DIY EASY Roman shades


This fabric started as homemade curtains in the living room, but they ended up being too busy for that small space. I reverted back to some basic curtains for that room, and cut this fabric up and turned them into roman shades. So simple! The bedroom was an issue-- it had these long curtains over the short windows and I never could get it looking right. I wanted nice, white cell blinds or roman shades, but a blinds.com quote was for over $250 for simple Roman shades for all 3 windows, and I didn't feel like spending that.

So I made these from the old curtains--which were a good deal in the first place, like $6 a yard! I cut them to the window size with a little extra on each side, about 5 inches longer in length. Then I made five small folds and ironed them in-- big enough to place wooden dowels in the back of the shade so they won't sag. The folds were about 5/8". Once those were sewn in place, I sewed by hand these little plastic rings I found at Lowes on the back of each fold--two per fold. These are to secure the opening device. I strung rope through them from the bottom up, and tied a knot at the bottom. At the top I strung the rope through screws with eyelets attached to a 1x2 wooden beam secured to the trim of the window. That allows me to move the shade up and down by pulling the rope. So easy.

I ended up not needing a securing device or a fancy opening device-- the combo of the heavy-ish fabric and the light plastic rings, and the rope actually makes it stay in place while up. Then I just gently pull at the bottom to bring them down. All in all, besides the fabric which I already had, these cost me $20! Yay!  I think they look so much better than my curtains, and better than the nasty, dirty blinds the previous owner had up.

Please excuse the cord coming from the window.... it was the air conditioner unit we had up this summer, which is now tucked away in the garage. Oh... country livin', no central air. 

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