#makersgonnamake

Jul 12
3 min

#memadeshade June Winner

June's #memadeshade winner is a stunner! Made by Stephanie of @sewcoordinateduk, this geometric gem was made as a bespoke custom shade for a customer, but it has captured everyone's imagination! Huge congratulations go to Stephanie, whose successful lampshade and cushion-making business is going from strength to strength. We're sure she'll put her prize - a £100 voucher - to good use when spending it on Dannells.com, Find out more about Stephanie and her business in our #mema

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Jun 30
3 min

#memadeshade May Winner

Featuring the iconic Frida Kahlo, this month's #memadeshade winner is Bodil of @skumringstid.dk, who runs her lampshade making business in Nykøbing Sjælland, Eastern Denmark, choosing vibrant and unusual fabrics and making bespoke lampshades to suit her customer's interiors. Bold and bright, this colourful lampshade is precious not only because it won, but because one of Bodhil's customers kindly sourced the fabric for her, knowing how much she loved it! We love a happy lamps

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May 24
3 min

Lampshade Inspiration - Neon Lampshade Making PVC

Get out your sunglasses - we're going bright, REALLY bright! Today we're taking a look at our Fluorescent Neon Lampshade Making PVC Range. It won't fail to bring a dazzling and eye-catching quality to your shade and with four dayglo colours to choose from, there are plenty of possibilities for using this fun material. Read on to get the low down on our Neon Range, how to make a shade with it and some inspirational examples of how it can make your lampshades pop! Neon Need to

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May 19
4 min

#memadeshade April Winner

April's #memadeshade competition has a real buzz about it (pun intended!), as this month's winning shade is made by the talented Liz of @loveyourhome.uk from a pretty Angel Strawbridge honeycomb fabric, featuring bees. And Liz's talents don't stop at lampshade making! Running a small interiors business from home, she can turn her hand to many interior crafts and we're sure her prize of a £100 voucher to spend at Dannells.com will come in very handy for her future projects. Co

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May 12
3 min

How to Use a Rolled Edge Creasing Knife to Cut Lampshade Panels

If you’re wanting to explore bespoke sizes or shapes of shade, or simply enjoy cutting your own lampshade panels, then you need to know about the Rolled Edge Creasing Knife. Essential for adding the perfect fabric margin to your lampshade panels, to give your lampshade a professional edge, this clever tool scores the perfect ‘kisscut’ into your lampshade panels, which is then removed. Quick and easy to use it's a great professional tool to have in your Lampshade Making arsena

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May 6
3 min

Lampshade Inspiration - Making lampshades on a budget

Making or crafting is a fantastic way to achieve a look on a budget and is guaranteed to be a purse-friendly alternative to shop-bought, not to mention the list of ‘feel good’ advantages that crafting for your home, your garden or as a gift brings. In today's post, we'll show you that making a lampshade is no different and as well as being a much cheaper option than buying shop-bought, it means you get exactly what you want for your shade as well as learning a few new skills

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Apr 26
7 min

Tips and tricks to achieve a professionally tucked in lampshade edge

Tucking in your fabric seam allowance is the final stage of making your Lampshade Making Kit, which gives your shade a wonderful and professional crisp finish. Over the years, we’ve collected lots of useful information from our army of Professional Lampshade Makers, which includes tried and tested techniques, extraordinary tools and valuable tricks to get a perfect lampshade edging. In today’s post, we’re going to share them all! Tucking Tools Our obvious go-to choice of tool

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Apr 21
4 min

#memadeshade March Winner

All our entries to our #memadeshade competition are unique, but once in a while, a lampshade wins that celebrates a slice of life. This month's deserved #memadeshade winner, Gemma of @larkdesignmake1 has cleverly used the pages of her old passports, to make a Needcraft Floor Lamp Kit. We think it's a fantastic idea and the perfect way of shining a light on travelling adventures and memories! Congratulations Gemma! Your prize of a £100 voucher to spend at Dannells.com is on it

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Mar 18
3 min

#memadeshade February Winner

Pops of colour are much needed as we finally start to leave the winter behind and this month's #memadeshade winner does not disappoint! Huge congratulations go to Alison of @maggiemootextiles for her fab, retro-style shade that's made from beautifully bold and bright vintage fabric, with a textured and silky feel. Alison's £100 voucher to spend at Dannells.com is on its way to her. Read more about Alison's unique lampshade making business below. Maggie Moo Textiles is the cre

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Mar 2
3 min

DIY Tutorial - Parchment Fluted Lampshade

Making your own lampshades means the sky is your limit in terms of the materials, design and shape you opt for and today's Parchment Fluted Lampshade is no different. Using our Perga Natural Parchment Lampshade Material combined with a French Drum Frame, we've created this modern lampshade with a unique construction from a DIY template, using some simple maths. Follow the step-by-step tutorial in the post to make your own version and reward your efforts with a contemporary pe

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Feb 24
4 min

#memadeshade January 2022 winner

Entering her first hard lampshade into our #memadeshade competition, January's winner, Amie of @tea_and _the _radio chose a vibrant Colefax and Fowler fabric, which she simply loves, to make up her Coolie Lampshade Making Kit. We love the pop of vibrant green that's perfect for Spring! Huge congratulations to Amie! She wins a £100 gift voucher to spend at Dannells and it sounds like it will come in handy, as she reveals her plans for making more lampshades in the Q&A below. C

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Feb 8
3 min

New Product - Less Rigid Stick It Lampshade Making PVC

Always looking to create new and original lampshade making products that inspire our customers, Less Rigid Stick It Lampshade Making PVC is our latest innovation. Created to be more flexible to work with, this lightweight lampshade making PVC is ideal for both smaller and angular shades, as well as opening the door to new creative techniques, such as hand pleating and folding. In this post, we show you how to make the most of its exceptionally professional lampshade making qu

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Nov 16, 2021
4 min

#memadeshade October winner

We're thrilled that this month's #memadeshade winner is @bridget9696, who has been a regular in our 'Most Liked shades' throughout our Instagram competition! Her winning lampshade is a cyanotype 'Allium', which is beautifully highlighted against its indigo background. Just the lampshade for this time of year it symbolises not only the end of the summer but also reminds Bridget (and us!) of autumn fireworks! Congratulations, @bridget9696! Your £100 voucher is on its way to you

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Oct 22, 2021
3 min

#memadeshade September winner

As the autumn rolls in your #memadeshades keep coming and we've loved browsing through September's entries. As well as a source of pure inspiration for our new lampshade makers, each one shows a little bit of personality and we really enjoy getting to know you thorough your shades, as well as admiring them! September's deserving #memadeshade winner, @thenakedweaver may be a newbie to lampshade making but is definitely no stranger to crafting. Our huge congratulations go to El

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Sep 15, 2021
5 min

#memadeshade August winner

With summer in full swing, sunshine has not stopped play, or lampshade making to be more precise! So, it seems very fitting that August's #memadeshade winner is a beautiful coastal scene, made by Ben of @studio.goldfinch, depicting the very pretty town of Port Issac in Cornwall, using his original lino print design. Ben's win scoops him a £100 Dannells voucher and our congratulations go to him on his winning with his lampshade prototype. We're sure that by adding shades to hi

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Aug 25, 2021
4 min

#memadeshade July winner

It's great when you make or find a shade that fits all seasons, brightens up a corner and adds a touch of sophistication to your home too. July's #memadeshade winning lampshade ticks all of these boxes! Made by Neringa of @chantier.studio, the contrast circles of green, blue and yellow certainly make this shade pop. Huge congratulations Neringa and your £100 voucher to spend on our Dannells website is on it's way! Based in Lithuania, Neringa's passion for lampshade making has

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Jul 22, 2021
4 min

Top 4 products to secure a lampshade seam

We often ask our lampshade makers ‘what’s your favourite part of making a lampshade?’ and more often than not it’s when the lampshade comes together and the seam is closed - the magic moment when you start to see a beautiful, bespoke shade. Closing the seam on your lampshade is important for creating a long-lasting and professional product and to help you choose the best finish for securing your seam, we’re highlighting four Dannells products for you to try. A little history

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Jul 8, 2021
4 min

#memadeshade June winner

As we surpass the 4,000 entries mark, our #memadeshade Instagram competition goes from strength to strength and we'd like to say a huge THANK YOU for all the amazing entries, as well as the inspiration you all provide for newbie lampshade makers. Our June #memadeshade winner, @daniel.k.embleton has brought a sense of natural wonder and luxury, with this stunning tiered shade. Using his own intricate botanical catcus design, printed onto a rich velvet, Daniel has cleverly cont

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Jun 18, 2021
3 min

Creative Ideas for using Clear Stick It Lampshade Making PVC

Customers who regularly make our lampshade making kits or create their own bespoke lampshade will be very familiar with our Stick It lampshade making PVC. Today we want to introduce you its sister product, Clear Stick It self-adhesive lampshade making PVC and to show you how to use this, we’ve put together some creative ideas to incorporate into your own lampshade making adventures. The key difference between the standard and clear Stick It PVC is the translucency, and while

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Jun 10, 2021
4 min

#memadeshade May winner

The glorious weather has arrived adding a bright, light feeling to our days and as usual, we've been inundated with plenty of glorious shades. May's #memadeshade Instagram competition winner, brings fun, frivolity and a bold pop of colour and who doesn't need a bit of that in their lives? Made by Kura and Mark of @the_warren_crew_at_52 from a gorgeous African wax fabric, the orange fringing was a subliminal 'Strictly' inspired addition. We love the scale and size of this prin

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