When I was contacted by Lamps.com to give a DIY lampshade makeover to a plain white shade, the first thing that popped into my head was to create a cozy cable knit sweater lampshade. Since I don’t own any cozy cable knit sweaters that I want to chop up, I ran down to the Thrift Store on Friday night and scored not one but THREE sweaters that were potential candidates for my lampshade makeover project. Who knew the thrift store had such a plethora of knitted goodness?
The final sweater winner turned out not to be cable knit at all, but it had these fun pompoms over a harlequin pattern that I just love! The best part? It was only $2.99! Score!
I brought it home and gave it a quick wash just to knock the thrift store smell off of it. Then I went to town giving my plain white lamp shade a cozy winter white upcycle. Not counting the time it took to take photographs for this blog entry, this project took me less than 20 minutes from start to finish. Here are the super simple instructions:
I pulled the sweater down over the top of the shade in the same fashion as putting a pillow case over an overstuffed pillow. It was tight, but tight is good in this scenario. The sweater was a ladies size small, but it had enough stretch in it to fit snugly around the shade when I pulled it down around it. I pulled the waistline of the sweater right down to the bottom edge of the shade so it was even all around, then trimmed off the excess material at the top, leaving about 1” all around. Then I secured the sweater around the top edge of the shade with a few dots of hot glue. It’s so tight around the shade that I didn’t even bother gluing around the bottom. If your sweater is larger than your lampshade, you should be able to just cut it up the back and pull it tight, then glue it down the seam.
And that was it, folks!
The end result is SO simple and beautiful!
It’s the perfect winter white addition for my sunroom lamp. Blogging mojo? FOUND. I’m totally in love with how quickly and easily this project came together! Definitely try it and let me know how it works for you!
Since this lampshade was created for the Blogger Challenge at Lamps.com, I asked for your votes and wow, oh wow, did you guys step UP to the plate! Guess what? I WON the contest!! I was up against some serious competition, but in the end I won it with your help. I want to say thank you SO MUCH to everyone for supporting me, especially the kind folks (ahem, Miriam) at Hometalk who featured this on their facebook page. Nearly half a million facebook fans have some serious social media sway.
A huge thanks to Lamps.com for the gift card. I cannot wait to choose some new lighting for my bathroom! No more putting on makeup in the shadows!
I received a free lamp shade and a gift card for my photographs and this blog post. All opinions are 100% mine.
I’m so honored that my DIY Sweater Lampshade Tutorial has been featured on Knockoff Decor, Apartment Therapy , MSNLiving, Good Housekeeping and won the DIY Blogger Challenge at Lamps.com
What a great idea! It is adorable and looks so expensive.
Thanks so much, Gayle!
You are amazing. Really!! That is such a creative idea! Heading over to vote!
Thanks Keri!
That is fantabulous! $2.99 – you’re my lampshade hero!
Kelly
I can be your hero, baby.
That is absolutely adorable and so much better than a plain white shade.
BTW, the link doesn’t work.
I am so sorry for the delay in the voting, but the link seems to be working now. Hopefully you’ve got a minute to vote for me? Thanks so much!
http://www.lamps.com/blog/diy-blogger-lampshade-challenge/
Just went back and voted. Keeping fingers crossed for you!
I love it so much! I just wish I could vote for it. That is one classy-looking Winter white lamp!
Thanks Court! I am so sorry for the delay in the voting, but the link seems to be working now. Hopefully you’ve got a minute to vote for me? Thanks so much! http://www.lamps.com/blog/diy-blogger-lampshade-challenge/
Oh no! The link to vote didn’t work for me.
Boo! The lampshade though? Totally works for me. I love how easy this makes it to add a little extra texture to a corner.
Thanks Kelly! I love that extra texture too. The poms are what sold me.
I think the link is back up now!
Thanks so much!! http://www.lamps.com/blog/diy-blogger-lampshade-challenge/
All I can say is AWESOME! And I’m shoutin’ it from the mountaintop!!! Seriously, my favorite.
Love the way the shade turned out! Can’t wait to try this out. I voted for you in the contest.
Thanks for your vote Crystal! I truly appreciate it!
Beth this is SO cute. What a perfect sweater for your shade. It’s DARLING! So wintery-white and perfect.
Thanks Shannon! I loved the winter white, too. It’s so warm and fuzzy.
I’m voting for sure Beth, love your lampshade!
What a great idea and your shade looks so beautiful and very high end! This is a project I am going to try…
Thank you Sandy! You’d never guess it was a $2.99 thrift store find? Good news!
Wow – your diy shade is just beautiful Beth! I love how the color of the sweater you chose picks up the whites and creams in your lovely room! Great idea to bring a cozy touch to a space for winter too. I voted for you too!!
Thank you very much Heather! Score one for the thrift store!
I’ve seen several sweater/lampshade redo projects on Pinterest, but I have to say, this is the best one I’ve ever seen. I love this look. It’s easy and I’m sure picking the perfect sweater made it my favorite.
Wow, what a nice compliment! Thanks SO much!
You know what the problem is? We are all going to run out to our thrift stores to get pom pom sweaters and they are going to be all sold out because of you
I mean that in the nicest way possible hee hee. I love this project, seriously love! Voting, pinning, posting on FB…blah blah blah, you know I love you.
XO
Kristin
I bet you could figure out how to diy it!
Poms are all the rage right now! The 80′s are back. My mom used to make yarn pom-poms for the backs of my socks when I was a kid. If I had a little girl I’d totally be pulling that little nugget out of my mom tool box. But, I have a boy, so I can’t use it.
And THANKS for your shares and votes! You’re awesome, Kristin!
how fun and pretty, Beth! Heading over now to vote.
I surely appreciate it, Sheila!
That is SO adorable Beth! I voted for you!!
Thanks, Jennifer!
Love this, Beth! Simple but so pretty and creative. And of course, I voted for you. Great job!
Thank you Erin! I appreciate your facebook share as well!
So BEAUTIFUL… I’m on my way to the resale shop to get me some sweaters! I voted for you, hope you win…and me too!
I hope you find some awesome sweaters! Look in the men’s department, too!
Beth, your shade is pure genius! I voted for ya!
Thanks so much Jane!
I love your lamp. I beautiful it turned out. I found your blog and just love looking around and I am a new follower. I vote for your beautiful lamp too.
Vanessa
Love love love this! Sooooo cute! I did the same with vases!
OM gosh! That sweater is awesome and perfect for that! LOVE it! I am so going to steal that if I can ever find a sweater like that!!!!
I seriously love this sweater lampshade. The pom-poms in the harlequin design are so cute! Heading over to vote for you now.
Yours is absolutely the best,,,,had to vote for you.
Beth, this is absolutely fabulous and I love the white.! What a great idea and super easy…I totally want to try this! Voting, of course, and thank you so much for sharing!
This is seriously gorgeous and amazing! I’m picturing sweaters on every lamp in my house now! Brilliant! Off to vote.
Heather
That is brilliant and beautiful! I voted for you. Good luck!
I’ve voted and good luck. Yours really was the best of the bunch!
I went and voted for you…great idea and great job! I hope you win!!!
You got my vote! This turned out sooooo cute, You’d never have known this was an old sweater! Seeing a lot of old sweater creations right now, but I think this is the prettiest yet!!
Hugs,
Pendra
LOVE your lampshade and just got back from voting for you!
Your shade looks terrific. You got my vote. Good luck.
You are brilliant Beth! Love it! Headed over to vote for you now.
You got my vote! Super idea.
I voted and I love it! Pinning!
I had no problem voting for yours because it was by far my favorite! Beautiful and inexpensive! It doesn’t get any better than that.
Beth,
Your lamp shade turned out great! I never would have thought that putting a sweater on it would make one look so good. Awesome idea!
What a beautiful lamp. Love the room, love the colors! Great photos.
I REALLY do like yours the best! Voted! <3
Hands down, the coolest and prettiest!! Awesome! I just love it, and I voted.
Best wishes!
This is just awesome! I love how easy and beautiful this is! I voted for you on the Lamps.com page and I’m going to look into making one of these for my home too! I’ll let you know when it’s up on my blog and will make sure to give you a shout-out when it’s up there! Thanks again for posting this! =D
Hi Beth! Your lampshade is amazing! Thanks for the great instructions too. Hey, I did vote for you over at the contest. I was having a hard time finding some sweaters to make some pillows out of in my town in the thrift stores. I was in your “neck of the woods” near Alabaster and found several white sweaters at the big thrift store there and snatched them up. Hopefully, I will actually DO something with them…you are an inspiration!
Such a clever idea. The lamp is absolutely adorable! I love the soothing beachy colors and decor.
Beth, this is truly magnificent! I love, love, love it! And I voted for you! IT’S THE BEST!
GOOD LUCK!
Absolutely brilliant and gorgeous!!! Kudos to you.
That was a no brainer – I liked yours best, actually it was freaking awesome so I pinned it.
Bliss
Seriously amazing. I LOVE it!! That sweater is adorable and on the lamp….it rocks! I voted for ya!
Hi Beth! I just wanted to let you know that I found it SO inspirational that I featured it on my blog page for one of my “FIVE FABULOUS FINDS FRIDAY” posts today. I hope you’ll come check it out. Thanks again for posting this!
OOPS! I meant “I found THIS SO inspirational…” Sorry about that!
Love this so much Beth! so simple, but completely ingenious! Voted! xoT
Fantastic idea! You lamp looks fabulous. Pinning
<3 Christina @ I Gotta Create!
Wildly Original link party is open.
Love this lampshade, Beth!!! I love all things cable knit and sweater-like
I voted for you too
What a great idea, I’m totally grabbing one next time I’m in a charity shop and giving our bedroom lamps the same treatment!
What size sweater was that for that size shade? Looks so great!
Thanks Mary! It was a woman’s size small, but since it was at the thrift store there’s no way to know how much it has stretched or shrunk over the years.
This is so unique I tried to vote for you but it looks like the contest is over
I love what you did with this! What a great use of recycling, if I saw this in a store I’d definitely buy it!! Great job!
Bravo Beth!!! That is the best one there!!!
))
What a fabulous idea! I was too late for the contest, but I do like your entry best.
What a fabulous lamp. That was the perfect sweater for a lampshade. Congratulations on winning the prize.
Wow…this is genius! I am dying to try this..it looks so expensive. Great creative mind. I haven’t been on your website before… but I’m adding it to the list. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Tiffany!
Beth,
I LOVE this idea! Truly! What an awesome project! I have a few sweaters and I have a few lampshades! I can do this!
Have a great day rock star!
karianne
PS Totally pinned it!
Hi Beth, it’s my first time visiting and I thought I’d say hi. What a beautiful blog you have and your sweater lampshade is fabulous! What a fun idea. I see that you live in Alabama so I believe we are “neighbors”… we live in TN now but lived in AL for several years.
I love this!!!! I have so many ugly lampshade and I should get my act together and put a sweater on one!
Great idea. Pinning 
Love, love, love it……..and oh so cheap!
So creative! Would NEVER have thought to do this but it looks great!
Hi Beth,
I love this project, I’m actually doing the same thing myself with a cable knit blanket.
But I must ask, how do you get such wonderfully lit photos of your house? They look amazing! Especially by the window. I’d love to hear about your camera settings
Thanks Jessica! Here are my settings for the finished pic inside the sunroom:
Settings: 1/100
ƒ/2.8
ISO 800
These were taken with my Canon 60D and Tamron 28-75 mm lens
PS- As with all my blog photos I also lightened them in Lightroom a good bit. That’s my biggest trick for good pictures- good editing.
Ok, you inspired me to write a tutorial on how I edited the pictures! Here you go! Just for you.
http://unskinnyboppy.com/2013/03/how-to-use-lightroom-to-edit-interior-photos/
OMG That Is So Beautiful !!!!
Muy bueno los trabajos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Muy buena la pagina , me ha sido muy util, te felicito y muchas gracias.
Yours was a winner hands down. I went to take a peek at the other entries and yours was still the one I gravitated to. Nice job!!!!
Love you diy on sweater lampshade, and glad you won for simplicity &elegance!
I love the look of the whole room. Is this your room? I love the rug, where did you purchase the grey scrolled rug? Did you paint the tables? I live in South Carolina and would love to try this look, both rooms are great. It is hard to move from the north and try to use your furniture down south. Love this site.
Hey Jan! Thanks so much. The rug is made by Mohawk, purchased at Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Forte-10-ft-x-13-ft-Taupe-and-Flesh-and-Ivory-Area-Rug-289164/202509380#.UZ4fJZwSpmM
I painted the desk in the corner but not the small table, it was purchased at Homegoods. You can read more about the sunroom here: http://unskinnyboppy.com/2011/09/sunroom-updates-finally/