How to Make Warm-Window Roman Shades

Roman shades, like other window treatments, have both a practical and an aesthetic purpose. Aesthetically, they help enhance your décor. Practically, they can block out unwanted light. Also, if they are hung in warmer windows, they can help keep solar heat out. Roman shades are less expensive than most curtains and draperies, but you may not get the fabric you are looking for. Instead of purchasing Roman shades, you can make your own at home. That will save money and give you control over the finished product.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Fabric
• Scissors
• Iron
• Disappearing-ink pen
• Straight pins
• Dowel rods
• Wooden slat
• Stapler
• Brass rings
• Eye hooks
• Cord condenser
• Shade length cord
• Scissors
• Shade-mounting hardware

Instructions

1. Measure your window with the tape measure, recording the length and width of the inside of the window. Add 4 additional inches to your width measurement to allow for hemming. Add 8 1/2 inches to your length measurement to allow for hemming and pleating.

2. Cut your main fabric and an additional lining fabric with scissors to match your measurements from Step 1. Place your main fabric face down on your work surface. Set your lining fabric aside for now. Make a 1-inch fold on the corners of the fabric and iron them to press them into place. Fold the sides of the fabric in 1 inch, and press them into to place with your iron.

3. Slip-stitch the corners into place. Do not seal the ends of the fabric. You will insert a dowel rod here later on. Stitch the sides of the fabric where you folded it, either by hand or with a sewing machine.

4. Place the lining fabric you cut in Step 2 over your face-down main fabric. Fold the edges of the sides and bottom of your lining fabric over and press the folds into place with your iron. The folds should be 2 3/8 inches each. Slip-stitch the lining to the main fabric.

5. Mark the spacing for your dowel pockets, using a disappearing ink pen. The dowel pockets will determine your pleat spacing on the curtain. In general, pleats work best set between 8 to 12 inches apart. For the bottom pleat, take the spacing you decide on and divide it by two. Add 1 inch to this measurement. This will allow for the proper spacing for the bottom pleat. The highest pocket must be at least 10 inches from the fabric’s top edge for best results.

6. Cut strips of lining fabric that are as wide as your dowel rod is around, using the scissors, to make your dowel pockets. Add 1 inch to this measurement to allow for a way to attach it. Cut enough strips for one strip for each dowel rod. The number of pleats determines the number of dowel rods.

7. Attach your dowel pockets to your lining fabric with straight pins. They should be attached along the marks you made in Step 5. Then sew the pockets to the fabric by hand and remove the pins. Place your dowel rods into the attached pockets and sew the ends of the pockets closed. Include a dowel rod in the pocket on the bottom of the main fabric you created in Step 3.

8. Draw a line across your lining fabric 6 1/2 inches from the top of your fabric, using the disappearing-ink pen. Place a wooden slat 1 inch below the top edge of your fabric. The slat should be 1 inch wide and as long as your fabric is wide. Fold your fabric and lining down to cover the slat and staple it in place. Continue to roll your slat over until the fabric has wrapped the slat and the slat has reached the line you created at the beginning of this step. Staple the fabric and lining to the slat again.

9. Hand-sew three 1/2-inch brass rings to each dowel pocket, including the bottom one. Place one ring 2 inches in from the edge of your fabric on either side of the pocket and the third ring in the center of the pocket. Also, twist three eye hooks into the wooden slat at the top of your shade. The eye hooks should be lined up with the rings below.

10. Tie the loose end of a length of shade lift cord to one of the bottom rings. Feed the cord up through the rings above it and through the eye hook as well. Repeat this with the other two columns of rings and eye hooks, using two more pieces of cord.

11. Attach a cord condenser. using the hardware that came with it, to one of the edges of the wooden slat. Pass the loose ends of your three lengths of shade lift cord from the previous step through the cord condenser. Tie the ends of the cord off below the cord condenser.

12. Cut two of the cord lengths off with scissors, just below the knot, so that you have three lengths entering the cord condenser and only one hanging down from it. Cut this single length of cord off so that it is around 2/3 the length of your completed shade.

13. Hang the completed shade in your window with shade-hanging hardware.

Tips & Warnings

• Disappearing-ink pens are available at your local fabric store.

References

• Roman Shades: Roman Shades and Blinds
• Martha Stewart: Making a Classic Shade