How to Make Roman Blinds

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Give your fabric a good ironing.

   A crisp press makes a sewing project so much easier! Always press both the fabric and lining.
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   Step 2: Measure the width and height of the inside of your window where the shade will be hanging.

   ,, The first row of tape should be 5 inches (12.7 cm) from the bottom.
   
   The next row should be 8 inches (20.3 cm) up and repeat with three more rows 8 inches (20.3 cm) apart. , If you are still unsure of what you are looking for, ask for tube tape used for roman blinds at your fabric store and they should hopefully know what you're looking for. , Pin the tape to the right side of the lining and start at the bottom. , Keep measuring as you pin your tape across the width of the lining, making sure you are keeping the tape straight. , As you work your way across, pinning the tape down, measure 8" from the top of the tape to the top of the tape below and you will be able to make sure you are continuing to pin in a straight line. , You should have about 13" of fabric left after your fifth row of tape.
   
   You don't want to go too close to the top of your fabric or things will look very wonky when you're at the finishing stages! , You can use bright colored thread in this tutorial for demonstration purposes, but you certainly don't have to.
   
   Just make sure when you are basting, that you stitch right along the top of the tape and avoid stitching over the little loops. , Pin the right sides together, and stitch the sides and bottom together with a 1/2" seam, leaving the top open. , You're going to feel like a professional seamstress when you see your shade coming together! Press the edges of the shade out flat. ,, The main thing you need to look for when choosing a slat, is that it is sturdy, yet slim.
   
   For this particular fabric blinds, Hubs had some plastic slats from an old mini blind hanging around, and it worked perfectly! It was flexible and yet wouldn't break
   - which is something you need to watch for if you use a wooden slat.
   
   If it is too thin, it can snap.
   
   A 1/4" thickness would be perfect.
   
   The width of the slat should not be greater than
   1.25". , Stitch a pocket to keep the slat in place, which you can do either by hand or by machine.
   
   For this blind, try using a zipper foot and stitch with the machine.
   
   This is by far the most challenging step (if done by machine) as you need to make sure you are far enough away from the wall to accommodate the slat sticking out behind you and in front of you, as you stitch.Stitching by hand will alleviate this problem, but it does take longer. , This time, you'll be stitching through all the fabric so make sure your top thread and bobbin thread match the fabrics! (Bobbin thread should match the shade fabric and top thread should match the lining.) Once again, pin the tape and fabric together, making sure everything is smooth and flat. , Try pinning and stitching one row at a time, removing the basting before continuing on to the next row.This way you can be sure to pull the fabric smooth between each row and ensure a better finished product. ,, To be honest, this part is optional.
   
   The shade will work just fine without covering the board...it just won't look as nice! At any rate, if you choose to cover it...wrap it much the same as you would wrap a gift...just use staples instead of tape! Tuck those ends in and staple them neatly too! ,,, Trim the excess fabric down about 1/2" away from the velcro, as shown.
   
   Attach the velcro on the shade to the velcro on the board. , Predrill.
   
   You want each of the screws to be roughly 10" apart.
   
   Try pre-drilling right in the middle of the board, and then again in the middle of the two "sections".
   
   It should look something like what's shown in the picture. , You will need to tie a bulky knot
   - and this is important because you don't want that knot eventually pulling through the loops on the tube tape.
   
   Try knotting it about three times, and then thread the cord through a large blunt needle.
   
   Again, start at the bottom of the opposite side you want your cord drop.
   
   Measure 2" in from the edge and pull your needle through a loop on the bottom row of tube tape. , Just run some stitches through it all and eliminate a possible headache down the road. , You may need to trim down the length of the dowels to fit neatly inside the tape, and that can easily be done with a utility knife. , It takes a few days to "train" the fabric to lie down into nice folds, especially if the fabric is thick.
   
   Try using a light blocking liner.
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   Step 3: Cut out your fabric adding 1/2" to each side and 4" to the length.

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   Step 4: Take your lining and mark out your measurements for the tube tape (show below) with pins.

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   Step 5: Keep in mind that tube tape is a fantastic product that has little loops along the top of the tape for running nylon cord through (as shown above) and a pocket along the bottom (shown below) where you can insert a dowel.

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   Step 6: Pin down the tube tape.

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   Step 7: Pin your tape down with the bottom of the tape right above the marking pin (as shown on the right).

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   Step 8: Lay your next row of tape down

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   Step 9: once again above the pin marking (refer to above photo).

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    Step 10: Continue laying out and pinning your rows of tape until you have five rows completed.

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    Step 11: Baste your tape onto the lining.

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    Step 12: Stitch the lining to the fabric!

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    Step 13: Trim the bottom corners and flip them right side out

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    Step 14: making sure the corners are neatly pushed out.

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    Step 15: Press the edges of the shade out flat.

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    Step 16: Find a slat of some sort to push into the bottom of your shade.

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    Step 17: Slide the slat between the fabric and lining down to the bottom of the blind.

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    Step 18: Stitch the tape again!

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    Step 19: Carefully stitch in the "ditch"

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    Step 20: as you can see in the above picture.This will eliminate any chance of accidentally stitching the loops shut.

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    Step 21: Get your 1" x 2" board - measured and cut to fit inside the width of the window (ours was 45.75")

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    Step 22: dowels

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    Step 23: circle screws

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    Step 24: velcro

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    Step 25: nylon cord and cord drop.

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    Step 26: Using leftover fabric

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    Step 27: "upholster" the 1" x 2" board.

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    Step 28: Staple the "hook" side of the velcro to one edge of the board.In this example

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    Step 29: we stapled the velcro right over the staples fastening the fabric underneath

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    Step 30: so everything is neat and tidy.

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    Step 31: Stitch the "loop" part of the velcro to the lining side of the shade.

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    Step 32: Stitch down both sides of the velcro.

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    Step 33: Measure out and predrill holes for the little circle screws.Start by measuring in 2" on each end.

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    Step 34: Pull it all together with your nylon cord.Decide which side you want to have your cord drop (the side you want to pull the shade up) and start working on the opposite side of the shade.

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    Step 35: Just to make sure that knot doesn't come untied in the future (the nylon cord can be slippery)

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    Step 36: try stitching your knot together with a regular needle and thread.

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    Step 37: Insert the dowels into the little pockets in the bottom of the tube tape.

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    Step 38: Pull your blind up and adjust the folds.

Detailed Guide

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