Use a recycled plastic container and a cast-off sweater sleeve to a unique pendant lamp. Industrial designer Sara Ebert made this lamp as part of Pratt’s Design for a Dollar contest for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. [More about this lamp project at Inhabitat]

I love the use of the recycled apple juice bottle for this project. I have been meaning to make a sweater-covered hanging lamp since I saw this project by Lucy Turner, but I never actually considered how I would add shape to the lamp. (I was just thinking of removing fabric from a barrel-shaped lampshade and stretching a thrifted sweater over it). I also never got past the thinking about it stage! This project seems even simpler and more straightforward – so simple that I want to run out to the home improvement store to pick up some pendant lamp kits. It would be super cute to make a group of these with individual serving-size drink containers, too (just so long as the light bulb used was low-heat).
To make: felt a wool sweater, cut off the sleeve, stretch it over a recycled and cleaned clear drink container, insert light kit.

Project Estimate:
  • Old sweater, $1 and up
  • Recycled juice container, on hand or $1 and up
  • Light kit, $5 and up

Total: $6 and up