How to Build Roman Blinds
Roman blinds or shades are a perfect way to dress up your window. One can use these Roman blinds as stand alone window treatment arranged outside the window or it can also be fitted inside in combination with other curtains.
If you want to make a Roman blind for your home window, then here are some instructions that will guide you in your making process.
Steps to make Roman Blind
- Firstly, select the right type of material for the blind. Go for light-weight fabric. Also buy a separate material for lining the blind. Now measure the length and width of the area for which you are making the blind. The length of lining will be the same as the fabric requirements (minus any extra in case of pattern matching) and the width of lining will be the same as width of fabric.
- Cut the fabric to the required size and make sure to add 2” (5 cms) to the width for side seam and 2″ (5 cms) to the length for hemming. If more than 1 width of fabric is needed, then join the widths together with a flat seam. Keep a full width in the centre and equal part widths at each side. However, if you are using patterned fabric then match the pattern across all the widths.
- Now cut the lining and primary fabric to the estimated measurements. Lay the fabric on a plain surface right side up and lining on top, wrong side up with the raw edges matching. Pin the two materials together and stitch both the sides and across the bottom edges with 1″ from the raw edges.
- Trim the bottom corners and make a second row of stitches across the bottom which should be 0.25” (6 mm) in from the raw edge. Now remove the pins and turn the fabric right side out. Press the fabric carefully to flatten the seams.
- Flatten the fabric with the lining side up and pin it again. Make sure that there are no wrinkles or crease formed in the material as you pin them together. Now measure down 2inches from the top raw edge and make a straight line across the width of the blind material with a pencil.
- Now divide the remaining blind material into equal sections of 8 to 12 inches with a half section at the bottom edge and make a mark. Draw lines across the blind at these marks. Make sure that these lines are parallel to the top edge and at right angles to the sides.
- Make the pockets. For this, hold the dowels and cut strips of lining fabric into 3”wide and as long as the blind is wide. Cut these strips from the length of the fabric and make 1 strip for each whole pleat.
- Now carefully fold each strip in half width ways with right sides together and matching the raw edges. Stitch across 1 end and down the length 0.5″ in from the raw edges.
- Turn the side out and press. Pin the folded side of the pockets along the pencil marks of 0.5″, with the ends of the pockets 0.5″ in from each side of the blind. Sew these pockets to the blind along the marked lines and slide the wooden dowelling into each pocket and sew the open ends.
- Now hand-sew the plastic rings to the outer edges of the pockets. Make sure that there positioning is done in rows down the length of the blind, 2″ in from each side edge and between 8″ to 16″ intervals evenly across the blind.
- Turn down 1″ to the wrong side, at the top edge and press. Pin and stitch the “sew” side of the Velcro across the top of the blind. This should be done on the wrong side that is close to the fold. Stitch both sides in the same direction.
- Now hang the blind by pressing the 2 sides of the Velcro together and screw an eyelet into the underside of the batten directly, above each line of the rings on the blind. Insert one eyelet at the end of the batten to the side of the blind from which it will be operated.
- Cut a nylon cord into 3 and knot 1 length to each bottom ring. Thread the cords up through the line of rings and through the eyes on the batten. Now trim the ends of the cords level and thread them through the acorn and knot.
- Place a cleat at the required height at the side of the window and fix it. Now pull up the blind, winding the cords round the cleat and check the positioning and movement.
Watch video instructions on how to build roman blinds
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