Confessions of a DIY-Obsessed Decorator
As you probably know, I’ve been working on updating and decorating my house. Can you tell I’m nesting? I really want to put a roman shade up in my poor, bare kitchen, but don’t have the budget to buy one. Therefore, it’s time to learn how to make some easy, money-saving DIY no-sew Roman shades.
No-sew? For realz, folks. Switching up window coverings is a great way to totally change the look and feel of a room. When we moved into our house, one of my very first projects was taking down the blinds in our front room and putting up curtains. I have always had a thing for Roman shades. They are so simple, clean, and functional, but holy smokes, they can be expensive!
But not anymore. It’s so easy, you’ll be Roman shading windows all over the place. The first step is to measure and cut the fabric. Leave one inch on each side of the fabric for hemming with the fusing web. Our blinds were 45 1/2 inches wide, so we cut our fabric 47 1/2 inches wide. That gave us an extra inch on each end for hemming. Do the same for the length.
Hemming Made Easy (No Sewing Machine Required!)
Next, iron the edges down about one inch and place the fusing web under the fold. Then iron over the fusing web – this is what makes these shades no-sew. I love this stuff! Hem all four sides of the fabric using the fusing web. Now set the fabric aside while you prep the blinds.
You are going to totally de-assemble them. Start by popping off the little white clip-in pieces on the very bottom of the blinds. There will be 2-5 depending on the size of blinds you’re using. Next, untie the knot in each hole. Now remove the ladder strings by cutting all the way up. The ladder strings are easy to spot – they are thinner than the cord strings and they look like a ladder. DO NOT cut the cord string that runs straight down through the blinds.
Transforming Ordinary Blinds Into Custom Roman Shades
Now that the ladder strings are cut and removed, start sliding off all the individual blinds. Leave 4-6 in place – they will make up the Roman shade. Now lay the un-assembled blinds on the backside of the fabric. Space the remaining blind pieces equally apart. We left five on, plus the bottom piece. We spaced ours about every five inches.
Here’s where the E6000 glue comes in. Run a strip of glue along the curved side of each piece and glue onto the fabric, being sure to keep your spacing right. Once each piece is glued, glue the top and the bottom piece in place as well. Also, break off the little wand hook that’s on the top.
Now thread the strings back through the holes in the bottom piece and tie a knot. They will hang the same way the regular blinds hang, using the hardware they come with. Super simple! There you have it – some beautiful, custom Roman shades. They pull up and down easily using the string pulls on the original blinds, which hang just behind the shades on the right side.
The Finished Product: Stylish and Functional
Look how nice they fold up! I am honestly so in love with how these turned out. I just used the existing mini blinds that were in the window, so the only expense was the fabric. Hit a fabric store and use a coupon, and this is one inexpensive project. We got this fabric from Hobby Lobby and used a 40% coupon, so the fabric cost less than $5.
So beautiful, right? We’re so in love with them. Looking for more fun ideas? Check out Home Curtains Philadelphia for more custom window treatment inspiration.
I’m curious about how they look from outside the house while down. Wonder if you could double the material and cover the back side as well, so that it looks nice from the outside? Either way, I’m thrilled with my new DIY Roman shades. 2 hours hunched over on the floor, and I gathered my fabric, cut, glued, and voila – my very own Roman shade. Okay, there was some sewing done too, but I’ll give my back some rest next time and use the table. DIY for the win!
