DIY Roman Shades

My husband’s family is the ultimate DIY poster family (think Tim the Tool Man Taylor…without the trips to the hospital). Their motto is: if you don’t know how to do something, you figure it out! They’ve (we’ve) done everything from concrete to framing to wiring to plumbing to drywall to tile to paint…and don’t get me started on the mechanical projects outside. Suffice it to say, they can do anything! 

When my dear mother-in-law decided to rip down the 14-year-old wallpaper in her dining room and kitchen to make way for some new texture and color on her walls this summer, she didn’t know she was getting herself in for a bottomless remodel project! She ended up with new texture, color, pretty new trim, new flooring, and new fixtures in the bathroom just off the kitchen to boot! The project is finally finished…it just needed a few finishing touches, so I volunteered to provide some pretty roman shades for the windows.

I fit in pretty well with this crew, in that I like to do things myself…meaning patterns aren’t regularly consulted. I have made a few shades for my home in the past, and felt confident in my process and skills, so I just dug in. After a lot of measuring, some OH NO! moments, a really late night with a good chunk of ripping-out, and some improvising (the shades below weren’t supposed to have those cute stripes down the side, but they turned out way better after a “minor” measurement fiasco!), the blinds are installed and functional and we’re ready to tackle the next big project! After a nice long nap, that is.