Instructions For Making Funky Drum Shades

I just made a cool shape, so we can use this one as our guide. (The size in this picture is much smaller, a 12" top x 12 bottom x 8" high.) You can make any size you need for your needs. I would suggest to start small, but if you are like me, you won't!!!!

It was 18” across the top x 9 ½ “ high x 18” across the bottom.

Materials:
18” washer top
18” bottom ring
2 yds of styrene
4yds of grosgrain ribbon
10” of 3/8”white grosgrain
4 yds of cloth pressure sensitive tape 3/8” to make self-trims or trim of equal length
2 yds of fabric, you want to make sure what you choose will laminate well. This is a big shade and some inexpensive fabrics could drive you crazy trying to laminate.
Quick glue and squeeze bottle
Scissors
Yardstick and tape measure



Directions:

1.) To cut styrene for shade: Lay styrene on floor or a big worktable with the paper side up. You will need the yard stick now, start at the edge and make a straight line the full length of the shade plus one inch, which is 58” total.
2.) Measuring from that straight edge, make marks at 9 ½” for the height of the shade. Make measure marks the whole distance and connect the dots. Square off the ends and cut out.
3.) Iron fabric and place the backside of the fabric facing up. Pull the paper backing off of the styrene and laminate to fabric. Hand-press. DO NOT GET IRON NEAR STYRENE!!!!
4.) Cut out fabric right along the edge of the styrene. Hand-press.
5.) Place bead of glue along the top edge of the backside of the styrene/fabric. Go the whole length of the styrene. Use a medium amount of glue.
6.) Set the washer top in place on the edge of the shade where you have just placed the glue. You will start it at the edge of the styrene and work your way right around the shade, clipping it in place with the clothespins. When you get to the overlap, add glue to finish. Adjust any unruly pins!!! You’ll get a few. Don't worry, it won't dry that fast.Watch out for glue- all my clothes are gluey.
7.) Turn shade over and clip the bottom wire in place. Run a bead of glue up along the inside of the shade where the wire and styrene meet. Don’t worry about the pins, go around them, it is enough glue.
8.) To glue the back seam, pull the edge back and run a couple beads of glue along the inside seam. Watch out for messy glue on fabric. Hand-press by running fingers along the inside seam while shade is on your workspace.
There is something called a back seam clamp. You can use this at this time. For the drum shades it’s not really necessary, but it is very helpful for shades with more torque on that back seam.
9.) Let shade dry. Make self-trims while you are waiting. Use grosgrain ribbon to measure for making self-trims. Use the 3/8" pressure sensitive cloth tape for trims. Place on backside of fabric and cut out leaving 1/4"on either side of tape, trim flush on ends.
10.) Fold and glue fabric onto cloth tape, one side at a time. Hand press to make nice smooth edges. Put these aside while you glue grosgrain onto top and bottom of shade. To glue grosgrain onto shade, start at back seam and do a few inches at a time. Run bead of glue along the first few inches of bottom of shade, place ribbon on glue and continue to end;. You may like using the clothes pins to hold in place; it will dry fast. Then you will be folding grosgrain over bottom wire and gluing to inside of shade. Make sure to use enough glue.
11.) Glue self trims to top and bottom over grosgrain. Yay! Your done. There are zillions of other ways to trim these shades. You could also wrap the shade fabric around top and bottom wires, this can get messy this way. You can make self-trims and use that instead of grosgrain.

Have fun and stay posted, I hope this helps you get started. Maybe my son, the video master will help with a dvd!!!! That would make it easier. May 2008 bring us all good luck!