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{ by Pam Damour }

Madeinthe

SHADEMadeinthe

SHADEMaking Roman shades doesn’t have to be

a daunting task. Once you find the correct

supplies, you can quickly and easily update

your décor with custom window treatments.

Supplies• Main fabric & lining (amount according

to measurements)• Carpenter’s square or square ruler• Thread: all-purpose & invisible (optional)• 3⁄8”-diameter plastic ribs (amount & length

according to shade measurements; see “Sources.”)• 3⁄8”-diameter metal weight bar (1⁄2” shorter

than shade width; see “Sources.”) • 3⁄8”-diameter plastic or metal rings (amount

determined by shade size; see “Sources.”)• Wooden mounting board• Cord lock or pulley• Lift cord• Screw eyes• Lift cord adjusters• Cord tassel• Staple gun & staples• Removable fabric marker• Ring-attaching gun (optional; see “Sources.”)• Edge-joining and appliqué feet (optional)• Cord reel (optional)

MeasureTo determine the main fabric width, measure the window width and add 2”; record. To determine the main fabric length, measure the window length and add 10”; record. For anoutside mount (see “Mounting Matters” on page61), add 4” to the recorded measurement. To determine the lining width, measure the window width: record. To determine the lining length, measure the window length and add 10”; record. For an outsidemount, add 4” to the recorded measurement.To add a permanent fold at the shade lower edge,add 8” to the recorded length measurements.

CutCut the fabric and lining pieces according to therecorded measurements. Use a carpenter’s square to cut exact 90° corners. It’s more important to cut the fabric on the square than on the straight of grain. From remaining lining fabric, cut a strip 1”x theshade width to make a sleeve for the weight bar.

ConstructUse ½” seam allowances unless otherwise noted.Position the fabric and lining pieces with rightsides together, aligning one side edge; stitch. Alignthe opposite edge; stitch. Press the seam allowancestoward the fabric. Turn the shade right side out. Press the side edgesso that ½” of fabric folds toward the lining side. Designate one short edge as the lower edge.Double-fold the lower edge 4” toward the liningside; press, and then pin (1).Thread the machine with invisible thread. Ifdesired, install an edge-joining foot. Stitch close to the first folded edge through all layers (2).With the lining side facing up, mark the ringlocations. Beginning ½” from one side edge, markthe stitched fold every 12”. Repeat to mark ringlocations 8” above the first marked row. Repeat to mark ring locations on the entire shade.Pin through all layers at each mark. Thread a handsewing needle with invisible thread. Hand stitch aring at each mark. Or set the machine to a wide zigzag stitch andlower the feed dogs. Install an appliqué foot orremove the presser foot. Position one ring edge

S E W N E W S. C O M 59

Tip: Often plaids arenot suitable for Romanshades, especially ifthe plaid is uneven.

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over the mark; remove the pin. Stitchthe ring in place through all layers,making sure the needle clears the edges(3). Repeat to stitch a ring at eachmark. If using a ring-attaching gun, firsthand or machine stitch the rings alongthe hem fold, as they’ll experience themost stress during use. Push the needlethrough the fabric at each mark fromthe lining side (4). Hold the fabricfirmly, and then squeeze the triggeruntil the ring shoots onto the fabric and the plastic “T” pops out on theother side (5).Cut each plastic rib ¼” shorter thanthe shade width. Insert the first ribthrough the shade upper opening, andthen slide it down to rest on the firstring row. Repeat to place a rib aboveeach remaining ring row. Fold the weight-bar sleeve strip inhalf lengthwise. Stitch one long edge.Turn the tube right side out, and theninsert the weight bar into the sleeve opening (6).Insert the weight bar into the shadelower casing. Hand stitch the sideopenings closed (7).

Prepare for MountingUse leftover lining fabric to wrap themounting board; staple the fabric inplace (8).If the board edges will be visible after mounting, fold a scrap of fabricaround each end; staple (9). Fold thefabric raw edges toward the boardback; staple (10).Determine the desired side for thepull cord. Attach the pulley or cordlock to the mounting board 2” fromthe desired side edge, following themanufacturer’s instructions (11).Align the mounting board with theshade upper edge. Mark the mountingboard above each column of rings.Insert a screw eye at each mark, either

by predrilling holes or using a bitdesigned to install screw eyes (12). Ifthe screen is very large, install a pulleyat each mark instead of a screw eye. Using a removable fabric marker orcrayon, draw a line 2” below and paral-lel to the screen upper edge to indicatethe finished upper edge. Wrap the shade upper edge aroundthe mounting board, aligning themarked line with the mounting boardupper edge. Staple the excess shade fabric in place (13).

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String the ShadeTo add a permanent lower fold,thread the cord through the cordadjuster, and then through the twolowest rings below the pulley. Threadthe cord back through the adjuster.Knot the cord end and pull tight tobring the two rings together and formthe fold (14).If omitting the lower fold, first threadthe cord through the adjuster, and thenthrough the lowest ring. Thread thecord back through the adjuster; knotthe cord end. Continue feeding the cord througheach ring until you reach the screweye. Thread the cord through the screweye, and then through the inner pulleyslot, leaving about 3’ of excess cordhanging free. String the second cord through thesecond row of rings, and then throughthe appropriate screw eye and pulleyslot. Cut the cord end to match thefirst cord length below the pulley.Repeat the process to thread cordthrough the remaining ring rows (15).Pull the cords together below the pulley to achieve even tension. Tie the cords in an overhand knot belowthe pulley. Evenly trim the cord ends tothe desired length. Braid the cords from the knot to theends to create the shade pull. Tie the

ends to a cord reel or tie in anotheroverhand knot (16).

MountFor an inside mount, place the shadeinside the window so the mountingboard front is flush with the windowopening edge. Using a 1¾” screw,screw through the mounting board andinto the window frame.For an outside mount, draw a line 4”above the window. Align the mountingboard upper edge with the line, center-ing the shade over the window. Using2” screws, screw through the mountingboard about 2” from each end and intothe wall. Note that windows have aheader board above the upper edgeinside the wall, so finding a studshouldn’t be a problem. If you don’tfind a stud, reinforce the holes with a drywall anchor. Z

SOURCES

Pam Damour carries supplies for making Roman shades: 518-297-2699, pamdamour.com.

Virginia Aardvark, LLC carries a ring-attaching gun: vaaardvark.com.

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Tip: After constructing theshade, create crisp folds in thefabric before mounting. Foldthe shade as it will be foldedwhen drawn open. Loosely tiefabric strips around the shadeand allow it set overnight.Steam if desired.

MOUNTING MATTERS

Follow these steps to successfullymount the Roman shade:

Determine whether to mount the shade inside or outside of thewindow frame.

For an inside mount, the mountingboard is installed flat inside the win-dow frame upper edge. The shadehardware is installed on the mount-ing board back (A).

For an outside mount, the mount-ing board is installed on the wallabove the window or door, so thehardware is attached to the boardnarrow lower edge (B). To allow thehardware to operate correctly, theshade should extend ½” beyond thewindow side edges and 4” abovethe window upper edge.

At the lumber store, look for a1’x 2’ yellow pine board to mountthe shade. If the store doesn’t carry1’x 2’ boards, purchase a 1’x 4’board and have it cut lengthwise(also known as “ripping the board”).

For an outside mount, cut the boardlength to the finished shade widthmeasurement.

For an inside mount, cut the boardlength ¼” shorter than the windowopening width.

A

B