Much to my delight, the in-work project I blogged about last week is finally finished! Woo Hooo!

Some Background

Last week, I shared the "before" photos of this shade in its pre-restoration stage. You also saw the steps involved in wrapping, lining and applying the had-dyed silk to the frame. Feel free to take a look back here.

Moving Forward

My useless assistant Dax and I have been very busy putting the finishing touches on the project. While Dax ate my beads and trim pieces, I made the perfectly complimentary master bead strand, found some great trim, and whipped out my Ikea hanging lamp kit.

Here's the pile of "seed strands", the first ten actual strands, and my master key strand to follow. The master strand is incredibly helpful to have as, my mind wanders terribly when I bead, and all sorts of strange arrangements occur. Each strand has 23 pieces. I made about 60 strands--that's over 1,300 pieces!

A nice closeup on the completed beads, finally sewn onto the lampshade. The position of the bulb in this hanging lamp lights the beads up so brightly that I had to adjust the exposure in order to get a good shot of them. I think Dax left a cat hair in there just to piss me off.

Finishing Up

By night, this hanging shade creates a stunning display of exciting color and a nice "Boho" hippy vibe. I just love the way the bling of the lace fades, giving way to a dark silhouette that lets the color become the scene-stealer.

By day, this lamp fires the bling, but doesn't shout. The colors are gentle, the trim is tasteful, and the beads have a nice calm symmetry that doesn't beg for attention. Each of the six panels alternate between circles and spires, and no two sides are the same color.

This lamp is just a lot of fun! Fully lined in white stretch silk, the downcast light from this shade is shockingly bright. It is pictured with an LED 80 Ikea bulb.

Here's a closeup of the "circle" design. Pretty bold!

So there you have it! My first official hanging lamp.

Happy #NeedleworkMoonday, everyone!