How to Make Roller Shades

If your window shades are beginning to look old, worn, or dated, you do not need to throw them away. You can simply rejuvenate them! By removing the unwanted shade from the roller, and adding a new piece of fabric that suits your decor needs, an old, tattered window shade can be revitalized! Your shades can look better than ever, and you can even embellish them by fixing some lace to the bottoms to make them look like the expensive designer ones. Follow the instructions below to make roller shades look like new again!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Roller from an old shade
• Fabric of your choice
• Clear contact paper
• Scissors
• Lace
• Tape measure
• Wooden dowl
• Hot glue gun

1. Measure the width of your old roller, and the height of your window.

2. Cut your fabric with your scissors, the width of the roller and one and a half times the length of your window.

3. On the wrong side of your fabric, attach the contact paper for stiffness.

4. Make a one inch fold at the bottom of your shade, place the dowl inside, and hot glue the hem.

5. Glue the top part of your fabric to the roller. The wrong side should be the side attached to the roller with the hot glue.

6. Measure and cut, a piece of lace, the width of your shade.

7. Apply the lace to the bottom of your shade on the right side of the fabric.

8. Attach your new shade to the window in it's original hardware.

9. Pull the bottom of the shade, so it rolls up and becomes taught.

10. Pull your shade back down to it's desired position.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a room with more than one window, make sure you measure all of the windows before you purchase your fabric. You will want to have enough fabric to replace the old shades and have all of them match.

[dnatureluvr]

on 9/8/2009 5* i'm now going to do this. thanks great article