No Sew Roman Shade Tutorial

We bought our house almost a year ago. In that time, I have been patiently waiting and thinking about how I can get rid of the vertical blinds that are on every window. I have nothing against vertical blinds for an office building or doctor's office. I do not like them in my home for the following reasons: they look plain, they clink when the window is open, they only open to the side.


                                                                            Before

As this past year has gone on, I have looked at mini blinds, curtains, and roman shades. I love, love, love roman shades because of the cute look and functionality. I hate the price. So I did what I always do; I took to the trusty Internet and found a tutorial on how to make a roman shade without sewing. Then I looked for the fabric I wanted and waited for coupons, so I could make this craft more affordable.

Okay, that's enough rambling, I'll get to the point.

What you need:
1. Tape measure
2. Fabric glue
3. Glue gun
4. Plastic mini blind
5. Fabric

What to do first:
1. Measure your window
2. Buy a mini blind
3. Buy the amount of fabric you need.
**If you are putting this shade on a bright window and want the sunlight blocked, don't forget to buy a sun blocking fabric, too.

Making the blind:

Lay out fabric and measure for the length and width you need.

My window is 60 in. x 39 3/4 in.

I cut the fabric to 62 in. x 41 in.

** Note** I should have cut the length to 64 in. just to have a little more wiggle room.

I used a sun blocking liner for my shade.

If you are using one, lay your already cut fabric on top of

it and cut the liner to the same size.

 

Now take your fabric glue and glue the two fabrics together

and let dry for at least 10 minutes.

 

To make the gluing easier, I folded the fabric back half way,

applied the glue, smoothed it out, and did the same to the other half.

 

Now lay the mini blind all the way out.

 

Remove the bottom.

 

Cut the ladder string. (The skinny one.)

Cut it in several places. You need to remove it completely.

Then take off all the blind slats you don't need.

You must determine how many folds you are going to want, and

leave that number of slats on the blind.

 

Once the extra slats are removed, evenly space the remaining slats.

Then put the bottom back on the strings.

 

Now take your hot glue gun and fold the fabric over the ends

and secure it. Do the top first and then the sides. Make sure

when you do the sides that the slats stay straight. (I didn't do that

and mine are slightly crooked.)

 

Let the blind dry for at least 12 hours. The fabric glues takes some time to set.

 

Hang it up.

 

The first few times you pull up the blind, you will need to assist the folds.

After a few times, the fabric should relax and fold easier.

 

 

 

Cost Break Down

 

2yds printed fabric with 50% off coupon = $9.99

2yds sun blocking fabric with 40% off coupon = $9.59

Fabric glue = $4.99

Mini Blind = $4.26

 

Total Cost = $28.83   That's not too shabby!