How to Make a Roman Shade

Want to make a curtain that looks professional? Try making your own Roman shade. Making curtains is simple and quick...this takes a bit more time, but you'll love the results.

This was my first attempt. I looked everywhere for an easy tutorial, but couldn't find one. My older sister sent me instructions from a book, but I modified them somewhat to my own taste and needs (read: laziness).

Most of the items you'll need are available at your local fabric store. (I go to JoAnn fabrics for all my sewing/decor/craft supplies.) Here's what you'll need to make your own inside-mount Roman shade:

• fabric for interior of shade, cut to one inch wider and 7 inches longer than the measurements of the inside from of your window. Remember: measure twice, cut once.
• lining fabric for shade, cut to measurements of your window
• sewing machine
• thread that matches your fabric 
• scissors
• sewing needle
• staple gun
• drill (and if you're not familiar with using one, you'll also need a husband/boyfriend/neighbor to operate it)
• marking pen/pencil
• ruler and/or t-square
• drapery rings
• drapery Velcro
• drapery cording, pull cord, and attachable tie
• wood, cut to fit your window (length depends on whether you mount it on the outside or inside of the window frame)
• 3-4 long screws and washers to go through the fabric-covered wood into the top of the window frame 
• Stitch Witchery (or some other tape-like fabric adhesive) 
• 4-5 screw eyes (these are screws with a ring on the end)

1. Measure the window. I measured the inside of the frame for an inside mount. If you do an outside mount shade, you'll need to determine where you want the shade to sit in relation to the length and width of your window frame.
2. Cut the fabric one inch wider and 7 inches longer than your window measurement. This will give you a 1/2 inch of seam allowance on both sides and nice finished fold at the bottom. You will be wrapping the fabric around the lining and attaching the sides with Stitch Witchery.
3. Cut the lining to exactly the width and 1 inch longer than the window.
4. Cut fabric to wrap around you piece of wood. Wrap the fabric around the wood as though you're wrapping a present. Then, use your staple gun to staple the fabric in place. 
5. Place the fabric-covered board inside the top of the window frame. While you or a friend holds it in place, drill holes the same length and slightly narrower than the long screws. Secure the long screws with washers into the board and window frame using the drill or screwdriver. (see photo #2 below)
6. With right sides together and about a 1/2" overlap of the main fabric (the fabric you want facing the room when you hang your blind) on both sides, sew the top of the fabric panels together with a 1/2" seam allowance.  Reverse and press seam flat.
7. Make sure there is an overlap of the main fabric on the sides (about 1/2 inch on each side). The fabric will be 7 inches longer than the lining. Fold up the bottom of fabric 4 inches and press the back part of the fabric under 1/2 to 1 inch. Then, sew through panel and lining fabric close to the fold you just pressed.
8. For a seamless look, place the Stitch Witchery adhesive tape along the sides of the lining fabric. Fold over the main fabric and press, following the directions on the Stitch Witchery package to adhere the two fabrics. Repeat on both sides of the blind. Note: You can also sew this, but there will be a clear seam on your blind when it's not open. You can also use Fray Check here, but I didn't. Again, no one will see it. (see photo #1 below)
9. Attach the Drapery Velcro to the board and your Roman shade. I put the hook side on the board and used the staple gun to secure it. Then, I stitched the loop side to the shade. (see photo #2 below)
10. You're nearly done! Decide how far apart you want your guide loops to go. I put too many, I think. My window was only 30" wide and I did five guide loops. Use a t-square or other long ruler to mark where the loops will go.
11. Hand stitch each loop in place. Make sure your thread matches your main fabric, so it will be as inconspicuous as possible. I placed the bottom loops up above the hem and moved up from there. This may take some time to figure out. Don't rush. Make sure you have it right before you start to sew. (see photo #1 below)
12. Mark the location of screw eyes on the board mounted inside the window sill. Match up the measurements with the guide loops you just sewed on. Don't worry, though, if it's off because it really doesn't matter. No one will see and deduct points if they are not in alignment with the guide loops. Use a drill with a bit slightly smaller than the size of the screw eyes and drill the guide holes. 
13. Once holes are drilled, secure the screw eyes. (see photo #2 below)
14. Tie the drapery cording to the bottom guide loop and put it through each guide loop above it until you get to the top. 
15. Once you have all the drapery cord woven through each guide loop, decide which side you want to pull from and thread the cord through the screw eyes on the board to that side. Attach the Velcro's and thread the drapery cord through. You will need a helper to hold up the shade while you do this. (see photo #2 below)
16. Take all ends of the cord and put it through a drapery pull. Knot the ends securely and trim.
17. Secure the tie for the cord inside the window sill with the provided screws. (see photo #3 below)
18. Pull up your shade carefully, creasing it as you go with your hands. 
19. Keep the shade up for a few days to let the creases set.
20. Enjoy!

Photo #1 Illustrating steps 8 and 11

Photo #2 Illustrating steps 5, 9, 13, and 15

Photo #3 Illustrating steps 16 and 17

If you have any questions, please ask. 

 

Missing Daddy

The best conversations with my toddler happen while she's, um...on the potty. Here's what she told me the day her daddy left for a trip.

Tapas for Toddlers

Toddlers are a riddle. Their moods and tastes seem to change frequently making meal time with toddlers a conundrum. Preparing food for a toddler is something of a guessing game. Most of your hard work can end up on the floor rather than in their tummies. Until now. I've found the best way to satisfy the pickiest of eaters is to offer a healthy variety in what I call tapas for toddlers. Getting a little one to eat their meal is less of a struggle and more like a fun-filled adventure when there are plenty of choices.

I came up this idea because of the changing tastes of my toddler and I'll keep tweaking it based on her preferences. You never know what your child is going to like. Why waste time making a big meal only to find it on the floor or worse (body paint, anyone?). The idea is to notice which food choice they gobble up fastest. Here are some ideas for tapas for toddlers:

• carrots
• raisins
• walnuts
• almonds
• crackers
• bite-size peanut butter and preserves/banana sandwiches
• snap peas
• apple slices
• orange slices
• lunch meat
• pretzels
• dried apricots
• bite-size cinnamon toast
• cucumbers
• beans (e.g. garbanzo, kidney, white beans, etc.)

Normally with the example in the photo, she'd go for the strawberries first, followed by the meat. Today, she went straight for the snap peas (see photo), followed by the oranges. The meat and the yogurt were a big fail. Guess we'll be striking those from the menu for a while. I'd love to hear about your experiments with tapas for toddlers. What works for your little ones?

Lessons in Motherhood

In the 16 years that I've been a mother, I've learned a few things.

• You may not get publicly acknowledged for your excellent work at home, but once in a while you'll go to bed truly happy and satisfied for the loving service you gave your family.
• You'll never know as much as your teenagers. Ever.
• Your children are precious beyond any job you could ever hold.

 What motherhood lessons have you learned?

Thanks to former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson, Honesty Counts

A mere four months after Scott Thompson became the Yahoo CEO, he was given the boot. The reason? His resume states that he has a degree in marketing and computer science. The marketing part was right.  The computer science part was not.

Yahoo has been going through their fair share of company problems and their stock prices have been plummeting for four years. According to the Associated Press, the company botched an opportunity to sell to Microsoft at $33 per share in May of 2008 or $47.5 billion. Since September of 2008, the company's stock prices haven't gone above $20. Monday, Yahoo stock closed at $15.50 — which means that the company now has a market value of $19 billion.

Full disclosure: I borrowed this image from this blog about Stephen King's encouragement to be honest, in his book On Writing.

Whether you follow the stock market or not, you know that honesty is the best policy. If there's one person who isn't honest at the top of a company, the time of reckoning isn't a question of if, but when. Someone, somewhere with a bit of guts and a thirst for truth will pinpoint the unethical practices of a company's leader(s) — no matter how seemingly insignificant, and the results will be similar to what happened to Scott Thompson.

You could point to the wacky hedge fund manager who wanted to be on the board so badly that he exposed the inaccuracy on Scott Thompson's resume, the directionless board of trustees who OK any big changes in the company, or the seemingly unstoppable progress of Google's world domination for the decline in Yahoo's market share. But, the fact remains that the company has gone through four CEO's in five years. When a company doesn't have a strong leader and makes too many hasty decisions, they're bound to fail. Add to that the complication of dishonesty and the company becomes a ticking time bomb.

Honesty may not always be popular, but you'll sleep better and you'll likely not lose your job for it.

More reading on this story here and here.

Talking to Strangers

At the grocery store I smiled at the checkout lady and she asked how I was doing. We’ve seen each other hundreds of times. I don’t know her name and she doesn’t know mine. However, when I come to the grocery store with a tiny baby, she’ll probably write a story in her head about me, if she hasn’t already.

I’ve been writing stories in my head about the people I see all the time, but don’t know, since my college days.  I even give some of these familiar strangers nicknames to match the story I imagine their life to be. I work out at the same gym I’ve been working out at for the last ten years. The familiar people I’ve seen there all have personas in my mind, life stories that match how I see them. We’ve never spoken, but we smile at each other as if to say, “Hi. I’m busy working out, but I see you there.”

After meeting one of these familiar people at a really fancy dress gala — discovering that she wasn’t the corporate human resources worker I imagined (she’s a professor at a prestigious local college) — I decided to start talking to people. I got to know that the guy I called Washed-up Rock Star is actually named Jon and he was in a band, once upon a time. I found out the woman I called Over-achiever Mom, is an aerobics instructor and, yes, a mother of four young children.

The only drawback to getting to know these people I have shared only workouts and no conversation with for years? My workouts have become a bit less productive. I talk more and work out less…because now, I know everyone and they know me.

How many places do you go frequently enough to recognize the same people over and over…yet, you never talk? What would your life be like if you opened your mouth and talked to them?

A Big Move Changes More Than Your Address

I found out yesterday that my older sister will be moving to the Boston area in the spring. Her husband just landed a job in Maynard, Massachusetts and their whole brood (six kids!) will be leaving Utah after he finds them a house. 

When I was seven years old, my parents moved our big family from Heber City, Utah to Windham, Maine. My dad went out first and all of us followed shortly after. Just like what will happen with my sister and her family. I guess history repeats itself in our family.

I remember how excited I was about the move, the train ride across the country, and the adventure of living in a new place. Adjusting to a whole new way of life, new culture, and climate was a big part of what shaped me as a person. I loved it. I'm sure many of my older siblings didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did. They had to start all over in a new school where most of the kids had known each other since kindergarten. When you're at an awkward age, from about age 12 to 15, moving across the country is akin to running naked in front of your peers.

We survived, though. 

The move opened our eyes to new ways of thinking, the great outdoors, and how to deal with change. We all learned really quickly that our way of seeing things wasn't the norm. Most of all, we grew closer as a family. 

Seeing my sis move has me feeling sad and nostalgic. Sad that we won't be 20 minutes away from each other any more and nostalgic for that exhilarating feeling you get when you make a big move. Sometimes big moves are tough at first, but can turn out to be a positive character-shaping experience.