Make Your Own Clip On Lamp Shade

It is really cool when a clip on lamp has a beautiful protective clip on lamp shade.

And even more cool when you can do it from scratch using various tools and supplies that you either have lying around at home or can easily buy at your local DIY store. Makes on more proud than if you'd buy it read-made, no?

The typical clip on lamp shade is around 8" tall having a 5" top and a 7" base. This size easily fits most regular lamps just by increasing the 16ga wire segments lengths. So here are the main steps on doing this weekend home project with your kids.

What you need to use:

20ga and 16ga (ga = gauge) wire
wire cutters
measuring tape
clothes pins
fabric and glue
needle nose pliers
2 craft rings - one 5" and one 7"
Scissors
Craft paper
pencil

How to make the clip on lamp shade:

• Take the 16 ga wire and cut 5 sections 10" each. 
• Use the pliers to bend the ends of the wires into a hook. 
• With the pliers hold the wire approximately 1" from the end and twist to bend the wire in a nice U shape.
• Take the 7" craft ring and use it to hook one end of the wire into it. Make sure to bend the wire around the ring to be quite secure. Use the pliers to do this.
• Once the wire is securely wrapped around the ring use the needle nose pliers to squeeze it tight so the wire is in place on the ring. Do this for each of the 10" pieces of wire to the 7" craft ring. Space them evenly.
• Take the smaller ring now and hook the other end of the wires to it. Follow the same steps as above for securing the wire on the ring in place.
• Now cut a 24" piece of 16ga wire and bend it in half with the pliers.
• Keep the two ends together and create another U shape in the center as before. Make sure that you have a width of approximately 2" for the U shape.
• Now take the 20ga wire and cut a 4" piece. Use the tape to measure 3" from the base of the U shape and squeeze the two sides nicely together.
• Take the 20ga wire and wrap it around the indented section of the U shape to keep the sides secured together.
• Now take the base of the U shape and separate it in order to fit on top of a lightbulb, approximately 4". Just to get an idea, this will be the clip-on part of the lampshade.
• Use the pliers to make a hook at both ends of this clip on part and hook it onto the 5" ring. Secure it tightly using the steps already described above.
• Now you have a frame that you need to lay on its side on the craft paper and use the pencil to mark a line between the 5" and the 7" rings.
• Measure up to 1" above the top line and make another line that goes horizontally to it.
• Now measure 1" below the bottom line and draw yet another line that runs horizontally to it.
• Finally add 1" to the one end and now draw a line that is perpendicular from the very top to the bottom. Now you've just created your very template for the lamp shade.
• Cut out this template
• Lay the template on the fabric and cut out the fabric slowly according to this template. Go slowly so you don't cut something you don't want in the first place. Once it's cut, it's cut.
• Now attach the fabric material to the lamp shade frame that you have using fabric glue.
• Lay the material on top and then fold 1" over the ring.
• Do this process at the bottom of the fabric as well so it's safely secured to the frame of the lampshade.
• Allow the glue to dry and then you can use your new lampshade over your clip on lamps.

Some people had troubles with the glueing of the fabric to the existing base, so here is a Youtube video that helps you get over that particular hurdle!