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!
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WOW! Nicely done. I want some.
Awesome!
Wow! Can you make some for me?
Beautiful work! Congrats on taking on such a daunting task and coming out on top!
cute kitty! i like that he is in both the before and after photos.
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!
Very nice indeed. Congratulations on a job well done. It must be so rewarding for you.
Fantastic job Mary! You must be so proud of yourself -- that would be the first thing I would show to guests when they visit.
Top notch work!
That fabric is awesome! Nice work
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.
Wonderful, and beautiful fabric! Perfect for those windows...
gorgeous fabric!!!
i love making roman shades - so easy to do!
beautiful!
those are really cute. i love the window shade look.
I love your shades. They make the room look totally different. Great work!
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!
Beautiful!! I wish I could sew :(
I am totally going to try this! Great job!
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.
Excellent!
Wow - Major improvement, and clever fabric choice!
Gorgeous and inspiring.
GREAT!
OHHHH!...stunning!!!!! Your very own customized windows in a beautiful setting!!!
beautiful job! i love that fabric!
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!).
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!
Gorgeous!
Great job! It looks lovely!
ooooh, so pretty! so perfect!
What a beautiful fabric! What a beautiful solution!
awesome! you go girl!
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!
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!)
tres chic !
merci,
elicia
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!
Way to go Mary!!
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 :)
the fabric is beautiful and perfect with the wall and trim colors
very nicely done
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.
You should make a few and sell them on Etsy :P
I could give you my dimensions haha
Very nicely done! :)