Blinds and Shades

I'm finding more and more that when one is allowed to do what they want in their own home, that one becomes increasingly picky and controlling. Or maybe that's just me.

Since all the blinds were ripped from the windows before we bought the house, we've been needing some window coverings. Due to the configuration of the house (the main house is blocked from street view by the garages), I haven't been hard pressed to find a solution quickly. That means I've had time to ponder what exactly would work in each room. After careful consideration, I decided roman shades were neat and I wanted them. 

A few minutes of poking around the internet made it clear that anything commercially available was a bit too bland for my liking and any custom order would cost more than I was willing to pay. Since I have a sewing machine, I figured it might as well be put to good use. I began the search for the perfect fabric. This proved to be the most difficult aspect of the project since relying on an uncalibrated monitor and vague fabric descriptions isn't always reliable. Initially, I purchased fabric that had a dark red print on natural fabric. Although I really liked the combination when it arrived, I had intended the red pattern to be on a bright white fabric. In hindsight, I'm glad I did purchase that swath of fabric since it gave me a chance to practice making the shades.

The single bay windows looked lonely, so off I went to make test shades.

 

I've never been a strong sewer and was not confident in my ability to make the shades correctly my first try. After reading and re-reading a tutorial and checking and double-checking measurements, I began laying out the fabric.

The pattern I followed utilized inserting dowels into channels sewn on the back lining material.

With washers sewn on the back and string threaded to make things function, the shades were ready to hang.

Although not perfect, I was pleased with the way they turned out and functioned. The semi-success of the first set of shades bolstered my confidence enough to progress with "Shade Build S/N 002."

I really need to paint the garage walls.

I couldn't resist showing off the irises.

The next set was destined for the office. For this set, I really wanted the pattern on both the front and back panels of the shade. This presented a new problem of dowel placement. I couldn't utilize the channel method due to the heavy pattern of the shade. Well, I could have, but creating channels that flowed with the pattern would have been a pain.

Instead, the dowels were inserted between the two panels, sewing the bottom line with the sewing machine and securing it in place with strategically located hand-sewn stitches.

After the first shade was complete and ready to hang, I taped it in the office to see how things looked. Unfortunately, I had not accounted for the heavy pattern showing through both panels when lit behind. The shades from the inside of the office were extremely busy.

Viewing them from the outside - they looked great.

After a few minutes of pouting, I grabbed the lining fabric I had left from Shade Build S/N 001 and mocked up a double sided curtain with two panels of lining in the middle. Although this method did not completely block out the pattern bleed through, it did help. I've yet to hang them properly, but I'm quite excited about the shades and am prepping for developing roman shades for the rest of our naked  windows.