A Moment of Tiki Episode 60: DIY Light Shades

Earlier this year a friend came to me with a request to make him some tiki light shades similar those I have on my ceiling fans in the Lagoon of Mystery. He was in the middle of a fairly ambitious build and had some exposed light bulbs enclosed in metal cages that needed to be covered up. I, of course, was flattered that he thought of me and jumped at the chance. Although I gave a cursory guide to my process of making these shades way back in episode 31, I though this was a great opportunity to do an in-depth, step-by-step examination of the process. I know of some folks who've flipped this style of shade upside down to use on floor lamps, and I myself have toyed with the idea of tying two together to make a hanging swag lamp. It really is a versatile design. It's also a deceptively simple design that is easy for pretty much anyone to make if you're just willing to invest the time needed. So those of you who have no real interest in making your own lighting might want to skip to the end where there's a little bit of tiki eye candy to enjoy as I install these in their forever home.
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[@johnpratt7599]

Great video I’m definitely going to try to make a couple. Thank you Aloha.

[@LagoonofMystery]

You are very welcome! Let me know how they turn out!

[@dxpvxo711]

I think they look great 😃👍 and thanks for taking the time to make this video. I subscribed to your channel looking forward to following your videos

[@LagoonofMystery]

Thank you! I hope you find my videos useful!

[@trinawelder8782]

I love these shades. I have some of the materials -so hopefully soon Thanks for including the blooper of spilling your drink. It makes my klutzy self feel better knowing it happens to all of us- I swore for you

[@LagoonofMystery]

Yes, let that be a lesson to DIYers everywhere--keep your drinks out of the work zone!

[@BritInvLvr]

Very cool. Btw, they make black fusible interfacing.

[@LagoonofMystery]

I was not aware of the black. I shall have to seek some out! Thanks for the tip!

[@jessemagers3470]

Holy moly those are WAY more work than I thought!

[@LagoonofMystery]

They're pretty straightforward to make and very forgiving of mistakes, but yeah, time-consuming is an understatement...

[@reidmonninger1110]

You are an inspiration sir!!! I hope he paid you for those because you are a true artist! Thank you for sharing! Going to see if I can do this myself. If you have any recommendations for places to go for good fabrics for the lamp shades I’d be very grateful

[@LagoonofMystery]

Thank you! Spoonflower is a great resource for tiki/tapa style prints! Just be sure to pair the fabric with interfacing to act as a diffuser.

[@reidmonninger1110]

@@LagoonofMystery will do! Thank you!!!

[@donelly1976]

What a fantastic tutorial. The shades look amazing.

[@LagoonofMystery]

Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you found it useful!

[@adambhoy]

Mahalo for this, Jayme--great stuff!

[@LagoonofMystery]

Glad you like it!

[@jessemagers3470]

Great video!

[@juliestockton8079]

Excellent video, Jayme! Thanks a lot for this instructional video on tiki lamps. I can't wait to get started on my first one. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@LagoonofMystery]

You are welcome! Let me know how your project turns out!

[@jjdawg9918]

Very very Nice! That was a lot of work. Thanks for sharing the process with us. I started putting my drinks in a travel mug while in the workshop....and still spill once in while ;)

[@LagoonofMystery]

Indeed! The lesson is to keep all beverage away from the work zone! 😅

[@rumbusandvespa]

I absolutely love these lamps! I really appreciate all the details you included in the tutorial. As a new subscriber, I'm going to be binge watching your episodes this weekend!

[@LagoonofMystery]

Thank you! I'm happy you are finding my videos of use!

[@arriano99]

The shades are very cool, but I'm more interested in that porthole and how that was created. Future episode?

[@LagoonofMystery]

Thanks for the kind words! Alas, the porthole dates from 2017, three years before I ever started making video of my build. On the bright side, I did take lots of photos and dedicated a build-along installment of my blog to it: jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2017/11/tiki-build-along-pt-14.html Were I to do it again, I would definitely go with poplar over oak. Poplar has a fine, even grain which I think would be much easier to achieve the smooth, faux-metal finish with.

[@danao2650]

Awesome video - do you have a Materials List? Love your channel!

[@LagoonofMystery]

I'm glad you liked it! I don't have a materials list other than what is shown in the video--bamboo embroidery hoops, bamboo, sisal twine, glue, butcher paper, jewelry wire, interfacing and whichever fabric you'd like to use for the shade.

[@justinmartin1493]

I know I always see you using tapa cloth, I thought that was the only thing you could use for lights?

[@LagoonofMystery]

Goodness no! You can use lots of fabrics for lights. I only have one piece of Samoan tapa I found at an estate sale some years ago that was in too poor condition to display so I've been using pieces of it for lights. Tapa (barkcloth) is great for lights because it has no weave, therefore does not need an additional diffuser. If you use fabric--say, a tropical/tiki pattern from Spoonflower--the light will literally shine through the weave no matter how tight it looks. Therefore you will need an additional diffusion layer so the light appears more evenly distributed.

[@justinmartin1493]

Ok, I guess I still have a lot to learn then!

[@LagoonofMystery]

@@justinmartin1493 Once we stop learning we start dying. The things I don't yet know are legion! 😅