#needcraft

Dec 20, 2022
4 min

#memadeshade November - Foresters Lampshades

Capturing the season and our final #memadeshade competition of the year perfectly, November's winning lampshade has been beautifully made by Louise of @foresters_lampshades. Congratulations to Louise who picked such a charming wintry scene for her shade, which is based on a William Morris & Co tapestry, and then to really make the shade shine, added an elegant beaded trim. Louise, an accomplished soft shade maker, has recently turned her skills to hard shade making and we thi

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Nov 16, 2022
4 min

#memadeshade October Winner - Lampshades by Maggie

October's #memadeshade winning lampshade is truly unique! Made by @lampshadesbymaggie in a beautiful bespoke fabric, its rectangle frames show off its art deco design to the max! Huge congratulations to Maggie for her beautiful winning shade and we're looking forward to seeing what she makes with her #memadeshade prize, a £100 voucher to spend at Dannells.com. Setting up her own lampshade making business, born from the need to bring some colour and life to her own home, Maggi

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Oct 20, 2022
3 min

#memadeshade September Winner - ETU Design

Congratulations to @etu_by_anabela, who has won our September #memadeshade competition! The winning shade, made in a beautifully bold tropical-inspired fabric, perfectly embodies autumn with its rich tones. An interior designer and lampshade maker Anabela, of @etu_by_anabela, is based on the Coast Del Sol, in Spain and loves bringing bright bold patterns into her design work. It's clear that her lampshades definitely follow the same theme! And with her passion for lampshade m

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Sep 27, 2022
5 min

Tips and fixes to help prevent and resolve Lampshade Seam Issues

Once in a while, you may experience an issue with your lampshade seam. It could be due to the type or thickness of the fabric you’re using for your outer shade and whether you’re making lampshades to sell, or just for your own home, it’s tricky to know what to do. In this blog post, we’ve compiled tried and tested techniques and tips for use on the kind of lampshade seam issues our fabulous Facebook Lampshade Makers group experience, to help you solve them too. Caving Seam Wh

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Sep 15, 2022
4 min

#memadeshade August Winner - Jane Ellison Textiles

This month's winning #memadeshade takes its maker, @janellisontextiles, straight back to her 70s childhood, with its striking retro inspired orange and mustard colour combination! Huge congratulations to Jane, who initially made the shade as a bespoke design for her best friend, but luckily had enough fabric to make this one too. We love how it shouts Jane's 'modern retro' vibe! Find out more about Jane, her design style and her eco-conscious business choices, in our #memade

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Aug 24, 2022
5 min

Introducing Dannells Europe

As we launch our new dedicated European website, Dannells.eu, we get to know the people behind our European operation, Malgosia and her husband Nick and how they plan to expand our European market. Read on to find out how they became Dannells Distributors, the skills they are bringing to the new venture and their favourite Dannells products. Hi there! We’re very excited about the launch of Dannells EU. How did you get involved? Malgosia: Our adventure with Dannells started in

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Aug 24, 2022
3 min

#memadeshade July Winner - The Lampshade House

Brightening up people's living spaces is the mission of Jacqui, founder of @thelampshadehouse and her winning #memadeshade lampshade certainly fits her brief! Made as a commission for a customer, this 30cm floral drum shade is bold and bright and, we imagine, very at home in Singapore, which is where @thelampshadehouse is based. Our huge congratulations go to Jacqui and her £100 voucher to be spent at Dannells.com, is on its way. You can find out more about Jacqui and the @t

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Jul 12, 2022
3 min

#memadeshade June Winner - Sew Coordinated UK

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, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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, 2022
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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Feb 24, 2022
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, 2022
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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