I doubt someone seeing this simple pleated silk lampshade on the crystal table lamp between my living and dining rooms would have any idea of the work that went into it. Not to mention all the approach-avoidance angst. The minute I crowned the lamp with the newly completed shade, it seemed like it had always been there. And the flaws that were so disappointing to me as it sat on my work table also seem to disappear.
The original pleated fabric shade had begun to deteriorate some time ago, so when I came upon the book Shades of Light: Making Tailored Lampshades by Ruth De Fraga Gomes, I immediately ordered it. But possessing and perusing the book is rather like buying a pattern and feeling like you nearly already have the garment from it. After my initial enthusiasm, I reasoned that I had a good many other projects demanding my attention, so perhaps I would just buy a shade.
You would think that a simple pleated white fabric shade
would be easy to acquire, but nowhere could I find the right size and
shape, except by ordering a custom shade. So, since I already had
the frame, and the detailed instructions, I decided it would be me
making that custom shade.
