and am so happy with the end result.  I used a plain muslin fabric for this cute little lamp but I would love to play around with a fun block print in the future.

This DIY pleated shade is a great way to add cozy character to any home.  In fact, this DIY was featured on Apartment Guide in their article titled, ‘Live More Mindfully: 9 Tips to Try at Home.’

If you give this project a try I would love to see what you create!