Ever thought of making your own shades? If you'd like to know how to make rice paper shades, here's how I do it.
Enter Slideshow
(Watch. Ask Questions. Have confidence. Curse me for making it look so easy...)
I love these shades because they’re simple and organic and function well. They glow like Naguchi lamps. They work splendidly for our San Francisco Victorian or Bungalow tall, narrow, double hung windows (38” wide max, unless you can find wider paper). When I first came up with this solution for my zen-fem friend, Rebecca, ten years ago, I was concerned that the paper would be too delicate. But we only just now had to refurbish them.
Price: about $85 per shade 33”x 60”.
Materials:
rice paper
1” wooden dowels
2” white cloth tape
roller shade hardware
Tools:
tape measure
carpenters square
carpenters straight edge
shears
pencil
sewing machine
crosscut saw for cutting wood dowels
screwdriver or screw gun for mounting hardware
The Measuring:
You start out measuring your windows for roller shades; width and height. Here’s where you need to decide where they will be mounted; on the wall or trim (outside mount) or in between window casing or shelving (inside mount) and which side of the window you want the controls. At least 13/4” depth is needed for an inside mount shade. The paper will be narrower than this overall measurement by 1” to 1 1/2” to allow for hardware. The shade is limited by the width of the rice paper. The widest I’ve found the rice paper on a roll is 38”.
The Rice Paper:
You need rice paper sold by the yard on a roll. You will need a piece of paper the length of your window plus 12”. Great resources for paper are Miki’s Paper, Kozo Arts, and Flax.
The Hardware Store:
Pick up 1” dowels for the hem. They will be cut to the width measurement of your finished shade. Also cloth tape, wood screws, and any tools you lack. Some of my favorite hardware stores are Cliffs in The City (that’s San Francisco) or Pastime in the East Bay.
The Rollers:
Order the rollers from a custom roller shade shop. Ask them to make the allowance for inside or outside mount shades. Order a bead pull, not a spring loaded roller.
Specify left or right control. In S.F. try Art Shade Shop. In Berkeley, Alcatraz Shade Shop.
Care:
Don’t leave the window open when it’s raining.
- Kristin
(Kristin has been making and designing window coverings and fabric furnishings for bay area homes and feature films for 20 years. You can reach her at studioiointeriors@yahoo.com.)
wow! Thanks!
Oooh, love it. Looks like a great way to cut the scorching sun I get from March to September coming straight into my house without blocking all the light.
fantastic!
Kate's Paperie on lower Broadway would be a great source in NYC. I wish more custom paper came in rolls now . . .
These look great, and I love the slideshow - it really makes the project seem do-able.
Can the same technique be applied to create fabric roller shades? I'm thinking fabric thickness would need to be somehow factored in.
I can picture some lovely mustard-and-brick Ikat print roller shades for my bedroom!
Hi Newbie,
Yes, you can make roller shades out of fabric.
The fabric is usually stiffened first, both to make it stable enough and to keep the cut edges from unraveling. This can be done with an iron on, or glued on, backing or with a starch bath. Total pain and hard to do well. The pros can do a nice job, but they can end up opaque.
Having said all this, if you get a stable fabric, you could treat the cut edge with glue, or “fray check”, turn the hem twice before stitching and give it a go. Good luck!
Kristin
These are great! Replacing my roller shades has been on my to-do list for ages. I already have the spring-loaded kind, which don't really work anyway (I wrestled them down to a mid-point where the sun won't get me up in the morning). So I'm wondering if I can just replace the ugly/dirty shade material with pretty paper. Is there anything I should know before I start taking them apart?
Thanks for the idea.
I love these shades unfortunately none of my windows are of this size but one day when I move I'll be installing these.
Wendy,
I'm glad you're inspired.
But don't use rice paper on sping loaded roller barrels.
They roll alot tighter and put alot more stress on the shade material. The string bead pulls are a lot less frustrating to use.
Sorry if this is a duplicate. I live on the east coast and am looking for a supplier of paper that can be used to make shades for my patio door and a couple of windows. Some of the places you mentioned don't look like they sell paper in the size i wouuld require.
Thank you.
Judy
Hi Kristin,
I read the comments about using paper on Roller Shades....but, if I'm using them on a set and the action of the scene is them being pulled down....Is there still a concern for the stress on the shade or it not being rolled tight??
Thanks,
Marsha
You're truly only limited by the length of the dowel, not the width of the paper. Try stitching several widths together with embroidery floss; if paper is sufficiently rugged, machine sewing is much faster- dial down the tension on your thread to avoid tearing the paper. I covered a 72" wide window using a similar method. There are several natural fiber textiles sold by the roll- hemp is delightful, or grass cloth used for gardening, which also have a finished edge, more or less, no heming edges which I'm assuming most would prefer to avoid.
What if i want to use two sheets of paper together (one lighter (japanese paper) than the other one)? Should I glue the borders together and do as if it was one single sheet of paper?
AMAZING! One question though - I'm on the East Coast and am not sure what kind of store has roller shade hardware for sale. Any ideas?
Oh! Whats a great site! I like it! Will tell friends about it.
simply beautiful.i will do it positively,thanks for the simple & informative slide show.
Kindly , we would like to supply your company with rice paper blup with high quality if you want
Thanks
Prof. Fathy
Kindly , we would like to supply your company with rice paper blup with high quality if you want
Thanks
Prof. Fathy
fathy_yassin@yahoo.co.uk
Cool. Very intresting site :) Thanks
Very intresting idea!
Am using rice paper for lmp shades. have tinted them with coffee whih work great. Was now going to "spry lacquer them for stiffness and cleanability. Tell me more about the starch idea. Any specific formula. Should I find a "fire retardent spry also?
These shades are wonderful. They let light in but still offer privacy, and when you see the shadows of the trees outside on the paper, it looks like art. It is interesting how the shadowy scene changes with the seasons. I put them in every bedroom and bathroom of my upstairs 1920's colonial home in CT. And from the outside, they almost make the house glow like a lantern when the lights are on inside.
The hardest part of this project was finding the window shade hardware. It was a bit of an ordeal. I ordered the hardware from Close to Home in Milford, CT and the paper from Eshoji.com. They ship FAST.
Kristin could not have been nicer when I emailed her with a question. Thank you so much Kristin. You solved my window treatment dilemna!
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