Preparation

• Select a fabric to cover your shade. In addition to considering the color and design, consider the transparency. If you want to cover the lamp shade completely, choose a thick fabric that you are unable to see through. To check for transparency, hold a piece of the fabric up to the light and see how much light is able to penetrate the material. If you want to show some of the existing lamp shade design, select a material that is transparent. Tulle works well for this technique because it has the appearance of small netting. You can find tulle in an array of materials, including silk, nylon and rayon, so you can also choose the delicacy of the fabric. Consider the amount of heat your lamp expels because you do not want your chosen material to melt. Read the fabric label carefully to determine its heat sensitivity.
  
  

Cutting the Material

• Make a sketch of your lamp shade by laying it on a large piece of paper or pattern paper and tracing along the bottom of the shade as you roll it along the paper. Mark the location where you began tracing on the shade so you can stop when you reach that point. Complete the same steps for the top of the shade. Before you begin tracing the top, put the lamp shade in the position it was in before tracing the bottom portion so that the top and bottom lines are even. After tracing, you will have two curved lines that begin and end along the same invisible vertical line. Use a ruler to extend one side of each line out 1 inch in the same direction the line was heading.
  
  Cut the pattern out of the piece of paper. Attach the sketch to the middle of your piece of fabric using straight pins around the edges approximately half an inch inward. The pins will hold the pattern and fabric in place as you cut to ensure that you get the most even cut. Lay the cut piece of fabric with the pattern side down. The side that is facing you should be more dull than the outside. Spray the dull side with a spray adhesive that is suitable for fabrics. Fold half an inch of one end inward to create a flap that has the color-rich side on both sides. Place the lamp shade on the sticky side of the material, starting with the seam of the shade on top of the flapless end. Roll the lamp over the material until the entire piece is attached and the flap remains. Use the spray adhesive to spray the bottom side of the flap and adhere it to the remainder of the lamp. The flap should overlap the other end of the fabric to create a clean seam.