Hanging twine or rope pendant lamp

The year before last my hubby bought me an exercise ball for Christmas. A subtle hint perhaps? It didn't work! The exercise ball has been stuck in the corner of the bedroom since then. Now I have a use for this ball... I am going to use it to make a hanging rope pendant lamp for the bedroom!

 

 

These large exercise or Pilates balls are perfect for making twine or string lampshades. The bigger the better! You will have to use an existing light fitting, or have an electrician come in to fit a light point where you want the pendant to hang. Centred over the bed is ideal. By law I am not allowed to tell you that you can fit the pendant shade yourself, but read between the lines!

You will need a roll of clingwrap and you are going to wrap the ball with clingwrap until every bit is covered. The clingwrap protects the ball and keeps the shape of the twine once the deflate the ball to remove.

 

 

There are two ways to add the twine to your ball:

1. Put white PVA glue in a bucket and put the twine or string into this for a few minutes, so that it is coated with glue. Then place the bucket close to the ball and start to wrap the twine or string around it. It can be messy to protect your floor with a dropcloth or newspaper.

2. For the second step, wrap the ball with twine or string and then cover this with the glue, making sure to completely cover the twine or string. Leave an opening at the top of the twine to allow for the lamp fitting and also to be able to remove the deflated ball. Now you need to let the glue dry overnight. Once dry, deflate the ball and carefully pull out of the opening. You can also gently pull out the clingwrap.