Thursday, April 24, 2008

To restore or not to restore...


I've been in love with shabby ol'lampshades for years. Some I purchased to tear apart to see just how the gals in the sweatshops actually made the shades and some I just love, holes and all. This one will never be remade, by me anyway, I just love it's golden hue. I have discovered many secrets as to how they made some of the embellishments, like the rosettes and their varieties and the vibrant colors you wouldn't believe under all of that faded elegance. When I redo a shade for someone, they always say, I want it the original color that it is...WELL...if you peal back the fabric on the wires, you will see that many of the original colors were robins egg blue and fuchsia pink, not the muted tans that the sun and time have subdued. But the fantastic shapes are an amazement to me...who came up with these designs back in the day, some so difficult and time-consuming to hand-sew...must've been a man...