Custom Roman Shades

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During our renovation last year, we had all new trim added to the windows and doors on the first floor.  We went with a simple, yet beautiful, farmhouse style trim.  Prior to the renovation I loved long drapes with the curtain rods mounted only a couple inches from the ceiling.  This style made the windows look large and grand.  It wasn’t until after the renovation that I realized choosing the farmhouse style trim meant we couldn’t hang drapes…well we could, but why would we block the detail we spent a small fortune on?

Solution: Custom Roman Shades.

As a newish homeowner, who had only ever bought $25 drapery panels from HomeGoods. I lacked a solid understanding of what roman shades cost.  A quick google search cleared that right up.  $200 roman shades were well out of our price range.

With 7 windows in our new master addition, 12 between both living rooms and the dining room, and a large bay window, there was no way we were spending several thousand dollars on window treatments.  And that’s just to do the first floor…

New Solution: Roman Shades by Me. 🙂

There are plenty of tutorials out there on how to make faux roman shades, or use mini-blinds to create the shade; however, I am all about doing things right.  I wanted the real deal, not some knock-off cheap version of my dream.

I convinced my husband that buying fabric and a sewing machine was a cost effective way to create our own window treatments.  After some research I decided that the Brothers CS6000i was for me.

At just about $150.00, this machine has advanced capabilities but is so easy to use!  I found this site which has hundreds of free online videos.  After watching a few, I was able to quickly set it up and learn how to sew in a straight line.  Which is exactly the extent of sewing talent you need for this project.

Now that I had a sewing machine I was ready to get started.  Follow the steps below to make your very own (CUSTOM) Roman Shades!

Supplies:

Sewing machine

Curtain fabric*

Thread**

Screw eyes (3)

Dowels (cut to width, less 1/2 inch)

Curtain Cord

Plastic o rings

1×2 Board (Cut to width of curtain, less 1 inch)

Iron

Staple Gun

*Curtain fabric length will depend on your specific window, however a rough estimate is the desired finished length + 10 inches.

**It is recommended that the thread matches your fabric

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Step One:  Cut Fabric to Size

The size of your fabric cut will vary based on what you need your final product to be.  For most of my windows the final product needs to be 34x 52 1/2

You want to take this number and add an inch on each side for the vertical hem, add one inch to the bottom for the horizontal hem, and then factor in 1 inch for each dowel pocket, and 5 inches extra unhemmed length at the top so that you can wrap it around your mounting board. (That’s 10 inches extra for the height, and 2 extra for the width in my case!)  I cut to 36×62 1/2.

Tip: Iron your fabric before cutting to ensure it is flat and crisp!

Here is a diagram to help you understand

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Step Two: Hem Fabric to Size

Now that you have your rough piece of fabric, you are going to need to add a 1″ hem around both the sides and the bottom.  Note: Leave the top unhemmed.

I found that the best way to do this was to mark a straight line where the edge of the curtain needed to be (on the inside of the fabric of course!) and then fold the hem in and place a pin every few inches.  I then ironed the hems down to make sewing a straight line even easier!

As a first time sewer, I practiced on a few small swatches of fabric before sewing my curtain fabric.  This helped me get a decent feel for the foot pedal and the machine.

Once I had everything pinned and ready to go, I used the 1″ seam allowance marker on the machine to sew all three hems.  I found that going slow and watching the seam allowance (not the needle!) helped me go in a straight line.

Here is a diagram of how it should look once you complete this step (Orange is your hem):

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Step Three:  Creating Dowel Pockets

Prior to completing this step I researched several ways to create dowel pockets.  I ultimately decided that using the curtain fabric to create the pocket was the best way to go.  This is why we needed to add an inch on to the final length, for each pocket.  Other options include iron on pockets, sew on pockets, glueing dowels on, etc.

In order to sew dowel pockets with the existing fabric you will need to mark where you want them to go.  Each pocket will be sewn using a 1/2 inch seam allowance and will therefore take a total of 1″ off the fabric length.

Most of the roman shades I found online have somewhere from 8-12 inches between each dowel pocket.  Based on my final curtain length I decided to break my sections up as follows:

In order to do this I placed a line 11 inches from the bottom and then every 11.5 inches, on the inside of the fabric.  I then took the first line and created a fold directly on the line (keep in mind the pocket fold should be out of sight on the back of the curtain, not the front!).  I secured it with several pins and ironed it to create a flat and easily sewable piece.  Since this was my first time, and I kind of created this method in my mind, I unpinned a few spots to ensure the fold was precisely on the line where it needed to be.

Using the 1/2 inch seam allowance marker I sewed the fabric directly down the fold to create a dowel pocket.

After finishing each one I moved along to the next line and repeated the process.  In total I had four dowel pockets.

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Step Four: Cut and Insert Dowels

Dowels come in a number of sizes and can be found at your local craft store, or even your hardware store!  With a 1/2 inch dowel pocket I found that the 1/4 inch dowels fit nice and snug.  Simply cut them down to the width of the curtain, less half an inch.  For example, my curtain is 34 inches wide, so I cut my dowels to 33 1/2 inches.  I used our miter saw but they are small enough to be cut with a hand saw or a pair of strong snips.  Once cut insert into each pocket.

Tip: Based on the thickness/sturdiness of your fabric, you may want to add a dowel at the bottom.  I did not do this as the drapery panels had a heavy hem at the bottom that weighed them down and I could sew an extra row of plastic rings to.  If you do choose to do this, simply leave a small opening on either end of the bottom hem that you can slide it into.

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Step Five: Attaching Plastic “O” Rings 

Now comes the more functional part of the project.  How is this thing actually going to work?  Well….you are going to affix 3 little plastic rings to each dowel pocket by hand sewing them on.  Place them down the center, and 2 inches from each side.  Add 3 rings to the bottom of your curtain as well.  As I mentioned above, ours was heavily weighted so I did not use a dowel hear, just sewed them right on, avoiding going through all layers.  You don’t want the hand stitching to show on the front!

Tip: I found it easiest to sew with the dowels already in the pockets.

Here is what it should look like:

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Step Six: Attaching the Screw Eyes

Place 3 small screw eyes on the 1×2.

One in the center, and one on each end, 2 inches from the edge.  The small ones screw in with just a little pressure from your hands!  No tool needed.  If you choose a larger screw eye, you may need to pre-drill a hole.

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Step Seven: Attach the Mounting Board

At this point I took one last measurement of my window height, from where I would be mounting to the sill.  I then measured the curtain and using my handy yard stick I drew a line straight across the top where the curtain would end and start to wrap around the mounting board.  I then took a piece of double sided fabric adhesion tape (optional) and placed it directly above the line.  I did this because I wanted to get the fabric to sit flat against the wood while I stapled.

This actually worked really well.  I took the board and lined the edge of it up with the line and pressed it firmly onto the adhesive tape.  I then rolled the board so that I could easily staple the fabric to the top of it (i.e. the side that would be facing up when mounted).

Tip: If you cut a little slit for the screw eyes the fabric will lay flat.

These concepts are a bit hard for me to explain verbally, and I am not sure this picture is much better:

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Step Eight: Threading the Cord

First you will want to determine which side of the curtain you want your cleat to be located.  I have not purchased these yet, but when I do, I want one to be mounted on the right and the other on the left, so the cleats are on the inner side relative to the other window.

That means I strung both of curtains differently.

Basically, you are going to have three long pieces or cord, one for each vertical row of plastic rings.  You are going to start at the bottom “o” ring furthest from the side where the cleat will be.  Tie the end of the string to the ring.  Thread the cord through each “o” ring in that vertical line and then through the screw eye at the top, running it through all the other screw eyes.

Repeat this process with the middle vertical line, running the cord through the middle screw eye and through the remaining one towards the side where the cleat will be.

Repeat this process with the final vertical line on the side where the cleat will be, running the cord only through the 3rd screw eye.

Here is a visual of how the cords should run (In this case, each starts at the bottom, goes up, and over to the left):

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Step Nine:  Mount the Board to the Ceiling

This step is a lot easier with an extra set of hands.  With one person holding the curtain, the other can simply screw it into the window frame.  I used 2, 2″ screws for this.  I placed one about 7 inches in from each side.

A cleat can be added on the wall or the inside of the window frame to hold the cords when the curtain is opened.  (Not pictured)

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And you are done!  

This project may seem like it is a lot of steps, but I found that just focusing on each step individually made it less overwhelming.  When I finished each step, for each curtain, I would move on to the next one and do both curtains at the same time.  And so on.  Here is a picture of the first one I made.  I used an old curtain panel from HomeGoods in case it did not come out as expected!  I will eventually replace these with a thicker fabric, but for now it is perfect, and was a great piece of fabric to test out!

 

Ever made your own curtains?  Do you have tips for us beginners?  I would love to hear about your experience in the comments section!  

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