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"Make a Roman Shade"—Check!

Confession: Chris and I went to Pizzeria 712 again for date night.  It didn’t disappoint.  Before dinner, we stopped at a fabric store so that I could scout…

Confession: Chris and I went to Pizzeria 712 again for date night.  It didn’t disappoint.  Before dinner, we stopped at a fabric store so that I could scout out some swatches for a roman shade in the kitchen as well as fabric to reupholster our headboard.  We got some good ideas for the headboard and ended up walking out of the store with a yard and a half of fabric for a roman shade.  Which means I had myself a weekend project. 
I was really unsure about making this roman shade because I was so clueless how to do it.  I spent the first day googling around for a tutorial and I found lots.  Some were for real, operable shades and some were for fixed shades.  I decided to go the fixed route, meaning our new roman shade doesn’t actually go up or down.  Afterall, privacy isn’t really an issue through this window….and an operable shade looked REALLY daunting.  
This is the kitchen window before:

And this is how it looks now:

I surprised myself with the fabric I fell in love with.  It’s quite neutral, but the stripes were so eye-catching I couldn’t pass it up.  The tutorial I followed is found here.  Although, I didn’t add any fancy ribbon trim and I didn’t add the blackout fabric.  Luckily, my fabric was thick and had a very dark backing so I didn’t need the extra layer.

I also hung the shade a few inches higher than the window to cheat things up a bit.  I am so happy with the way it turned out.  Honestly, I was so worried I wasn’t going to be able to pull it off, but my friend Meagan’s advice was perfect:  Take your time and sew slow.  So, I didn’t rush.  I really thought about what I was doing and I worked hard to keep my stripes lined up.  There were moments of frustration where I had to pull out the seam ripper, but all in all–definite improvement and learning experience.

The cost breakdown:

1.5 yards of fabric–$13.48
4 wooden dowels–$3.96
Mounting wood–$4.19 (You can get the same thing at a big box store for less than a buck, but I went to  my neighborhood hardware store for this after realizing we didn’t have any scrap wood left and all they had was solid wood for over $4…eh well)
3 extra long screws--.48

Total:  $22.11 


Uhh…a quote for custom roman shades can run in the hundreds of dollars.  Can I get a woot?!

Any weekend projects on your end?

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  3. I was so glad Chris was with me at the store so that he could okay my choice. I have some other BIG ideas for adding color, but there is always a possibility of making another roman shade. We’ll see.

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  4. IT. LOOKS. AMAZING!!!!!!!

    I will also admit, surprised you picked such a neutral after talking about getting a fun punch of color! But I totally love this!!!! And now that you know how to make a roman shade, maybe think about swapping it out in the spring or summer for a brighter color! I am so happy it all worked out for you. And…ahem…taking your husband to the fabric store!! GASP! My mom got me a gift card to Joann’s and Ryan already knows he’s totally NOT invited :-)

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  5. great work! stripes can be tricky – you did an awesome job.
    i have to get to trying one of these.
    cheryl xox.

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