I wanted a lampshade to compliment this lamp I made out of my daughter's old clarinet. The original lampshade was covered with multi-colored ribbon, and I wanted something a bit more "musical". I had several old beginner piano books left over from when my kids were younger and thought they would make a pretty lampshade. You could also use pages from an old Hymnal if you can find one at the thrift shop, but the paper would be much thinner and I thought it might be too fragile for this project.

Step 1: Supplies

You will need a wire lampshade frame, Fusible webbing, muslin, sewing machine, thread, scissors, sheet music and an iron.

Step 2: Sheet Music

Tear pages out of music book. Cut fusible webbing 1/2" smaller than page. Place the page of sheet music on ironing board, wrong side up. Place fusible webbing over sheet music, paper side up. Iron. Cut design out or just trim edges. Peel the paper off the back of fusible webbing.

Step 3: Trace Frame

Tie a little bit of string to the bottom edge of frame. Place the lampshade frame on top of the muslin and trace the top and bottom, adding about 1/2" to each. Beginning and ending where the string is tied. Turn the frame a little at a time as you trace.

Step 4: Sheet Music Onto Muslin

Place each piece of sheet music on top of muslin and press with hot iron. Add more sheet music and make sure that all fabric inside the tracing line is covered with sheet music. Overlap and place papers at different angles. When you get the whole area covered, turn over and cut on the tracing line.

Step 5: Sew Sheet Music to Fabric

Set the stitch length on your machine to as long as it allows. If you sew with tiny stitches you will perforate the paper and it will tear easily. Sew about 1" from top edge and then 1" from the bottom edge. Randomly stitch around the shade in a zig-zag fashion or sew around each individual piece of paper. You can make the lampshade without sewing the paper down but after awhile the corners will begin to peel. (If you do notice the corners lifting, get a Q-tip and dab on a bit of decopauge glue to hold the paper down.)

Step 6: Binding

Measure around the bottom of lamp shade frame. Cut a bias (diagonal) strip of muslin 2" wide by this measurement plus 2". The circumference of my shade was 36" so I cut a strip of fabric 38" long x 2" wide. Measure the circumference of the top of frame and cut a 2" strip for it also. Sew these strips to the top and bottom (on the right side) of paper covered muslin, about 1/2" from the edges. Turn the fabric strip over to the wrong side and stitch down.

Step 7: Stitch Sides of Lamp Shade

Place paper covered fabric muslin around wire frame and pin so it fits snugly around it. Hand sew. Stitch the paper covered fabric to the wire frame in 3 or 4 places at the top of the lamp shade. You can glue on fringe trim or a ruffle or just leave it the way it is.