How to Make Quilted Roman Blinds

Roman blinds offer you the ability to filter or block sunlight without completely closing off the window. A blind window treatment provides you with clean lines and a sophisticated style. You can choose exactly the fabric color and print that you like when you make your own blinds. As with other treatments, the color and thickness of your fabric will determine the amount of light that passes through. Quilted Roman blinds will block sunlight almost completely. You should determine the look you want to attain before starting the project.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Fabric
• Quilt batting
• Pins
• Stick-on hook-and-loop tape
• Sew-on hook-and-loop tape
• Sewing machine
• Hand needle
• Small curtain rings
• Wood batten
• 3 nylon cords
• 4 screw eyelets
• Acorn nut

Instructions

Measure the Fabric

1. Measure the width of the window and hang a wood batten of this size above it. Adhere the stick-on hook-and-loop tape to the front of the batten.

2. Measure the length from the top of the batten to the bottom of the window. Add 6 inches. This is the length of your panel.

3. Measure the batten width and add 6 inches. This is the width of your panel.

Make the Blind

1. Cut two pieces of fabric and one piece of quilt batting to equal the width and length of the panel measurements.

2. Lay one piece of fabric wrong side up. Lay the quilt batting on top. Lay one piece of fabric on top with the right side up. Smooth and pin all layers together.

3. Machine quilt the fabric sandwich in a grid or free-style pattern.

4. Lay the quilted fabric wrong side up. Turn the sides in 3 inches. Turn the bottom and top edges in 2 inches. Pin and stitch.

5. Pin the sew-in hook-and-loop tape to the back side of the fabric at the top edge. Stitch.

6. Lay the blind with wrong side up. Mark the blind in vertical quarters using a center line and two outer lines. The lines will be points A, B and C. Draw a line down the length of the blind at each point.

7. Make marks every 12 inches starting from the bottom of each line and going to the top. Hand sew the curtain rings at each mark.

8. Attach the hook-and-loop tape on the batten to the hook-and-loop tape on the blind.

9. Install a screw eye on the batten above the A, B and C points. Install the third screw eye on the left side of the batten.

10. Measure three nylon cords twice the length of the blind plus once the width. Tie cord to the bottom ring of line A. Thread the cord through the other rings on the same line and the point A screw eye. Repeat for line B and thread the cord through the point B screw eye. Repeat for line C and thread the cord through the point C screw eye. Bring all cords through the left side screw eye, cut the ends, insert them through the acorn nut. Tie a knot.

Tips & Warnings

• Use coordinating fabric for the front and back.

• Use front and back fabric with the same cleaning requirements.

References

• Alternative Windows: Roman Blinds