I have posted a more recent Roman Shade Tutorial here . Unfortunately for us Debby at www.make-roman-shades.com has retired so you can no longer get patterns off her site. My new tutorial will take you through the steps!!

Making Roman Shades is a marathon not a sprint. The first thing you need is determination. Do not underestimate the power of perseverance when it comes to a project like this. It also helps to have a looming deadline. Nothing gets a house project done like knowing you have 30 people coming over for a party. Yes, I put myself in that predicament and still shake my head at the thought. But hey, they are done and I have a pretty picture to prove it!

I highly recommend planning ahead and gathering all of your supplies before you start. If you are like me you will be making these at midnight and there is nothing worse than having a late night burst of energy and then realizing you don’t have the extra tube of velcro glue you meant to buy.

I spent some time figuring out the absolute cheapest way to make these babies and this is what I found.

Where To Splurge

Aesthetics count and there are certain things I will splurge on. I would not go through the hassle of making these shades if they weren’t going to look awesome and be exactly what I want.

  • Patterns: You need one. If you screw up it shows and… well…you want these to look good right?  You can get one for $2.99 at www.make-roman-shades.com  . If you spend $25 on supplies they will give you the pattern for free. You may not need to spend $25 on supplies though, keep reading!
  • Decorative Fabric: I splurged a little on the fabric and bought an adorable little green pattern from www.spoonflower.com which is my favorite fabric site. Check it out, you can create your own fabric!  Make SURE you order a swatch first though, the color on the screen is quite a bit different from what you actually get. You can also get remnants from fabric stores or home upholstery stores. Here are some of my favorite fabric sites…
  1. www.fabricworm.com
  2. www.spoonflower.com/welcome
  3. www.calicocorners.com/
  4. www.studiobon.net/

Supplies To Buy In Bulk

Do every window in your house or split the cost with fellow roman shade making friends!

  • Lining Fabric: I have found deals on ebay (if you buy in bulk) for as little as $2.50 a yard.
  • Roman Shade Tape: Try ebay or amazon and buy a bunch of this stuff! I have used different brands and haven’t found much of a difference.
  • Roman Shade Cord: You can get it for $.18 a YARD at  www.make-roman-shades.com/, I recommend purchasing it with your pattern. It is twice the cost at other places
  • Velcro: $.09 an inch at  www.make-roman-shades.com/, that is a good price and you can combine shipping this way. I have also seen it on ebay as low as $.99 for 5 yards!

What To Purchase From The Hardware Store

This is where you will really save!

  • Mounting Boards (also called dustboards)- Buy some pine and cut them yourself or have a friend with a saw do it
  • Ribs- Use markers, you know those things that snowplowers put in the driveway to make sure they don’t drive on the yard. Just cover them with masking tape if they are orange so the color doesn’t show through. I did not do that and wish I would have.
  • Weight rod- 3/8 all thread rod found in the plumbing department

Other Things You Need

You may have some of this stuff but if not, order it with the pattern to save on shipping.

  • Vecro Glue $2
  • Roman Shade Pulley $3
  • Roman Shade Cordlock $4
  • Fabric Marking Pen $2
  • Cord Condenser $1
  • Self-Drilling Screws 4/$1
  • Thread $2 (I use invisible which is a little more $ and tough to work with but looks pretty darn professional!)

Follow this list and you will have it made in the roman shade!!