You may remember Mary's curtain conundrum from a few months ago — she was looking for advice on curtain length to avoid issues with her baseboard heating. Roman shades was your overwhelming suggestion and Mary listened. She's been hard at work making her own shades from scratch! Follow the jump to see her lovely transformation...
After deciding on roman shades, Mary says she couldn't find anything ready-made with color and pattern to suit her tastes so she decided to make her own. She got a great deal on this amazing fabric from the Marimekko store in Cambridge due to a horizontal flaw in the screen printing — the kind of thing that could only be hidden in a roman shade. With a little help from Martha and several weeks of hand-stitching, Mary's curtains turned out beautifully.
She recommends this step-by-step guide as the least confusing and most concise. Also, JoAnn Fabrics was the only place she could find the cord lock — all other supplies came from the local hardware or fabric store.
Thanks to all who commented and congrats to Mary on her amazing new window dressings!
(Include a pic of your query and your question gets posted first! Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to: boston(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)
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WOW! Nicely done. I want some.
view whytephoenix's profile
Awesome!
view gswiszcza's profile
Wow! Can you make some for me?
view mattab's profile
Beautiful work! Congrats on taking on such a daunting task and coming out on top!
view UWSretreat's profile
cute kitty! i like that he is in both the before and after photos.
view dM's profile
Hand stitched? That must look awesome. I'd love to see a close-up shot. I love the look of hand stitching but get bored after about 5 inches or so. Good for you, Mary!
view wondermart's profile
Very nice indeed. Congratulations on a job well done. It must be so rewarding for you.
view click212's profile
Fantastic job Mary! You must be so proud of yourself -- that would be the first thing I would show to guests when they visit.
view thirdcoastgirl's profile
Top notch work!
view Nora Rocket's profile
That fabric is awesome! Nice work
view revolution9's profile
Those shades turned out beautiful. You have inspired me to get busy on my bedroom shades, as I have the same situation with my heating.
view jacasi's profile
Wonderful, and beautiful fabric! Perfect for those windows...
view SadieinDC's profile
gorgeous fabric!!!
i love making roman shades - so easy to do!
view rouquinne's profile
beautiful!
view HeatherAB's profile
those are really cute. i love the window shade look.
view duckumu's profile
I love your shades. They make the room look totally different. Great work!
view RachelDJ's profile
Oh my gosh! What a fantastic fabric choice and beautiful work! I think I might have walked right past that bolt of fabric and yet it's absolutely perfect. Well done!
view LilyC's profile
Beautiful!! I wish I could sew :(
view JanelleT's profile
I am totally going to try this! Great job!
view katarose's profile
This fabric is GORGEOUS! I am in complete awe. I love what you did with your windows...I'll pay you to make some for me! haha.
view ckayindc's profile
Excellent!
view STYLeyes's profile
Wow - Major improvement, and clever fabric choice!
view bepsf's profile
Gorgeous and inspiring.
view kimg924's profile
Bellissimo Mary!
view Fontessa's profile
GREAT!
view Philip_Littell's profile
OHHHH!...stunning!!!!! Your very own customized windows in a beautiful setting!!!
view keeks's profile
beautiful job! i love that fabric!
view erinpearce's profile
Yay Mary!...Custom when you DIY is always the greatest feeling in the world. Plus, you saved money and there is so much pride in your workmanship.
Kudos to you on the hand-stitches, you couldn't pay me to hand-stitch. Next time, find yourself a sewing machine at the thrift store (I found one in almost perfect condition for $15!).
view cinema's profile
Beautiful!
I generally like roman shades except for that extra "decorative" flap of material that is on the top of most store-bought varieties, LOVE yours without!
view smashleee's profile
Gorgeous!
view moptop's profile
Great job! It looks lovely!
view Julia at Living Luxely's profile
They MAKE the room. Brilliant fabric choice, perfect execution. You should be proud!
view madsarah's profile
ooooh, so pretty! so perfect!
view Jezebella's profile
What a beautiful fabric! What a beautiful solution!
view Emily Sneds's profile
awesome! you go girl!
view formosagirl's profile
I kind of wish the upholstered chair was between the other two windows, and I kind of which the the plant stand was either wider for that window, or maybe smack-dab between the windows. But nobody asked me about that.
What I REALLY mean to say is... the colors of the fabric, the pattern of the fabric, the placement of the pattern on the window, the very professional execution of it, the way it works in the room, AND that coffee table. I love ALL those things. A WHOLE LOT!
view Curtis's profile
Can't go wrong with Marimekko...
Impeccable! Love it!
(My roman shade -project is still unfinished... maybe I should try to finish before the year changes...you give me hope!)
view Lilli K.'s profile
I have been trying to figure out what to do in my bedroom and have found the same thing you did. This will be my weekend job as soon as I find the perfect fabric. I will do as much with my sewing machine and my limited sewing abilities as I can. Thanks for posting!
view iGeekChic's profile
tres chic !
merci,
elicia
view MCGINNHOLD's profile
I keep coming back to look at this - it is just so freaking great. Roman shades will be my first big project of the new year. Thanks for the inspiration!
view tequila red's profile
Way to go Mary!!
view RobinD.'s profile
this is LOVELY, and thanks for the tip about the cambridge marimekko store! i've been afraid to go in because i thought everything would be fiendishly overpriced and i am trying to keep to a budget, so i didn't want to torture myself. i'll stop in this weekend :)
view curvatura's profile
the fabric is beautiful and perfect with the wall and trim colors
very nicely done
view sunan's profile
Handsome hand work, lovely results, great pattern. Any chance you had enough material to add a couple to pillows to the rose colored ones that match the chair so beautifully? Or perhaps just cover the back of the pink ones for a sneak peek.
view justjude's profile
You should make a few and sell them on Etsy :P
I could give you my dimensions haha
view alisaan's profile