If you’ve ever passed on a dusty old lampshade or vintage doilies at the thrift store, this DIY might change your mind. With a few thrifted doilies, you can transform a basic lamp into the prettiest, delicate vintage lampshade for your home. If you’re going for a cottagecore aesthetic, look for floral-patterned and hand-crocheted doilies. Or, if you’re aiming for something more boho, grab the more colorful doilies.

To get started, you’ll need a thrifted lampshade with a wire frame, a handful of doilies in various sizes and shapes, a needle and thread, scissors, and some pins to keep everything in place as you stitch. This DIY lampshade doesn’t require much time or sewing experience. Once you have found your wire lampshade and chosen your vintage doilies, it’s time to start stitching. The amount of doilies you will need will depend on your chosen lamp, so thrift a few extra just in case. Begin at the top of the lampshade, folding a doily over the wire frame and securing it in place with a simple stitch. Work your way down, overlapping the doilies as you go to create a soft, layered effect. Pin each one in place first so you can step back and adjust your design before committing with thread. Think of it like quilting meets lamp rehab. This is a perfect weekend project for DIY-lovers looking to thrift creatively and add a touch of vintage charm to their space. If you have extra time and a few leftover doilies, you can transform an old or thrifted vintage doily into a unique home storage solution.

If you love this idea, but don’t want to sew anything, you can repurpose vintage doilies by making a pendant lamp. For this DIY, you’ll need a balloon, a bowl, Vaseline, a bigger doily, and a glue mixture of two parts glue to one part water. Blow up the balloon and set it in the bowl to keep it from rolling. A thin coat of Vaseline will prevent the doily from sticking too much. Wearing gloves, dip your doily into the glue mixture until it’s completely saturated. Lay the doily on top of the balloon and smooth it out to avoid creases or wrinkles. Let it dry on top of the balloon for 24 hours. Once it’s dry, pop the balloon and remove your doily. To turn it into a light fixture, make a small slit in the top center of your doily and pull your cord through. 

To customize, use different doily shapes for a more eclectic vibe or dye your doilies with tea or fabric dye to add a pop of color. You can also add a beaded or tassel fringe to the bottom edge for a touch of glam. No two lampshades will ever look the same, and that is exactly the charm of this DIY. If you’ve got a few leftover doilies, here are 14 creative ways to repurpose your old vintage doilies around the house. You can also use fabric instead of doilies and create a DIY ruffled lampshade without any sewing skills.