Lampshade Restoration or Custom Shades

People often ask how I got into this. In the late 80"s I took a "Country Lampshade Shop" at a local craft store. The instructor said my work was very neat and professional looking. I started playing around with old frames and covering them with different fabrics and trims. I did a craft show at a local mall and had an awesome display; didn't sell anything; but people came back and brought their old shades and asked if I could fix it. The truth of the matter was, I could not hurt it. I too...

People often ask how I got into this. In the late 80"s I took a "Country Lampshade Shop" at a local craft store. The instructor said my work was very neat and professional looking. I started playing around with old frames and covering them with different fabrics and trims. I did a craft show at a local mall and had an awesome display; didn't sell anything; but people came back and brought their old shades and asked if I could fix it. The truth of the matter was, I could not hurt it. I took them apart and paid very close attention to how it was constructed. There was much trial and error, learning as I went. From 1990 to 1995, I worked out of my home for private customers and a couple interior designers. Life got very busy with soccer and baseball children, so I quit due to lack of time. Most recently (2009), when the economy fell, my bookkeeping job was cut back to 32 hours a week. I applied for a part time job at a local lighting company. They didn't need any help, but as I was leaving I mentioned that I knew a lot about shades and how to restore them. They asked me to leave my name and number. They started referring customers they could not help. I now have 2 lighting companies that refer customers.