DIY Pleated Lampshade – No-Sew Technique

This post is all about how to make a DIY pleated lampshade with fabric. I teach my no-sew technique to make a designer-like pleated lampshade for a fraction of the cost.

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I have been seeing these adorable pleated lampshades everywhere! My grandmillennial style always gravitates to block prints and pleats, so I had to have one! But the price tags were not what I wanted to spend, ranging anywhere from $50-$200 for a lampshade! No, thank you…

So I did what any good crafter would do and I made my own. And I want to teach you how so that you can make some beautiful pleated lampshades for your home too!

The best part of this project is I used an old lampshade that I already had, and I could find some fabric on Etsy for less than $10. That makes this project $10, which is way better than the designer price tags I saw!

The key to creating your own well-made pleated lampshade is patience and precision.

Steps to Make a DIY Pleated Lampshade

This pleated lampshade was fairly simple to make but it did take some time. It probably took me about 2 hours to make after cutting, ironing, and gluing. This no-sew technique uses strips of fabric and hot glue to create a pleated look.

Materials

• Lampshade – any style or shape works for this!
• Fabric – I ordered a yard of floral fabric that I found on Etsy
• Fabric Scissors
• Tape Measure/Measuring Stick
• Hot Glue Gun
• Hot Glue Sticks
• Iron

Cut the Fabric to Size

Measure the lampshade’s height with your tape measure. My lampshade was 8 inches on the slant, which meant that I would cut my fabric to 10 inches to allow for 1 inch of covering on each end. Use fabric scissors to cut the fabric.

Take your wider strips and now cut them into 2-inch strips that you will use as the pleats on the lampshade. I measured and marked 2 inches along the fabric so I could quickly go through and cut each one.

Iron the Strips of Fabric

Get your iron and ironing board out! This part takes a while. For each 2-inch strip, fold over the raw edges and iron them down. This will allow you to have clean-looking pleats on the lampshade.

Add Pleats to the Lampshade

I eyeballed how far apart I layered each but it was probably somewhere between 1/4″ to 1/2″ between pleats. The pleats should be closer together at the top of the lampshade and wider apart at the bottom to account for the slant in the shade. Take time to ensure the pleats are evenly spaced.

I alternated patterns as I layered on the strips too so that I created variation in the pattern. Depending on your fabric pattern, you may also want to do this.

Lastly, you’ll want to trim off any excess fabric under the lampshade before moving on to the next step.

Attach Trim to the Lampshade

My fabric came with a unique detail on it so I used that for my trim piece, but you can stick with the same fabric print that you use for the pleats. Measure the circumference of the top of the lampshade and the bottom, then cut a 2-inch strip to these lengths. Fold over the raw edges and iron them down.

Using hot glue, attach the trim piece to the bottom and top of the lampshade to cover the raw edges. Put a line of hot glue around the edge and place the trim along the edge. Continue doing this around the whole lampshade. Take your time while doing this!

I glued down the whole outer edges first before gluing down any of the inside. This helped me keep the trim aligned around the circumference of the shade. Once I got to the end, I cut a diagonal of the trim piece and glued it down to secure the edge.

Next, glue down the trim to the inside of the lampshade to cover the raw ends of the pleats. Continue until the whole trim piece is glued down. Trim any excess fabric. Add your lampshade to a lamp once it’s dry!

I absolutely love how this DIY pleated lampshade turned out! It looks so cute with our little girl’s nursery decor. For less than $10, it’s an easy and cheap DIY project that makes a big statement!

Other topics you might like

• 11 DIY Grandmillennial Home Decor Projects
• How to Design a White Wall Nursery
• 10 Leftover Wallpaper Ideas for Around Your Home

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