New Product - Braided, Fringed and Tassel Lampshade Trims

2 days ago

Are you ready to take your handmade lampshades to the next level? We're thrilled to introduce our brand-new collection of lampshade trims! With four stunning styles and thirteen exclusive, vibrant colours, we've developed these trims especially for you to create luxurious and professional lampshade finishes.

From elegant chainette fringes to intricate braid trims and timeless tassels, all available to buy by the meter, we’ve got something for every lampshade-making project. Plus, we’ll show you exactly how to apply them to both hard and soft lampshades. Read on to find out more.

Exclusive and Economical

Adding a high quality trim will create a real point of difference to any handmade lampshade, and by listening to our professional maker's feedback, we've responded by developing a range of trims in 13 exclusive colours, to work for hard and soft lampshade making alike.

Available to buy by the metre, and priced economically for all levels of lampshade maker, we've also introduced extra discounted by the metre prices when you buy 2m and 25m, which will be automatically applied at the checkout, bringing down the cost of finishing your lampshade or lampshades.

New Trim Collection

Chainette Fringe 100mm

Possibly the most razzamatazz of the collection, this long 100mm Chainette Fringe reminds us of 20s flapper dresses! With a soft, lustrous drape and a wonderful ‘swoosh’, this would be equally as good on both a traditional soft lampshade, as it would a contemporary hard lampshade.

Specification

Top braid width: 8mm

Chain length: 92mm

100% Rayon

Prices (exc.VAT)

1 metre - £1.66

2 - 25 metres - £1.49

25 metres + - £1.19

Chainette Fringe 50mm

A shorter version of its lengthier sibling, our 50mm Chainette Fringe has the same soft drape, but is the perfect length for double or even triple layering to create a striking effect on your handmade lampshades. Other uses are for embellishing bags, or for adding to accessories and clothing.

Specification

Top braid width: 8mm

Chain length: 42mm

100% Rayon

Prices (exc.VAT)

1 metre - £1.24

2 - 25 metres - £1.11

25 metres + - £0.88

Tassel Fringe 60mm

Creating a visible sheen as it catches the light, each tassel of our Tassel Fringe holds its drop perfectly due to its precise weight. The sturdy top woven braid and the intricate woven drop pattern between the tassels, creates an attractive traditional trim, that would make an excellent addition to any soft or hard lampshade.

Specification

Top braid width: 15mm

Tassel length: 40mm

100% Rayon

Prices (exc.VAT)

1 metre - £2.49

2 - 25 metres - £2.24

25 metres + - £1.79

Braid Trim 15mm

Measuring 15mm in depth, our Braid Trim is ideal for pairing with the other trims in the collection, especially when applied to the top of your handmade lampshade, creating a cohesive and stylish finish.

Specification

Braid depth: 15mm

100% Polyester

Prices (exc.VAT)

1 metre - £0.83

2 - 25 metres - £0.74

25 metres + - £0.59

Pick a colour

From classic neutrals such as ivory, white and black, to soft toned blues and pinks and eye catching brights, each colour has been carefully developed by us, and manufactured, to offer our lampshade makers trims to match every handmade lampshade project.

Each trim in our new collection has been perfectly colour matched to ensure any combination of trims is visually professional and cohesive. Colours available are:

Black
Brown
Burgundy
Blue
Dark Grey
Gold
Green
Ivory
Dark Blue
Lime
Pink
Red
White

Tips for Applying Trims to a Lampshade

There are a variety of ways to attach a trim to a lampshade, but this will depend on the weight, width and the type of lampshade you are applying this to. Below we’ve suggested which products will work best for our new braided, fringed and tassel trims.

Tesa Double Sided Tape

Ideal for using on our new Braid and Chainette Fringed Trim, this high tack professional lampshade making tape, is available in a variety of widths - 6mm, 9mm and 12mm wide.

Method

Apply the Tesa Double-sided tape along the bottom edge of your shade, starting at the inner side of the seam remove the red backing tape around 5cm at a time and apply the trim.

Soft Furnishing Tape

A clear, 12mm wide webbed double sided tape offers an incredibly strong bond on smooth, clean, and dry surfaces making it extremely suitable for adhering medium and heavier weight trims to lampshades. Based on this we’d suggest using Soft Furnishing Tape when applying our Tassel Fringe Trim.

Method

Apply the Soft Furnishing Tape along the bottom edge of your shade, starting at the inner side of the seam remove the white paper backing tape around 5cm at a time and apply the trim carefully starting at the inside seam.

Hot Glue Gun

Perfect for those with a steady hand, using a hot glue gun is the go to method for many of our professional lampshade makers, providing a solid bond for trims to either soft or hard lampshades. It's worth noting that this method may not be suitable for trims with an open weave, unless they are covered with a Braid Trim.

Method

Professional lampshade maker, Elizabeth Pegg of Silkworms and Cottontails recommends the following and demonstrates this in her video below:

‘I like to spread the glue on the trim and then press it in place, a little time’

Hand Sewing

Often when making a traditional Soft Lampshade (see our Soft Shade Making series), you’ll have visible hand stitching that you’ll need to cover with a braid or trim. Either can be applied using Streetly Stitch, a traditional hand stitch used in soft lampshade making, but if you feel this may be too visible a small invisible stitch can be used at the top of the trim to secure in place.

Method

Jane Warren, professional lampshade maker and author of the popular book The Complete Guide to Making Lampshades, offers this advice:

I pick up tiny thread through the gimp or braid, tiny stitch into top of the shade, then underneath the gimp or braid, sew a larger diagonal stitch down, out through the base, then a tiny stitch through to the shade, and carry on like that working my way round. Having said that, if you stretch your gimp or braid tight around and top stitch only, it should stay in place. Or you can top stitch and then run a little glue under the base of it.