Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Day 753's second try


My second attempt at making roman shades from mini-blinds was much more successful than the first. Here's how I did it:


I learned last time that the blackout liner had to be attached to the fabric before attaching fabric to the blinds, so the first thing I did was cut the liner to the exact size I wanted my shade to be. The also really helped me keep straight lines, since I now had a clean, straight edge to follow.


Next, I cut my fabric so that it was about an inch bigger than the liner on all four sides. Then, I used my fabric glue and folded the fabric around the edges. This is the back of the shade that faces the window, so you can trim it a little to make it look neater.

The next step is to get the blinds ready to attach to the fabric (and liner). If you need a visual, hop over to Jenny's instructions. I let the blinds out all the way and took them off the wall and laid them on the floor, face up. I cut each of the small strings that go between the slats and removed the outside strings, being careful not to cut the lift strings, which are the strings in the middle of the slats. Then, I removed the plugs on the bottom of the blinds, and slid all but five slats off.


Now I put (what was left of) the blinds face down on my fabric and glued the top on first, taking care to not glue the lift strings down and leaving space at each end to reattach the blinds (now shades!) to the window.


Now I measured for each slat (I did them 9 inches apart) and place them all before gluing any of them. Then I glued them down, taking care not to glue the lift strings, and then reattached the bottom by tying new knots in the string and replacing the plugs.


Then they went back in the window! I'm so pleased at how they turned out -- much better than last time! I hope this helps if you are thinking of trying this project -- certainly feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. It's definitely a great idea, and I want to make sure all of the credit for it goes to Jenny of Little Green Notebook. I merely bow at the throne of her DIY goddessness.

By the way, the fabric is Florabunda in Sea Glass by P. Kaufman. You can get it online here, though I decided to patronize King Cotton, a great local shop.

25 comments:

Mango Gal said...

The curtain looks wonderful! Great job! I didn't have the guts to tackle this project before, but now you've given me the courage!

Kelly Robson said...

These look SO awesome. GREAT great job! I love it. :)

High-Heeled Foot in the door said...

I bow down to you. It looks amazing! I may just have to try it out myself. I love this idea. Bravo for Jenny as well for coming up with this idea!

Anonymous said...

Hi, just found your blog and love it! I am saving this post for when we buy a house -- loooove the look of Roman Shades, and these instructions are awesome. Beautiful job -- they look fantastic!

WhisperWood Cottage said...

This is one of the most clever things I've ever seen! I just got rid of a set of blinds without knowing I could have made something so cool!

Amy

Mandi said...

Awesome job! When are we going to get to see pictures of the guest room.. I have been waiting patiently....

bluehydrangea said...

From mini-blinds..who would have thought? they look great!!

Amanda said...

Looks great! Way to go! And I really like that fabric.

Jenny at LGN said...

Jennifer - this shade turned out BEAUTIFULLY! Great job with the blackout lining! I think the it looks so much more professionally done (and less DIY) with the lining.

Great job, as always, and I love the fabric choice!

j

Southern Exposure said...

Thanks for posting this! I have the perfect spot for a roman shade but I keep putting off buying an expensive one. Now I can just make one myself! Yours looks great!

abigail said...

Looks great!
I have to try this.

FROM THE RIGHT BANK said...

I'm totally impressed. If I attempted something like this, it would be a disaster. Great job!

Candace said...

You're hired. They look great....of course, I couldn't expect any less from you. :)

Jennifer said...

thanks, everyone! ya'll are so funny.

FTRB -- did you see my first attempt?! it was a disaster, for sure!

LindsB said...

Those look AWESOME!! I think you just convinced me to try and do the ones in my bedroom, love love love it!!

Laura said...

Wowie! I don't know if I have the patience to try that, but I sure want to!

megan @ a life's design said...

Love the idea! Great job!

Design Esquire said...

Wow! It looks awesome, and I love the fabric you chose. You a beautiful project, start to finish. Thanks for all the tips and inspiration!!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

Wow, these are fabulous! I saw the link on Casa Sugar. I'd love to link to this post as well if you didn't mind.

Yansy said...

Great job! They look great. I just found your blog and I love it.

Anonymous said...

That turned out awesome!
Um, honey, another honey do project on the list!
(My bathrooms have been in desperate need of window treatments and these roman shades are just perfect, and the right price!)
Thank you for sharing,
~Dina from Atl

Mrs. Priss said...

This is so great! I'm definitely using your tutorial, thanks!

elizabeth said...

What does your shade look like from the outside of the window? Did you put any type of backing on it? I'm worried that if I try to add a muslin backing, then it will end up like your first attempt at the blackout fabric!

Jennifer said...

Elizabeth -- to be honest, I haven't looked at it from the outside! But you can see a little bit of what it looks like in the photos that are 2nd and 3rd from the bottom. As long as you attach the muslin (or blackout liner) to the fabric BEFORE you attach the blinds, you should be in the clear. And muslin should actually be easier to work with, as blackout liner is quite heavy and seems to have a mind of its own.

Waseem said...

Beautiful fabric you chose....if I made it myself, it would be a disaster....good look.
Roman shades concord, ca