(small).jpg){kind=logo}
Dawn, the creative mind behind Witty Dawn, has always been inspired by her love of vintage and retro fabrics. With an eye for vintage pattern, shape, and style, she found lampshades to be the perfect canvas for showcasing her eclectic fabric collection. What began as a passionate hobby has grown into a thriving professional lampshade business, now sold across multiple online platforms.
In this month’s Meet the Maker, we caught up with Dawn to learn more about her journey, the lessons she’s gathered along the way, and her enduring love for all things vintage. Read on for Dawn’s full story.
Hi there!
How are you today and what’s on your workbench?
So you find me in a ‘calm after the storm' after a busy run up to Xmas with creative buyers refreshing their homes for the festive season. In Jan it’s time to refold fabric, renew listings, and pick out some eye catching and cheerful fabrics for the duller months!
How do you start the design process for your lampshades and where do you get your design inspiration?
So I work exclusively with patterned fabric, no plains at all in my stock. What I particularly love is how fabric is transformed when light glows through the colours , so I favour translucent liner over opaque – although I do those on request.
How would you describe your style?
Eclectic and retro (60s / 70s funky) in the style of fabrics I seek out, in my own sense of style and in our home, which some years ago featured in House Beautiful as part of a series on using reclaimed materials in home decor.
Tell us about your other creative skills.
I can paint and draw, I used to make my own clothes (too busy now) , garden (again too busy at the moment !) I have made stained glass panels for our home and currently my ‘not for profit’ creative endeavour is pottery.
When and why did you start making lampshades?
I’d been working with vintage fabric to produce soft furnishing and decorative items for sale for some years (since 2010), then I went on a course to make some lampshades for our own home and realised that this was a superb way to feature vintage fabric in decor.
What’s your favourite part of the lampshade making process?
The final roll up! Selecting placement of fabric design can be the longest part of the process as with older fabric (some are 70 yrs old) you inevitably have flaws and fading to take into account.
It’s clear you have a highly trained eye for vintage fabric. How have you amassed your huge collection of vintage fabrics?
I’ve been interested in vintage style since my teens and my brush with the Two Tone / Mod revival. Back then I sought out original clothing AND fabric, usually curtains, to make my own clothing. So this interest and collecting has been with me a LONG time. Scroll on to creating décor for our homes - my Husband, who has a good eye for colour and eclectic style, and I sought out reclaimed and mid century pieces, art work and textiles. There is very little brand new furniture in our home.
Serious collecting to support my own business started circa 2009/2010 and it takes a considerable amount of time to source fabric.
How do you decide which shape of lampshade will work for a vintage fabrics?
I use simple drum shapes and cones, the latter works particularly well with mid century lamp bases, for example West German Ceramics. I’m really loving ovals now as the flatter front shows off fabric designs particularly well. I keep the lampshade shapes simple and let the fabric do the ‘talking’.
Whilst it’s tempting to simply adopt a ‘large pattern = large lampshade’ approach I also try to use every single piece of fabric, and taking large pattern remnants onto even very small 10 cm shades produces an abstract look many of my customers like.
We noticed you sell your handmade vintage lampshades on a number of selling platforms. Could you tell us how selling this way benefits your business?
Over the years I have learnt that you should never put all your eggs in one basket and it’s useful to diversify. Commission pricing and audience on platforms governs my choices. Folksy offers a good single fee/as many listings as you want option and great support - therefore is the home to my full catalogue of fabrics, but as a smaller site it needs more promotion. Other platforms offer the benefits of wider audiences with less effort.
And do you take lampshade commissions?
I do in the sense of offering a VERY wide selection fabric options and a wide range of up to 20 shape options in my online shops, however due the limitations of fabric availability I can’t offer every shape in every fabric. About 80% of customers find exactly what they want simply by browsing and ordering from my shops, the others need varying levels of advice it deciding fabric and shape.
Usually I ask for people to send me a picture of their lamp base and/or décor and we usually come to a solution fairly quickly. I do have a few customers who visit my Cotswolds garden studio.
What other items might we find in your online shops?
I used to do cushions, bags, decorative items but those have largely been phased out, I do have some Retro Mice and bunting made with remnant fabric but to be honest I’m too busy making lampshades. Increasingly I am selling fabric remnants as I try to free up space in my studio for ‘new to me’ vintage fabric supplies!
Any tips for new lampshade makers in business?
I have the luxury of a dedicated space but lamp shading takes up A LOT of space! Be prepared for that. Work out how you will post and what size of shade works with standard box sizes – corrugated card is your BEST friend for lampshades! I’ve posted out nearly 2000 and only one was damaged – flattened, nothing would have saved that one!
I'd recommend getting a good table to work from - your back will thank you! I’m tall so my worktable is extra high but most people need to work at least at kitchen unit height, dining table height is too low.
Take lots of pictures of each lampshade you make, lit, unlit, on lamp bases – many people struggle to visualise how they will look and need support.
How has your business grown and developed since you started out selling your creations in 2010?
It was a hobby/pocket money business for a number of years whilst our children were younger. In about 2016 I was able to invest in a garden studio and expand. A couple of years later I introduced lampshades into my range and that rapidly became my main product. Circa 2019 I had regular sales but COVID 2020 was extremely busy and I have remained busy since then. I make on average 30 a month, work about 25 -30 hours a week (which includes other products, sourcing fabric and social media). It’s my job not my hobby now.
When are you at your most productive?
Afternoon usually whilst listening to BBC 6 Music!
And your favourite sustenance when you’re working?
Music … and tea and biscuits
Could you let us take a peek at your workspace?
Yup , usually it’s quite untidy. When customers visit I ‘mostly’ tidy up. With fabric shelves and cupboards on every wall they are usually a bit stunned for choice.
Where would you like to be in 10 years time?
Retired – in a beautifully decorated well appointed bungalow with whippets and/or lurchers , drinking cider and lake swimming with Husband, making things for our children's homes.
What have you learned that’s been invaluable to your creative process?
So for a MONETISED creative process ?
Understand and refine the production process for your most profitable items, make producing those as efficient as possible
Be ruthlessly honest about what your overheads are to yourself and be brave enough to factor ALL of that into your prices.
Learn say no to whatever/whoever wastes your time, your focus and your joy.
You can make the most beautiful thing in the world BUT if you want that beautiful thing/s to earn your keep you have to tell others about it.
Realise that a monetised creative process is very different from a personal creative process. If you monetise the thing you love making the most there WILL be compromise so try and keep space for something creative in your life that is still truly personal. It’s harder that you think to do that!
Shop Witty Dawn's range of bespoke retro and vintage fabric lampshades to bring a pop of colour and nostalgia to your space. Show Dawn some love by following her on her socials below.
Shop
Folksy: folksy.com/shops/WittyDawn
Socials
Instagram: @wittydawn
Facebook: @witt'ydawn
Comments