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DIY Roman Blind by Debbie Shore | Instructions to Download

Quick Links: What you'll need Project steps

Here are my instructions for a DIY, lined Roman Blind. Step-by-step photos and a video tutorial are included, showing you how to achieve a high-quality finish.

Make a sleek Roman blind for a smallish window when you want to provide privacy from being overlooked or reduce bright light without shutting it out altogether.

How do you make your own high-quality, lined Roman blind?

There are many ways to make a Roman blind: most professionals will hand-sew most of the seams, some will have rod channels on the outside, while some use tape. My method used a “bagging out” technique so that the blind can be sewn on the machine and the rods are hidden inside the blind when finished. Kits are also available which include everything you need for fitting, including tracking, brackets and cord. These should come with their own instructions. But if you’re looking for an affordable, quick alternative, give this one a try!

What do I need to know before I start?

Before you start sewing, you need to understand how a Roman blind is constructed, so if you don’t already know, here is a brief description. The blind is hung from a baton and has horizontal channels in the lining which are each threaded with a rod to make sure that the blind forms neat folds. On each channel, rings are attached at regular intervals and cords are run up through the rings and then taken to the same side of the blind through screw eyes in the baton at the top. If you’re not sure that you understand how this type of blind is constructed and hung, make sure you watch the whole video before you begin.

What fabrics should I use?

Your choice of fabric and lining will partly depend on what you want out of your blind. I’ve used cotton canvas with a cotton lining for my small blind, but if you want to keep out the light, blackout fabric is available as a lining, and this is what I used for the larger blind I made in the video. There are also thermal blackout linings that are ideal if your windows aren’t well insulated. If you’re using medium-weight cotton outer fabric, you may wish to add a little woven interfacing to the back to make it sturdier and to block out more light, but if the blind is decorative, you may not mind it being slightly sheer.

On positioning your blind...

Your first decision is to choose whether you’d like your blind on the outside of the window or in the recess. On the outside is easier as the measurements don’t need to be so precise and having a blind bigger than your window can make the room look larger. You will need to screw the baton to the wall above the window, and you will probably need to use rawl plugs to provide a secure anchor. Note, however, that there will be a lintel over the window which could be made of wood, concrete or steel and may be a little tricky to drill into so you may prefer to avoid it! Ideally, your blind should be at least 4in (10cm) wider than the window on each side.

Blinds inside a recess can take up quite a bit of the window when folded, so less light can come through, and if you have an older house, the edges of the recess may not be quite straight so the blind will not fit perfectly. However, you may want a blind as well as curtains, so sitting it in the recess is a stylish option. If you are fitting your blind in the window recess and you have wooden window frames, you could screw the baton into the frame, or you may prefer to add a couple of brackets inside the sides of the recess or fit it to the underside of the lintel so that it doesn’t touch the window frame – this is especially worth considering if you have a UPVC frame.

If your windows open inwards, you need to think about whether the blind will stop the window from opening fully – it may be a good idea to fit the blind outside the recess in this case.

Special requirements for the project

Baton:

I’ve used 1½ x ½in (3.75 x 1.25cm) wood for my baton and painted it the same colour as my wall, but a nice idea is to cover it in the same fabric as your blind. A 2 x 1in (5 x 2.5cm) baton will also work well.

Cleat:

Your blind is drawn up with cords which are taken to one side of the blind and secured by a cleat, which should be high on the wall, so it is out of the reach of small children. You need to decide where the cleat will be placed before you complete the blind.

Rods:

I’ve used wooden dowelling rods for my blind, which are fine for a smaller window. You could also consider fibreglass rods, which are flexible and can be easily cut to size. I’ve also just used a length of dowelling to weigh down the bottom of my blind, but aluminium or plastic weights (which may be heavier) are also available. For my blind I used three ½in (1.25cm) wide wooden dowels, including the one at the bottom that acts as a weight, but you may need more if your blind is longer than mine. Ideally the rods should be spaced approx. 9–11in (23–28cm) apart, with the bottom rod channel half this distance from the bottom of the blind (see step 1 and the video for more on this).

Rings and screw eyes:

Plastic rings are attached to the back of the blind to guide each length of cord, while screw eyes on the bottom of the batten are used to guide the cord to one side.

Cord and cord weight:

Simple white cord, around 1/8in (2mm) thick, is what you need for your blind. Cord weights can be decorative and made of metal or purely functional and made of plastic. They secure the cord ends and add weight to them to keep them in place.

Breakaway safety orbs/toggles:

Use sew-in breakaway safety orbs or toggles to secure the cords to the bottom of the blind so that if they are pulled, the cords are released. This is important if there are children in the house, and a requirement by law if you are making a blind for someone else. You will need one safety orb for each vertical line of cord on the back of the blind. These lines of cord are usually spaced about 16in (40.5cm) apart, so you can calculate how many you need once you have measured up. Clip-on orbs are also available.

Also recommended...

If you have any fabric left over after making your blind, there are plenty of projects on the Half Yard site that use small amounts of fabric, like my Sew Along Storage Boxes, Patchwork Star Cushion Cover and Quick Make: Patchwork Mug Hug, so don’t let fabric scraps go to waste!

By the end of this project, you’ll have:

1. Made a stylish Roman blind.
2. Successfully used multiple skills: maths, sewing and DIY!
3. Created your own made-to-measure pattern.

Note: use a ½in (1.25mm) seam allowance.

Fancy some more inspo?

Check out the HYSC Pinterest and Facebook page.

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You will need:

Equipment

• Sewing machine with a standard needle 
• Metal tape measure to measure your window
• Dressmaking shears
• Pins 
• Staple gun 
• Erasable fabric marker pen 
• Ruler (ideally a large quilter’s ruler) or a tape measure
• Optional: spray starch, such as Best Press
• Optional: Fray Stop or fabric glue
• Optional: fabric glue stick if you need to do any pattern matching
• Optional: bradawl, drill and drill bit

Materials

• Outer fabric: I used cotton canvas fabric for my small blind and cotton Panama fabric for the blind in the video (see below to calculate the amount)
• Lining fabric: mine is a cheerful blue cotton for the small blind and blackout lining for the larger blind in the video (see below to calculate the amount)
• Hook-and-loop tape, ideally stick-on hook and sew-on loop, otherwise just sew-on; the loop strip goes on the blind so needs to be sewn, while the hook strip goes onto the baton and will be stapled, although you could glue it if you wish
• ½in (1.25cm) wide wooden dowel rods: the number of rods depends on the length of your blind and they should be cut about 1½in (4cm) shorter than the finished width of the blind
• Plastic rings
• Roman blind cord
• Cord weight
• Breakaway safety orbs or toggles
• Cleat to secure the cord to the wall
• Baton: I’ve used 1½ x ½in (3.75 x 1.25cm) pine but 2 x 1in (5 x 2.5cm) wood would work too
• Screw-in eye hooks

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