Project designed and demonstrated by Ann and Karen Mitchell, AnKara Designs.
Materials:
2 oz. bottle translucent liquid Sculpey
two 9" x 12" pieces of fabric*
oil-based color pencils or oil pastels (optional)
two 8-1/2" x 11" black & white photocopies to transfer
scissors
one lampshade pattern piece
wax paper
flat baking tray
medium size or decorative hole punch
6 yards 1/4-inch ribbon
extra fine point black marker
12 clay beads with 2-3mm holes
6-sided wire lampshade base
craft glue (optional)
*Smooth polyester chiffon , cotton, cotton/polyester voile (somewhat sheer) or silk organza work well. Choose a light or medium color or a very subtle print. Make sure it is well pressed.
Steps:
1. Cut out lampshade pattern piece and set aside.
2. Select the fabric for the lampshade. Cut two rectangles of fabric 9" x 12". Press well. Set aside.
3. Select photocopies with a non-directional pattern to be transferred. You will need two 8 1/2" x 11" sheets--enough to cut out six panels for the lampshade. Do not cut out the transfer pattern; leave it the full 8-1/2" x 11" size. Choose something that will work well on the individual panels.
4. Choose colored pencils for transfer. Color areas as desired on both transfer sheets (The coloring is optional--they can be left uncolored, especially if you transfer onto a subtle printed fabric) (figure A).
5. Lay the first transfer sheet onto a sheet of wax paper to protect your work surface. Squeeze a small amount of translucent liquid Sculpey onto the entire surface of the first transfer pattern. Using your fingers, spread the clay evenly over the entire sheet (figure B). You should be able to see the transfer image fairly clearly through the thin layer of clay (it should not look too milky). Spread to within a 1/2 inch of the edge of the paper, adding clay as necessary for a thin, even coat. Set the first sheet aside and repeat the clay application for the second sheet, also on top of a piece of wax paper.
6. Take the first pressed piece of fabric and center it over the clay-covered transfer (figure C). Drop it carefully onto the sticky clay surface, starting at one edge. Make sure there is fabric covering the entire clay-covered sheet. Do not tug on the fabric or the transfer will smudge. If you need to shift it, lift gently and reposition the entire piece of fabric. If you tug while fabric sticks to the clay, it may smear the transfer. After the fabric is applied, starting at the top edge, spread clay outwards from the center of the sheet using a very slow, sweeping motion with gentle pressure. If you apply too much pressure, you may wrinkle the fabric. The purpose of the spreading is to remove air bubbles on the surface between the clay and the fabric and to saturate the fabric completely with clay. Add a small amount of clay as necessary for complete saturation. Repeat for the second piece of fabric and the second transfer.
7. Look at the clay and fabric sheet at an angle. There should be a slightly shiny look to the entire surface. Add clay as necessary and spread evenly to achieve this look. It is easier to tell if you allow the clay to settle on the fabric surface for a few minutes. When the entire surface of the fabric has a slight shine, it is ready to be placed in the oven. Lay it in a flat baking tray large enough to hold a flat sheet of paper and small enough to fit in an oven (a regular toaster oven works best for this). Bake for 15 minutes at approximately 265 degrees F. Watch carefully that the fabric does not get too hot.
8. Remove the sheet from the oven and immediately peel the paper away from the fabric/clay (figure D). Be careful as both the paper and the fabric will be very hot. If paper sticks, place the sheet back in the oven until hot; remove it and peel off again. If you are unable to remove all the paper cleanly after several attempts at reheating, allow the fabric to cool and soak it in a basin of water. When the remaining paper is saturated, scrub it off with your fingers and sand it lightly with wet/dry sandpaper. If you soak the fabric, allow it to dry before using it for the project. Repeat this baking and peeling for second sheet.
9. You will need to cut three lampshade panels out of each of the two transferred clay fabric panels, so plan carefully. Take the lampshade pattern and trace the outline using an oil pencil or extra fine point marker (figure E). Repeat for the second and third outlines on the first piece of fabric. Outline carefully. Repeat the three outlines on the second piece of fabric.
10. Cut out all six lampshade sections, following just within the traced line of the pattern (remove cutting line). Flip over the first of the cut-out fabric pieces and realign the pattern piece 1/8 inch from the edge. Following the markings on the pattern, dot the punch holes on the back side of the fabric (figure F).
11. Repeat for the other three edges of the panel, and then repeat for other five panels of the lampshade. All six fabric pieces should have punch marks on all four sides.
12. Use a medium size or decorative hole punch to punch out all of the marked holes on all pieces, making sure that the outside of the punched hole should be at least 1/8 inch from the edge or else the fabric may tear.
13. Cut six strips of ribbon 22 inches long. While holding the lampshade frame, place two fabric sections over two of the panels, with the transferred side facing out. From the inside of the frame, thread one ribbon end through the upper right hand corner of the fabric panel on the left. On the back side, loop the ribbon behind the crossbar and bring the other end through the top hole in the upper left hand corner of the panel on the right. Pull the ribbon taught, so that the ends are even (figure G).
14. Wrap the ribbon on the left over the crossbar on the outside of the shade, putting the tip of the ribbon in the second hole down on the right panel. Pull the ribbon taught on the inside of the lampshade and poke the same end through the third hole down on the left panel, pulling it taught again. Put this same piece through front to back in the fourth hole on the right panel. Bring it out to the front again using the fifth hole on the left panel. Finally, pull this same ribbon back to the inside of the lamp through the sixth hole on the right panel (figure H).
15. Use the same approach to loop the ribbon front to back around the crossbar starting with the piece at the top of the right hand panel. Loop all the way to the bottom as you did on the other side. The ribbon should form a crisscross pattern down the crossbar, with the ends of the ribbon coming out on the inside of the shade. Knot the ribbons close to where they emerge from the holes to secure the ends. Repeat these steps until all six panels are attached to the shade frame.
16. Cut a 40-inch piece of ribbon. Starting at one of the crossbars at the top of the lamp, pull the ribbon through the upper left corner hole on one of the panels from the inside to the outside of the lamp. Loop it over the top bar of the shade and thread through the second hole, from the inside to the outside of the shade ( figure I). Continue to loop the ribbon around the top of the frame until you have gone all the way around the top.
17. Knot the ribbon inside the top of the shade. Glue the knot and trim the ends off.
18. Cut a piece of ribbon 54 inches long. Starting at the bottom of the lamp, at the same intersection as you started at on the top, loop the ribbon from the inside to the outside of the shade, continuing all the way around the bottom. Knot on the inside of the shade as you did on the top, and glue and trim the ends.
19. Slide a bead onto the end of a dangling ribbon and make a knot below the bead. Glue the knot and trim the end. Repeat for the other 11 ends.
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