The Quickest & Easiest Roman Shade

This just might be the quickest and easiest roman shade ever. Grab your fabric and tension rods and I’ll show you how you can have a shade ready to hang within the hour! 

I recently shared my home office before and after and ever since I’ve had several of you e-mail and message me on IG asking about the roman shade. I did mention in the previous post that it was something I had made and I would be sure to share the steps, so here it is! It just might be one of the easiest DIY roman shades. A while back you may remember that I shared the how-to for a roman shade using a basic mini blind, which was also simple. That was also pretty easy but I think I like this method even better!

Here’s what you need – three tension rods (I purchased mine from Wal-Mart for just under $3.), a fabric of your choice and a sewing machine or fabric glue if you don’t sew. That’s it! 

First step – fabric! I started with one of my favorite prints from JHS. I’ve made throw pillows with this hydrangea fabric in the past and I thought it would be the perfect colors for my office.  It’s a nice medium weight cotton fabric. I purchased 2 yards for my window. You want your fabric to rest at the bottom of the window seal once complete. Make sure you give yourself a few extra inches allowance to account for the bottom and top fold. 

I also used a light-weight cotton fabric that I had on hand as a backer to help with blocking out sunlight when the shade is down. This is optional. 

I measured my printed fabric and cut to the size of my window, giving myself one extra inch for each side and 6 extra inches total for the top and bottom folds. 

I cut the white cotton fabric to the size of the printed. I did cut the sides an inch shorter so that the fold wouldn’t be too bulky. I ironed a half inch hold on both sides, folded a second half inch fold, sandwiching the white cotton fabric and pinned. **If you do not sew, simple use fabric glue to do these next steps.**

Using my sewing machine I stitched the both sides. I then folded the bottom and the top of the shade using this same method. 

Lastly, create a pocket for your tension rod at the top. Make sure not to under-fold or your tension rod will not fit through. 

Once your shade is complete you’ll place two more tension rods in your window, equally spaced apart to create your folds. I purchased

You’ll place your shade with tension rod at the top of the window and feeding the shade behind the lower two tension rods. 

Starting with the second rod from the top, grab your shade and loosely drape your shade over the rod creating a fold. Do this same step to the bottom tension rod and you’re done! 

I took just an hour from start to finish and I couldn’t be happier with the result! I’ve had a hard time photographing this room without the window being washing out in photos. This room gets so much natural light from this one window so it doesn’t come across great in photos but you can get the concept.

I’ve absolutely loved the shade that I’m planning for some in my family room as well just as soon as I pick a fabric. This is a great shade option if you’re renting and need a window covering or if you want something more custom but do not want to pay a custom price. Depending on what fabric you choose it can be very budget friendly. I can’t wait to share our family room windows with you once they’re complete. For now I’ve got to get into the kitchen and bake up some oatmeal ginger cream pies, oh my! Check the blog soon for that recipe. Have a great weekend friends!