The mechanics of them are so simple that there's really nothing stopping all of us from selecting the perfect fabric and making our own roman shades. We've been eying these instructions from Martha Stewart for ours:
When my husband first suggested this idea, I latched right on. I'm no good at sewing unless it's in straight lines, which perfectly suits this project. We've been looking for something flat, simple and inexpensive to complement our extremely traditional home. These seem like they'll be perfect in a natural linen-like fabric.
Have any of you endeavored to make your own roman shades? How did it go? Any tips or tricks? We'll incorporate them and when we actually get started on making ours, we'll be sure to bring you an in-depth how-to. Until then, happy fabric shopping!
CHECK OUT THE HOW TO: Make Your Own Roman Shades | Martha Stewart
Images: Martha Stewart
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I have made these before. Looks scary but, pretty easy to make.
Has anyone found directions for soft-fold roman shades?
This is fantastic! I've been looking for the perfect blinds for my living room to no avail - the question is, do we think this would work in a wide set of windows?
Becca
I've done both soft fold and regular Roman shades. The easiest way to do regular Roman Shades is to buy a kit from somewhere like JoAnn's Fabrics. The kit gives you everything you need (except fabric of course) and tells you how to measure etc.
For the soft folds, you only sew the rings in the outer channels, not the middle and you don't sew channels or put in the horizontal stiffeners. Also, you need to fiddle with them a bit at first to get them to fold where you want them to when you pull them up. Usually, I pull them up to where I will want them, then pimp the folds and mist them with water and press them with my fingers. After a few times of doing this and they will naturally collapse into a pretty soft fold when you pull them up.
One pitfall - the first time I made Roman Blinds I didn't make them long enough. It's a good idea to make them a little longer than you think you need at the top. Once you've done the rest, you can adjust the length from the top before finishing the top.
Soft fold roman shades can be made in the same way as the one pictured above, except you omit the wood dowels. The cords running through the little rings on the back of the shade will create the soft folds as you pull it up. I made one of these several years ago--it was a little fussy to make for an inexperienced/self-taught sewist like myself, but it turned out great and has served us well.
It's also very easy to convert blinds to roman shades too. You can use them as your foundations and then fabric-tac cloth on top. Cheap shades can be bought for a lot less than the kits at craft stores.
I have 2 sets of windows that currently have blinds (one set is broken). I'm considering roman blinds for them, but they are each 78" wide. Will DIY work for this size?
Just remember that there was a HUGE recall of almost ALL roman and roll-up shades a few months back for strangulation hazards inherent in the design with the cords used to pull up the blinds. If you have kids, go read http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10073.html before you make these so you are aware of the risks. Just because you make them doesn't mean they are safer than what you can buy. The problem is with the design of these types of shades in the way the cords in the back have an unsecured loop between the rings. I'm not saying to not use these, just be aware of the recent news/recalls on the design.
I've made blinds using the martha stewart instructions, which I think are some of the clearest on the web. I thought they looked good- I made it so that the bottom edge tapered to a point and added a tassel. My only thing would be to make sure that all the batten pockets are parallel before sewing. All that work just to mess up on the last step and have to restitch.
If you don't have time to make your own, Quality Custom Designs will do them for $70/shade. You supply your fabric. Haven't used, but seller rates very high.
This other Etsy store has some unique/cheap fabric offerings: Daffodil Hill.
Mike thanks for the two etsy finds. Regardless of how "easy" everyone thinks it is this is far beyond my ability. I have a window and a french door that need some blinds and need to coordinate. Thank you.
Has anyone actually done the converting mini-blinds to Roman shade thing? I live in a condo and one of the rules is that we cannot replace the awful mini-blinds on all our windows, but I could totally put fabric on the inside of them as long as they look like regular blinds from the outside. I found one tutorial online for making shades out of blinds, but it requires that you essentially dismantle the blinds, which won't work in my case. Anyone have ideas about how to do this without changing the way the blinds look from the exterior?
I made roman shades out of mini-blinds, like option 1. It really was easy, just time consuming. But totally worth it! I trimmed mine out with some black trim for a greek key look.The Wood blinds orange county i think much easier for you to use.