Roman Shades From Cheap Blinds

Hate your blinds? Love the look of roman shades? Here's how I made roman shades using cheap plastic blinds as a base.

First measure your window, then gather the following
Tools & Supplies
- A piece of fabric large enough to cover the window (add an inch on the sides and top and 3 inches to the bottom for hemming)
- Blinds
- Scissors
- Thread
- Needle
- Sewing machine
- sharpie or marking pen of your choice
- Ribbon (optional)
- Hot glue gun

My window measured 30 inches by 54 inches. So after adding 1 inch on the sides and 3 inches to the bottom I ended up with a 32 by 58 piece of cloth.

This is where you break out your sewing machine and sew a 1 inch hem on the top and sides, then a 2 inch hem on the bottom. Make sure you are exact here as a shade that is too narrow or short is very unsightly. If its a little long thats OK.

Take your sharpie and mark the cords that hold the blind slats every 7 inches (you can change this if you want larger or smaller folds).

(optional)
If your blind is longer than your window you can tie up the extra so that it doesn't extend past your fabric.

Break out your hot glue gun and attach the top of your cloth to the bar that hold the blinds up.
Cut slits for the rod that adjusts the angle of the slats and the cord that raises and lowers the blinds.
Using the thread and needle hand finish these slits to keep the fabric from fraying.

Hang your curtain up letting your blinds and fabric hang naturally. Find your marks and hand sew through the fabric and around the cord. Look at the picture for clarification.

1. If your slats show outside you fabric take some scissors and trim them back so they don't show
2. I let the bottom of my cloth hang free if you want it attached then I recommend gluing it to the bottom bar and make sure you tie up any extra length of blind or it could tear the fabric.
3. The blinds carry the weight so your attachments just need to be strong enough to holdup the fabric.