Interior Decorating Information
 
this site WWW

How to Make Roman Shades





Roman shades are a simple and elegant window treatment to block the sun or prying neighbors. Nicer than plain plastic shades, but less expensive than ornate window shades, Roman shades provide the perfect start to a beginning home decorator.

Roman shades can be purchased from home improvement or department stores, or they can be custom made by in interior designer. The cheapest way to decorate your home with Roman shades is to make them yourself. Get ready to refresh your math skills!

To make Roman shades, first measure the window you'd like to put them in. Measure the height and width of the window from inside its frame. Or, if you want the shade to cover more than the window, measure the height and width of the surface the shade will cover. Your shade will probably need to be between 45 and 54 inches wide.

Before you shop for your fabric, you'll need to calculate the number of dowels and the amount of fabric you'll need. To figure out how many dowels you will need, divide the window height by six to nine inches, which will be the space between each dowel fold. You'll need to find a number that goes evenly into your window height. For example, if your window height is 64 inches, divide by six. You'll then need eight dowels for eight pleats. Each dowel needs 1.5 inches, so multiplied by eight, you'll need an extra 12 inches of fabric. You'll also need an extra six inches of fabric to mount the shade, meaning you'll need 18 extra inches for this example. Add this to your window height to get your final height. Add two inches of fabric to your window width. Now you have the size of the fabric you need. Whew!

Next, the fun part: selecting the fabric of your shade. Shades without busy patterns are the easiest to work with because you won't need to make sure the pattern blends seamlessly with each fold. If your window gets southern light, consider picking a near-shear fabric. This will produce a warm, soothing light in your room. Take a picture or your room, fabric swatches of your furniture, and a paint sample of your room when you shop. You don't want to finish making your Roman shade to discover it clashes with the rest of your room!

While you are out buying your fabric, buy the rest of your supplies:

Drapery-lining fabric. You'll need an extra 0.25 inches to cover the mounting board.

Blind cord

Window cleat

Quarter-inch diameter window dowels, 0.25 inches smaller than the window width

A wooden mounting board, 0.25 inches smaller than the window width that's 1x2 inches.

Half-inch diameter shade rings

Screw eyes

Staple gun

Chalk or air-soluble marker

Yardstick

The easiest way to make a shade uses lots of pictures and few words. Find instructions at a home improvement store or for free online to make your own Roman shade. Find patterns that make the type of Roman shade you want, whether it is flat, pleated, or with a sunburst. You'll probably need a sewing machine to make the Roman shade quickly, especially to attach the lining to the fabric. With patience you can make your own Roman shade.

Roman Shades Info provides detailed information about bamboo, fabric, discount, and custom Roman shades, as well as advice on how to make Roman shades, and more. Roman Shades Info is the sister site of Shutters Web.



INTERIOR DECORATING RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS:


MORE RESOURCES:

Telegraph.co.uk (blog)

War, peace and interior decorating
ABC Online
The interior decorating was finished in time for the president's Oval Office address to the nation about the end of US combat operations in Iraq. ...
J. Scott Applewhite/Associated PressNPR
Oval Office redone during Obama vacationUPI.com
Oval Office RedesignedNBC Washington
Big Journalism (blog)
all 577 news articles »


Gateway FX6803: PC With a Fast Foundation Needs a Little Interior Decorating
Washington Post
As has become a sort of tradition on the performance desktop charts, Gateway has brought another iteration of its FX-series desktops to the market, ...



NHL.com

Is It In Your Blood? Rooms
NHL.com
You've got until September 28th to do some interior decorating and submit your photo. The winning photos will be posted on September 29th. ...

and more »


Businesses welcome elbow-to-elbow festival crowd Friday afternoon
Hometownlife.com
Carla Marshall, owner of Accessories Shop, at 511 S. Washington, said she spent the week working on the interior decorating to draw a crowd. ...

and more »


DBKP - Death By 1000 Papercuts

Oval Office Makeover: Pimp My Office
DBKP - Death By 1000 Papercuts
I'm sure that this bad acid trip will be praised as a “progressive” approach to interior decorating considering the FLOTUS' amazing taste in clothing as ...



Former CFO of a Texas engineering firm sentenced for embezzling over $3.7 million
Examiner.com
... of real estate in Houston and Colorado, and expenses related to the construction, landscaping, and interior decorating of a home in Estes Park, Colo. ...

and more »


Technorati (blog)

Interior Design Tips
Technorati (blog)
One of the cheapest ways to get a high-end interior decorating look is to reupholster your own furniture. To have a professional reupholster your furniture ...



Big Freedia brings bounce to San Jose
San Jose Mercury News
While Freedia often plays five or six gigs a week, she's kept her day job, running the interior decorating company Da Diva's Creations. ...

and more »


The Ultimate Interior Decorating Guide
Tom Wilt News
This home decor and interior design e-book nearly sells itself because this decorating guide really does teach people how to place their furniture. ...



Four short links: 3 Sep 2010
O'Reilly Radar (blog)
Koren elucidates the elements of arranging rhetoric that all designers instinctively use in everything from floral compositions to interior decorating. ...


Google News

Home | Site Map
Copyright © 2006 Aesir Web Productions