Monday, February 7, 2011

DIY Ribbon-Edged Roman Shades

While the rest of the world was watching the Super Bowl, I tackled a little project I've been meaning to get to for a few weeks. Pottery Barn used to sell roman shades edged in grosgrain ribbon. While they are no longer available, they were around $100 a piece, and finding anything similar now means going custom at several hundred dollars a window. I love the clean lines of those shades, and found several DIY'ers on line who had tackled making similar treatments themselves.

So, armed with an off-the-rack JCPenny white roman shade ($20 on sale), a spool of pewter colored grosgrain ($3.50) and an assortment of no-sew products ($5), I got to work on my no-sew ribbon edged roman shade.

First, I lightly penciled in a line 3" in around the shade. (If you're planning to use these behind a drape, you may want to set the ribbon in more to account for the drapery hiding the edge of the shade).


Now, the next part is where it got tricky. I first tried to adhere the ribbon with a regular washable fabric glue. Bad idea! The dry time would have turned this into a multi-day project, and it soaked through the grosgrain and created permanent wet spots. (OK, confession, because of this I had to buy a second $3.50 roll of ribbon) Next, I tried heat bonding tape. It worked great for the first length of ribbon, but for whatever reason, there were spots along the second length that would not adhere. A little heat-activated liquid stitch did the trick. My final recommendation would be to use the iron-activated tape, but run a thin bead of the heat activated liquid stitch for some extra bonding strength.

I was hoping that making this shade for my guest bathroom would act as a dry run for doing four more similar shades in my living and dining rooms. Since I worked the kinks out, I figure I can knock those out in about a half hour apiece.

What do you think of the final result?





Incidentally, that trio of prints beside the window is one of my oldest cheap decorating ideas. Back in college, I found a set of different greeting cards and popped them into discount store silver frames. I hadn't used them in years, but they seem to work in this bathroom.

Linking to: Metamorphosis Mondays at Between Naps on the Porch

17 comments:

  1. Nice job! You're going to put gals like me out of business! :)

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  2. I don't think so! There are limits to what stitch witch can do! :)

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  3. Thanks Heather! Im going to do this same treatment, different colors, elsewhere in the house too.

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  4. Very pretty and classic. It looks wonderful.

    I'm visiting from MM. Happy Sunday!
    ~Melissa

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  5. These look wonderful. How wide was the grosgrain ribbon? And, where did you find it? I am having trouble getting my hands on gray grosgrain ribbon.

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  6. Hi there! It was one inch wide and I found it at Hancock I believe the color was pewter.

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    1. look beautiful and classy.....you did an amazing treatment.
      Roman shades concord, ca

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    2. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! These pottery barn shades are now $209 a piece for the smallest!!! I have 3 windows and it would have cost over $700!!! I made these today and they look amazing!!!! The best part, less than $100!!!!

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  7. Love this! Thanks Cant wait to try them in my duaghter's room!

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    1. Just be patient working the ribbon around the "folds"...once you find your rhythm it is super easy. The ones in the bathroom are still looking great after two years, and the ones I did later for the living and dining room look even better.

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  8. I just came across your DIY and love it! Do you happen know which line of roman shades from JCP you used? Thanks!

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    1. Hi there! Im sorry I am just now replying...I cant recall the name of the shades, but I know that they were the least expensive ones they had...they carried them in three different colors at my JCP. (white, ivory, and a dark tan) Hope that helps!

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  9. Hi!! I'm not interested in the shades sorry..but I'm looking for a picture to match the same frame and style your picture on the opposite wall of the window. can I ask where or actually what the name or title of it is if it has one? thanks, Christel (re-modeling my living room in Grey , Black $ Burgundy

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    1. Hi Christel! That came from Pier One Imports over 20 years ago...but I feel sure you could find a similar intaglio today.

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