Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Easy Roman Blind Pattern

I've been struggling to make Roman Blinds for our upstairs windows since we moved here. I think the main problem was that I started with a pattern from Martha Stewart online.
I should have known.
I'm not her type.

The pattern introduced random parts with strange names like batten, without further explanation.

In my defense, I really couldn't find anything else online.

I started one blind, then stopped in despair and put it in the closet. I'll finish it before winter comes and we need more insulation on the windows, I thought. Then, I'll finish it by summer, when the light wakes us up too early. Then, by winter, for sure, this time. And now summer is coming again, and Kevin has been going downstairs after 5am and finishing his sleep on the couch, because it's darker down there.

So today I finished it.


But not with Martha. A friend sent me a pattern, and (although I secretly thought it would be just as hard, from my initial scan of the pattern), it was great! I had to make a few adjustments, in order to reconcile Martha to this pattern, but the finished blind is suitable for hanging (behind a valance in the daytime, fortunately, and in the dark, at night.


I've already started cutting the fabric for the next window. I'll follow the new pattern from start to finish, this time, which should simplify everything.


That was this morning. Now, it's lunch time, and Katherine is in her high chair, putting away vast quantities of food, and I'm snatching a moment online, to check for pictures of blinds with Google Image Search - should I be winding the thread around the little white circles?


I click on a likely image. "Make Shades Out of Mini Blinds," the title says. Hmm.

These look *so* easy! Glue, fabric, an old mini blind...


...on to Plan C!

3 comments:

  1. Yay! for finished Roman Blinds! No, you don't have to wind the rope through the circles, just run it through and tie to the bottom one.

    The easiest pattern I have ever seen is one which uses a beach mat as the main blind so all you have to do is the rings, etc. on the back. But I've never found a beach mat I liked. One day, though, one day.

    Melissa

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  2. Oooooh, just saw the mini blind tutorial. I like it. Very, very much. Let us know how it turns out.

    Melissa (again)

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  3. thanks for the tutorial I will try it, we need some window covering(aka privacy) too!!!

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