In today’s tutorial I’m sharing how to create a custom shade by recovering a roman shade from Amazon with custom fabric. You don’t have to break the bank to have beautiful custom shades!
Today’s post has been in the making for what seems like years. In our living room we have a large bay window that I have wanted to cover with roman shades ever since we moved in, almost 9 years ago. I searched for just the right shades on and off over the years and even tossed around the idea of ordering plantation shutters, but ordering shutters or custom shades isn’t an option right now, so last week I finally pulled some fabric that I’ve had for almost two years out of the closet and got to work.
I knew that I could use my cordless mini blind method but being that this window is on the first floor of our home, I didn’t want the look of the plastic blinds on the outside of the window. Now that Addy is toddling around, I have to be realistic with how much free I have, so I knew sewing shades from scratch was out of the question. This is when I had the idea to just recover an inexpensive, white roman shade. I used this shade from Amazon and here’s how it turned out!
I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. To make these shades I simply took a roman shade and covered in my fabric using fabric adhesive. To add extra detail, I stitched a simple ruffled for the bottom of the shade as I did with my pantry shade. I think these just might just be my favorite shades ever!
Recovering a Roman Shade with Custom Fabric
Supplies Need:
- Roman shade
- Lightweight fabric of choice
- Fabric adhesive
- Hot glue gun
- Fabric hot glue
- Measure your roman shade and cut your fabric with two extra inches on each side and one extra inch on the top and one extra inch on the bottom for finishing.
- Stretch the roman shade completely out and lay flat on the floor over a dropcloth. You’ll need someone to hold the top of the shade in place while you work so that it doesn’t retract or you can use weights. Charlie was my holder for this project. I’m sure you can imagine how thrilled he was to help, ha!
- Using a hot glue gun, hold the top of your fabric over and glue the fabric across the top of the shade.
4. Spray the shade with fabric adhesive in 1 foot increments and lay your fabric over it, making sure to keep your fabric straight, smoothing out any wrinkles as you go. Once you reach the bottom leave 2-3 inches of loose fabric that you’ll use to fold over the ruffle at the end.
5. Flip your shade over and keep it stretched out. Using a hot glue gun, fold the fabric edges twice over the shade and glue for a clean and neat fold.
6. For the ruffle, I used a 3 1/5 inch strip of fabric cut almost twice the am width of my shade and made a 1/2 inch hem across the bottom. For the ruffle effect I folded the fabric over itself every 2 inches. I ironed the fold and pinned it until I had enough ruffle for the bottom of the shade. I then put a stitch across the top.
7. My shades came with a plastic cover piece for lowering and raising the shade so that they don’t get grubby over time. I loved this little feature, so I made sure to glue the ruffled edge above the plastic handle. I glued it with 1/2 inch of the ruffle hanging below the bottom of the shade to cover the handle.
8. To finish the shade, fold the bottom of your fabric and glue it just below the stitch line of your ruffle. Go slow to make sure you keep a straight line and that your fold doesn’t go too high or too low on your ruffle. Fold the edges over the sides of the shade and glue.
This window is a north facing, so the light color of the fabric has been perfect. It still allows light to filter through but removes a glare from the TV and allows for privacy in the evenings. If you’re looking for more of a blackout shade, I would recommend a darker shade and fabric choice. These DIY shades can be made to fit any style and color scheme.
I just love when a DIY project comes together well. It’s a great reminder that you don’t have to break the bank to have a beautiful custom home. The prices of home decor lately have really gotten out of control, but with a little creativity there are some great options available. I’m over the moon with these shades. Let me know if you decided to make your own. I’d love to hear how it goes!
My next project will be to take the drapes in this room, double them up for more width, and remove the gromet top and create a pinch pleat top instead. I currently have them folded over and clipped to give myself a glimpse of how they’ll look. I’m excited to get those completed but until then, I hope you have a wonderful September!
This is genius! And they look beautiful! I cannot wait to try this, wish me luck as DIY is not my forte.
Thanks Elizabeth! You can definitely do this project. Let me know how it turns out!
These are perfect. I love it when you can use something that may have been intended for another project but instead filled a different need. Your work is professional, I fear I’m not skilled or patient enough to tackle something like this, but I sure love how the shades turned out. Your living room looks so inviting and lovely.
Karen B.
Thank you so much, Karen! I have several pieces of fabric that I need to find a use for, but I always find some way to use it. This project does take a little patience in order to get the fabric onto the shade straight, but it’s extremely easy. I think you could do it!
Such a clever idea! Thank you for sharing ❤️
Absolutely! Thank you so much, Patty!
I really love this idea and your tutorial was perfect. I’m probably twice your age, but your decorating style is so perfect for one so young. Whether by chance or design your rooms are so inviting and beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, Jaye! We’ve been in this home almost 9 years and it’s been a lot of trial and error over the years. It always takes a little time to find one’s style. I’m so glad that others also find it welcoming. Have a great week!
Great idea! Your tutorial was clear and would be easy to follow. A couple of years ago, I wanted a white daybed cover for the guestroom my great-granddaughter uses. I found a white one online that looked and sounded good and was reasonably priced. When it came, the quilted coverlet was nice but the bed skirt was really thin polyester, I decided the quality and price of the coverlet made the set worth keeping but I hated the the bed skirt! Instead of buying a new one, I bought a discounted curtain panel at Home Goods and used the flimsy bed skirt as the platform for DIY bed skirt. I used the leftover fabric to recover the throw pillows. The result was a custom daybed for a lot less than buying a similar look.
Thanks Nancy! I always hope that my tutorials are helpful and are detailed enough. I can relate to your bedding story so well. I would have done the same thing! Good for you, creating something that works even better for less. I’m sure it’s beautiful. I love finding other ways to use curtain and tablecloth fabrics. They’re a great and affordable way to recover things or in your case, making a bed skirt. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!
What a wonderful idea! They look so good!! Thanks for sharing, I’m thinking of trying these in my master bath. I have lived in my home longer than you in yours and I still haven’t found a solution for a small window and a big window in the same area. This is so creative, thank you!!
I absolutely love this idea. I have large dining room windows that face east and get all the sun! This would be a great option. Thanks for the post!