How-to Sew a Roman Blind


Inside: You will find detailed instructions on how to make a Roman blind for your home!



If you are dying to make a fully functioning Roman blind, the instructions are below. 

Don't let all the photos and steps scare you away. It does look daunting but I tried to be as thorough as possible so you won't have to "guess" your way through like I did. Once you make one, you will realize how easy they are to make. The most important thing I can't stress enough, is to be precise in your measurements. 

Remember the old saying," measure twice, cut once!"



Dying to make one for yourself and save yourself $$?

 Have no fear, if you can sew a straight stitch on your sewing machine, then you can do it!

Supplies:

Fabric of your choice. {I highly recommend a good heavy weight fabric with a tight weave}
I wouldn't make a blind wider than the width of the fabric. If your window is wider than that, you should make two blinds to sit side-by-side.
Lining. {I used black out lining in order to keep the room dark but there are various types you can use. I highly recommend using a lining as then your blind won't be see-thru, it will look professionally made}


#1: Piece of wood, about 1" x 2", cut to the desired width of your blind, this will be what you use to mount your blind to the window frame
#2: Piece of wood, about 1/4" x 1", cut 1/2" less than the width of your blind, this will be inserted at the bottom of the blind to give it support and hold its shape.
#3: Wooden dowels, about 4-5, 5/16"" thick, cut 1/2 " less than the desired width your blind . If the finished width of your blind is going to be 48", then  cut the dowels to 47 1/2 ". 
This is where my saga began, my windows were wider than 48", the longest length a 5/16" thick dowel is sold.  I searched high and low, but after exhausting my resources I chose to use garden bamboo, purchased at my local garden centre.
Make sure you find the straightest and even thickness bamboo.


#1: Mounting brackets, to hang up the blind to window
#2: Eye hooks, around 4-5
#3: Small plastic rings, I used 16. 
#4: Nylon cording, about 5 times the length of your blind.
#5: Cleat, you will only need this if you aren't using a cord lock.
#6: 1 1/2- 2" wide twill tape, about 5 times the width of you blind. These will be used to make dowel pockets. OR you can make your own tape, cutting strips of fabric or lining and folding in a hem along the length of the strip.
  



Cord lock. This is optional but it eliminates the need for a cleat to hold the cords in place so the blind will stay drawn. {I decided on this towards the end of making my blind, photos are near the end}

Staple gun

Thread, needle, pins and coordinating thread

1. Before you begin, you  need to decide if you want an outside mount or inside mount blind.

Outside mount {a blind that sits outside of the window frame}:

Or

Inside mount {one that fits inside the window frame}:



2. Measure the dimensions of the window. If you want an inside mount, you need to be precise in your measurements so that it will fit perfectly. For an outside mount you need to determine how much you want the blind to sit outside of the frame. 
Then add 4 inches to the width and 6 inches to the length of your desired finished measurements. These will be your cutting measurements.
My blind is going to be 40"long by 58" wide, so my cutting measurements would be 46" long by 62" wide. 

3. Lay out your fabric and using a square ruler, measure and cut out your fabric.


4. Using the same measurements, cut out your lining.


5. Using an iron, iron a hem on 3 sides of your blind; the bottom and sides. Leave the top part un-hemmed. To get nice crisp corner for your blind follow my steps below.

** edited January 17, 2015. After getting many emails and comments, it is clear that people's math skills are not what I thought they would be. The side hems should be 2 inches (hence cutting your fabric 4 inches wider than the finished width, and the bottom hem would be 2 inches, leaving 4 inches for the top to overlap the wood piece.  

{1} Iron each edge, {2} unfold {3} iron the corner over just to the point where the arrow is pointing, it is the point where the two folds met. {4} Finally, iron back the edges along the original ironed edge. 


6. Do the same with the lining. Ironing a hem only on 3 edges, leaving the top edge un-hemmed.

** edited January 17, 2015 and iron the hem of the lining about 1/4 - 1/2" more than what your ironed for the fabric. So if the hem for the fabric is 2 inches, the hem for the lining is 2 1/4 - 1/2.inches.


7. Lay out your ironed fabric on a flat surface


8. Lay the lining on top with wrong sides {hemmed sides}together.


9. Re-measure the width of your blind just to make sure it is "square", make any adjustments to the hems with the iron if needed. 
{This is an easy step to overlook, but it can save you a headache in the end if the blind is too big or too small for the window!}


10. Pin all the edges of the lining to the fabric.



11.  Hand stitch the lining to the fabric, using an invisible stitch, being careful not to go through to the front, just catching the folded edge of the lining and the folded flap {hemmed edge} of the fabric. Alternately, you can sew the edges on the machine. I prefer to hand stitch as then the blind looks more tailored and "clean". 



12. Determine the placement of the dowel pockets. It is best to place the dowels about 10-12" apart so you get 5-6" folds. The placement of the first dowel is half of the space plus 1". So if I choose to place my dowels 10" apart, the first dowel is place 6" from the bottom edge {10/2=5 +1= 6} I know, math again, crazy! 
It is also best to have the last dowel placed about 10" from the top.

Here is a diagram I drew so you can see the dowel placement and the ring placement. I chose to place my dowels about 9" apart, as you want about 4 dowels for a blind my size and I had to fiddle with the placement in order to come close to 10".


13.  Mark the dowel pocket placement using a ruler/yardstick and a pencil. Or if you are Martha, you can use a disappearing ink pen. 




14. Measure the width of the lining, add 1" and cut 4 pieces of twill tape. These will be made into dowel pockets.




15. Iron the twill tape. {1} Iron the tape in half lengthwise {2} Fold over the ends and iron. {3} Pin the iron twill tape to the lining. Place the free {unfolded} edges along the line,  the folded edge facing the bottom edge of the blind.


16. {5} Stitch the edge of the tape {the non-folded edge} with the sewing machine, {5} sewing through the lining and fabric. I used white thread and brown thread so that the lining side was white and {6} the fabric side had coordinating thread.


17. Sew on the plastic rings to the edge of the tape. Because my blind is wide I chose to use 4 rings across the dowel pocket. I placed the rings about 2 1/2 inches from both edges and then evenly spaced the two middle rings and that they line up, up the blind. I think for most blinds, 3 vertical rows of rings would be enough. 
See diagram.




18. Slip the flat wood piece {1/4" x 1"}, cut 1/2" shorter than the width of the blind, into the bottom edge hem. Stitch the corner closed.


19. Slip the dowels, {cut just slightly shorter than the width of the lining} into the twill tape pockets.


20. Stitch the ends closed.


21. Wrap the wood that will be used for mounting the blind with a scrap of lining or fabric. Use a staple gun to hold it in place.


22. Mark the placement of where the batten board will sit. I marked off the top of where my blind will be {the finished height of my blind}. You do this by measuring from the bottom. Since my finished height of my blind is 40", I drew a line 40" from the bottom edge of the blind.


23. Line the mounting board with the staple side facing up the blind along the marked line {where the arrow is pointing} Then lay the board down, staples side is down and now the line is below the board. You can staple the fabric to the top of the board and roll it back up.  You will find the board then lines up perfectly .

24. Mark the placement of the eye hooks by moving the board down to the first dowel pocket, using the plastic rings as guides.


25. Screw in the eye hooks. Since I made 4 vertical rows of plastic rings {see the diagram}, then there will be 4 eye hooks lined up along the mounting board.


26. Now you are going to start threading the nylon cord. Determine which side you want the cords to be pulled from, then start from the farthest row of rings.  I measured the length of the blind, plus the width, plus some excess so you have cord hanging to pull {about 1/2 the height of the blind}. I then cut that length of the cord. 


27. Tie the cord to the bottom ring, then thread through all the vertically placed rings running up the blind to the eye hook that is vertically placed as well. Then thread the string through all the eye hooks that are along the top of the mounting board. Letting the excess string lay to the side.


28. Cut lengths for all the other vertical rows. Everytime it will be shorter as you will need less horizontal length of cord. I found that by taking the cord and laying it out loosely to my desired length and then cutting was easiest. Do that for the remaining vertical rows of rings. You can refer to my drawing to get an idea of what I mean.



29. Leave the excess cord laying to one side. Now you will either mount a cord lock or another eye hook to channel all the cords together. This is how you will open and close the blind. If you use a cord lock then you won't need a cleat, unless you want a tidy way to hang the cords. For this blind I chose to use a cord lock, but with the black and white striped blind I just used another eye hook, but then a cleat is necessary to hold the cords in place so your blind will stay up in place.


30. If using a cord lock, then you will need to screw on the mounting bracket first. If you want to use the eye hook option, photos are at the end of this tutorial. If you are making an outside mount blind, the the brackets will be placed not at the ends of the board but along the back.


31. Now screw the cord lock on top. Making sure the placement is correct. There are "wires" on the top. The cut ends face to the outside of the blind {see the  2nd following photo} and.....



 the "folded" end faces inside the blind. This is important, you want the locking system to lock the "right" way.


32. You are going to thread all the cords through this.


33.  The best way to thread the cords through is to hold the blind up so the cord lock is hanging down and thread the cords in, the small "roll" will open up and they thread in quite easily.



34. Screw the second mounting bracket on the opposite end of the board. You may need to make adjustments once it is up. I realized I had a gap, so I had to move the bracket over a bit.


35. Hang up the blind using the mounting brackets to your window frame.



Alternatively, instead of a cord lock {I am finding with the weight of this blind, the cords on the far end of the blind keep slipping} you can use an eye hook screwed to the end of the board to channel all the cords in one place. If you choose to use this, then you will need a cleat mounted along the window frame to hold the cords so the blind will stay in place.





It will take a few times to "train" the fabric to fold. Just guide the fabric along, eventually it will "remember" and fold on it's own!


*visiting:

57 comments

  1. First of all, where do you find the time, secondly, can you share some of your talent? I love the project.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow! That looked complicated. But it came out beautiful! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing, now I can only hope mine turn out as well as yours!

    ReplyDelete
  4. WOW!!! Thank you for this awesome tutorial. I want to tackle this project soon!

    ReplyDelete
  5. WHOA! You are one talented lady! I'm saving this one... eventually I'd like to try and tackle one for our front entrance (so I'm bookmarking this post AND adding it to next week's Fancy Friday Love haha) Have a great weekend xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is fabulous and your instructions are so concise. I have always loved Roman Blinds and recently the tropical sun just dried up the plastic rings on the lining and also the cords snapped. I painstakingly replaced the brittle rings and replaced the cord. It was very satisfying to complete the project. Lots of nervousness and work. A fabulous post. Thank you and your daughters rooms looks great.

    I think you deserve the weekend off.
    Helen xxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for the great in-depth tutorial.
    I need to make Roman blinds for a few windows in our under-construction home so will definitely be bookmarking this post to help me along.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Impressive!! Thanks for the sweet comment on my frame post via MadebyGirl. LOVE your blog. You are super talented and way more patient than I to be doing some of those DIY projects! Kudos to you! yeah Canada!. ;) Look forward to following your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow! Thanks for the wonderful tutorial. I have made a roman blind once a long, long time ago, and it wasn't a happy ending. With this post I may try it again, with much greater success. Yours both turned out beautiful. I'm sure your daughters' are thrilled. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Seriously amazing! I'm impressed. Over the last three years of tackling virtually every kind of project in my home known to man, attempting to make functioning Roman Shades is the only project that reduced me to tears! I finally gave up and made them faux!

    Great job...Janell

    ReplyDelete
  11. Amazing tutorial! I've been wanting to do this for my kitchen, I might just have to find some fabric now so I try it out!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Holy mega-posts Barbara! Not sure if I'm brave enough to attempt this but your project is inspiring. The bamboo worked perfectly.

    ReplyDelete
  13. THis was sooo informative. You are very talented!

    The Simply Inpsired Home.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Awesome tutorial Barbara! Don't you feel so good to have it finished! I am in no rush to make another Roman shade - that's for sure. Thanks for linking to my blog!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This was an awesome tutorial! I pinned it on Pinterest :) No one can ever say they can't make one after reading your tutorial, you did a fantastic job on explaining all the steps! Love the fabric by the way!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Fantastic post Barbara! Such a great tutorial and I sure like how yours turned out - I linked this to my roman shades project post too today, well done!

    ReplyDelete
  17. THANKS ! I am getting right on it! :) but where did you find the rolling mechanism? i can't seem to find it anywhere.
    thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  18. This is the best roman shade tutorial I have ever seen. Great job! So thorough and great pictures and in words that beginners can understand. I will be linking this to my blog sometime in the future!

    abodecasahome.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for this awesome tutorial!

    I have almost all of my materials ready to go, but I have a few questions...if you could answer them, that would be really awesome and sweet of you!

    1) Do I need to use a 2x1" board for the top part? I found a 1x1" squared dowel that I thought might work. Is there a reason it needs to be 2" deep?

    2) Can you tell me where you picked up the cord lock? I didn't find it by the other DIY blind materials at Joanns

    3) Do you think I could use safety pins instead hand-sewing all those white rings? You you think it could still function correctly? I'm using a linen fabric, so its probably a little lighter than the material you used (which I love, btw). Thoughts?

    Thanks again for your detailed post!!!! Kudos!!


    http://pinterest.com/owldeedoo/she-s-crafty/

    ReplyDelete
  20. It look complex...but isn't it...The step by step picture make it easy to follow. like the shades.
    Roman shades concord, ca

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi Barbara,

    I'm so happy to find your blog,and doubly happy with this excellent post!
    The roman shade is beautiful thanks so much for the step by step .
    I've a question that I hope you will be able to answer. Along with
    sewing a regular size window , I have plans to make a shade for my
    patio door (sliders). Do you think that it can be done ? Would an
    over-sized roman shade be constructed to the regular size ?
    Any help or suggestions you may share with me will be very
    appreciated.
    Best,
    Elicia ("Elise")
    email: MCGINNHOLD@MSN.CO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elise, I sent you an email but it bounced back. Is there another email I can respond to?

      Delete
  22. You have taught us very simply to sew Roman blinds. It is an excellent post
    Blinds

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thanks for the simple lesson! I made 2 shades for my daughters house and wish I had stumbled across your instructions 1st! I definitely will be using yours next time! Linda from Indiana

    ReplyDelete
  24. I just bought my Material and lining today. Should I wash them first?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you hope to wash them later, I would as the fabric may shrink. But drapery fabric has a special coating to give it stiffness. It is up to you.

      Delete
  25. Hi Barbara

    When I am sewing on the plastic rings, do I also sew them onto the bottom edge of the blind? If so would it be best to do this before I place the wood in the bottom hem?

    Thanks

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You don't sew the rings on the bottom hem, that is where you place a skinny slat of wood. The bottom edge just "hangs" . If you put rings on the bottom edge, it would fold up. Does that make sense?

      Delete
  26. Thank you for taking the time to put together such detailed instructions! My blind turned out quite well.
    Best,
    Shaye

    ReplyDelete
  27. I wish all tutorials were this thorough and accompanied by such helpful pictures. Not sure why, but half the tutorials I found started off ok and then descended into vague descriptions and generalisations that left me floundering. I'm having to - more or less - remake a terrible blind I bought (Oh how I wish I'd just taken it back when I opened the box). However, with the help of your excellent tutorial the whole thing seemed to 'fall into place' and I feel like I might just crack it this time.

    Thank you ...

    ReplyDelete
  28. You really do make this look easy - maybe one day I'll be brave enough to give it a go! Laura @ Blackout Roller Blinds

    ReplyDelete
  29. The written piece is truly fruitful for me personally; continue posting these types of articles.
    is bubblegum casting legitimate

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is the tutorial to follow! Love it and just sent you an email with my finished products. thanks again
    11

    ReplyDelete
  31. Barbara - Many thanks for such an instructive, detailed and considered tutorial. Followed your instructions and delighted with the professional finish. Many thanks. Iwan

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi, it’s nice and really excellent posting. I like it, carry on please!
    Thanks!!! Every Business and individual needs hosting, so you if you need it, you may contact us.
    http://www.besthosting.co.za/

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks so much for posting this wonderful tutorial. I think I am finally ready to tackle roman blinds for our bedroom!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thank you so much for this wonderful tutorial. I think I'm finally ready to tackle roman blinds for my bedroom!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I just found your site & it's great ! Thank you so much for the step by step tutorial and sharing it.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thanks for these fab instructions, I want to make a blind for our landing and stair windows and these are really informative, I wanted something to read and see diagrams rather than watch a youtube video so these are perfect, thanks x

    ReplyDelete
  37. Please advise how much to turn under when hemming the fabric, and lining, on 3 sides. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  38. Please add to the lovely instructions, by how much one turns up the fabric on 3 sides (hemming). And also for the lining (more than the fabric). Many thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I added that bit to the instructions. But if the instructions say to cut the fabric 4 inches wider than finished width, then the hem would be 2 inches on each side. And if the fabric is cut 6 inches longer than finished length, again a 2 inch hem, leaving 4 inches for the top to overlap on the wood piece that gets mounted to the window frame. The lining then would be hemmed a bit more, about 1/4 - 1/2 inch more, so it is smaller than the fabric. Make sense?

      Delete
  39. Hello, and Greetings from Britain.

    I have not made a Roman blind before, but between you and 33 SHADES OF GREEN I don't think I am going to have any problems in making them.

    I have A.D.(H).D. and am a visual person, so the photographs have helped me out a lot in knowing what to do, where to do, and how to do it.

    Thank you very much.

    Cee Jay.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Great tutorial on making blinds! Need to invest in some blackout blinds so I might try this with some heavy material!

    ReplyDelete
  41. If your window is wider than that, you should make two blinds to sit ... bblackoutblinds.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  42. PLEASE HELP! I don't understand your measurements on the diagram. You have 4 spaces at 9 inches and the bottom at 5.5. If you add the 2inches at the top, that gives you a total of 43.5 and your total height is 40.??? Also, why is the bottom space smaller? Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry I forgot to respond!! Those measurements are for the dowel placement and you measure from the bottom up. There would be 5.5 + 9 + 9 + 9 and then from there to the top which for my blind that was to be 40" finished length would mean 16" from last dowel to top.

      Delete
  43. PLEASE HELP! I am confused about your measurements in the diagram. There is 4 spaces of 9inches, the bottom is 5.5inches and the top board is 2. That is a total of 43.5 but your total height is 40. ??? Also, why is there a smaller space at the bottom? I am attempting a 35X35 window and am thinking 3 dowels but don't know how to measure apart. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  44. Thanks Barbara, so incredibly helpful and clear. The one question I have is, when I machine sew the horizontal seam, do I sew right to the edge of the top fabric? Or just to the end of the liner?

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hi Barbara, thanks so much, so clear and concise. When sewing the horizontal seam do I sew all the way to the end or stop at the end of the liner (step 16)

    ReplyDelete
  46. So helpful! Its years since I made blinds or curtains and I needed to make 2 - one tiny, only 15 inches by 26 inches, so I started with the small one and your fabulous instructions and have just finished it. I am so pleased - you took the stress out of it! Later this week I will summon up the courage to tackle the big one!

    ReplyDelete
  47. After months of debating on hiring someone to help and collecting the material, I chose to do them myself because of your wonderful tutorial!!! I do have suggestions that may help others. Please note the sizes of items like the eye hooks, cord and twill tape as they are sold in different sizes. Note for us to NOT assume the people at the fabric store will sell you enough material when giving the measurements!! Slip in a dowel between the edges and pins when you hand sew to keep from gathering the front while sewing. Helped tons. Also suggest covering the bottom board in material if using a light or white shade as the wood will show through. Blinds for dummies please. lol. I am hoping the 4 I'm doing turn out and will post pics when done. Thank you so much! I am saving about $1,500 doing them myself with your help!

    ReplyDelete
  48. After seeing blinds like these in a hotel in India, I've been wondering how to make them. Many thanks for these incredibly detailed instructions. When I get the time (and a sewing machine), I'll make some up.

    ReplyDelete
  49. I'm interested in making these curtains for my home. Your in depth presentation is really great. It's 2021 and I'm wondering if you're still answering questions.
    How do I mount this curtain if I make the over the window frame method? For some reason, I can't visualize it. Thank you so much for sharing your talents.

    ReplyDelete
  50. I am sorry I am soooo late in replying. I just anchor the wood slat into the wall.

    ReplyDelete

Let's chat...