DIY Linen slipcovered lampshade

After a recent minor flood, I was left with a really ugly lamp shade.  The lamp sits in my craft area and also suffers from a tear in the paper shade.  Okay, it is really ugly.  A few years ago, I think based on something I had seen in a magazine, I fixed up an ugly lamp in our guest room and I wanted to do the same with this lamp.

I used some leftover linen and a cotton tape to act as a channel for the twine.  I sewed up the edges of the linen with a half inch rolled to a quarter inch, then pressed and sewed the seams.  I sewed the linen into a tube and pressed the seams where the sides met.  I added a channel one inch from the top of my shade cover, on the inside (wrong side) of the cover.

Once my tube was turned right side out, I created a small slit in the middle of the channel stitches.  This only goes through the linen layer of the fabric (not the cotton ribbon of the channel).  With a safety pin tied to the end of a strip of twine, I guided the twine through the channel created between the linen and the cotton ribbon.

Once the twine was pulled through the channel to come out the slit again, I was able to tighten up my top.  This creates pleating in the fabric and once I got the top to fit the top of my shade, I tied up the twine in a bow.

BEFORE

 AFTER

My Guestroom Lamp inspiration.

Ugly lamp,  with really ugly shade.                                             Now with blue and white ticking cover,

                                                                                                                                                    cute lamp

Shell details were added to the cloth tie, to add to the coastal theme of my guestroom.

Both of these lamps are only for atmosphere so I have a very low wattage bulb in the lamp.  

Other than spending less than a dollar on the cotton ribbon for the channel, I had all the supplies on hand.  This was a quick and easy way to cover up an eyesore.

If I finally find a great lamp to replace these, I can always used the shade for a hat :)