Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Simple Ways to Beautifully Fake a Roman Shade


I've found that there's more than one way to do a DIY Faux Roman Shade!

When a project needs to get done, I'm all about a great look for little work. You may call it lazy, but I call it working smart! I knew that I wanted a Roman Shade for over my kitchen sink, but according to Moi it had to be:

1) A Fake -- I don't need it for privacy, just for "pretty's sake", so there was no need for it to really work.
2) Simple to Make -- so many directions out there are crazy long with so many steps...ugh!
3) Looking Great When It Was Done -- 'nuff said!!!

I think I was able to accomplish my goals for my kitchen shade:

{please excuse the photos they were taken at night!}

Yay! I finally got my Fake Roman Shade done today!!

We're really happy with how it turned out!

Here's how I did it:


First measure your window & add a couple of extra inches to the width & several to the height. Since this is a stationary/fake roman shade (it will NOT be moving up & down) you can pretty much guesstimate this part. Easy, right?! :) Do the same for your liner if you want one.

Next, hem the sides (sew it, or with iron on hemming tape) so that they are even with the sides of your window. My shade is an exterior mount, so I went with the outside of the moulding (though if there were space, I'd go a couple inches beyond the moulding). If you have an interior mounted shade, then hem the sides of your shade to the interior of the moulding.

Fold up the bottom hem next, and do a nice 4 inch or so hem. Again, just eyeball what looks good to you.

No need to hem the top since it will just be hidden anyway!
Staple gun the top of the shade to a board (size depends on on whether it's interior or exterior hung -- I used a 1x3).


Here's where you can do several things:

(it's really up to you!)

* Fold it up & hand stitch at several points. Done.
* Add (hand stitch) little rings, (or fabric glue ribbon loop "rings") then take ribbon & thread through the rings, and staple it to the board at the desired height. Done. (I did this & it was easy to take out the staples if I wanted to adjust it more. I did 4 rings up & 4 rows across.)
* Fold it, and use a big ol' safety pin to pin it together (I've done that it the past). Easiest of all!
* Roll it up and tie with ribbon or coordinating fabric ties. (Technically a roman shade? Hmm...oh well, it's still super easy!)


Add L-brackets to your board, & hang, or just screw the board in the top of your window moulding.

Adjust the fabric & You're Done!!!


Big thanks to Hubby for hanging it for me!
:)


Making your own Faux Roman Shade really can be easy-peasy!

Give it a try :)!!!




The simplest way to do a Faux Roman Shade?
Check out how I did it in my little girls' room here.

I really hope that this will inspire you that you CAN make a pretty roman shade & it can be EASY too!

I'm linking up with DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land.
and

{more kitchen makeover pics coming up next!}

Have a blessed day!
:)

ps.-- If you're a small business owner or a momtrepreneur, I currently have openings in my advertising section here at The Blessed Nest! Contact me for more info! :)

12 comments:

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

It looks great, Stacey! :) I haven't tried my hand at this yet, but it's on my growing "to do" list. ;)

Michelle said...

Looks great! One day I'm going to try this!!! :)

Melissa Miller said...

Stacey it is really beautiful and a nice touch of softness! I can't wait to see your entire new kitchen. I am loving your glass front cabinets. ~Gorgeous! :)

Brittany said...

I've been planning to do this myself! I've had the fabric forever, just wasn't exactly sure what I was doing :) Your are just beautiful - thanks for encouraging me to get in there and get it done! I'm all for "working smart", too - I say gimme the easiest way :)

Miss Mustard Seed said...

So cute! I love the clean look of Roman shades. Nice work.

Seizing My Day said...

Beautiful... That might be the solution to my little girls arch shaped window!! Hm.... the question is can I rise to the challenge!??

Richella Parham said...

This is beautiful, Stacey! Looking at yours makes me want to fiddle with mine. . . mine is definitely a "faux," but I could probably do a better job of making it look more like the real thing. Hmmm.

Thank you for the sneak peek of your kitchen. . . I'm ready to see the whole thing!!

Kirstin said...

Hi! I nominated you for an award on my blog. You can head over and pick it up if you want or just consider yourself awarded. You inspire me to get my creativity going! Thanks a bunch, I'm so glad I found you!

Micah-Noel said...

Nice! I could use one of those above my kitchen sink, too. :)

Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...

That fabric is beautiful in the kitchen! I love a faux Roman shade.

Anonymous said...

It turned out great, Stacey! It looks really nice on the window.

Thrifty Decor Chick said...

Ohhh that's beautiful!! Gorgeous job.