Make An Easy Roman Blind

 Hello Readers. I wanted some window coverings that would have a clean and simple look. Let me show you the quickest easiest "faux" Roman blinds you can make in less than an hour. You just need some fabric that you like and some tension rods. These blinds do not need any hardware for installation and would be great for a rental that doesn't allow any holes in the wall.

I have been rearranging and redecorating a little in the last couple months. We found and fixed the leak but to do it we tore my older son's room apart. We had top remove the carpet, padding, baseboards and more. When we finally dried it out and put his room back together, he asked me for new window treatments. He wanted his room dark so I wasn't going to make anything sheer. I needed to make something to block light. 

 

I went with this thick dark green velvet. The windows are rectangular shaped and are 33x64. I needed to cut my fabric the same size as the window. I added 1/2 inch extra all around for the seam allowance. That means my fabric piece is 34x65. Use your window size as your measurement guide.
 

I wanted to line the blind with white fabric and I had extra lining material on-hand. You could also use any white cotton fabric you have. Even a basic white sheet would work. I could use the green on the front and back of the blind but the side that faces the window will probably fade over time. Using a lining will protect the green fabric from the sun.

 

I cut my lining the same size as my green velvet. They should be the same size because one piece will be the front and one piece will be the back. They needed to match each other in size. 

 

I sewed the lining and the green fabric together. I made sure the right sides were facing each other. I sewed all around the rectangle but I left small openings at the top for the rod. (See the next picture for clarity.)

  

I needed to have small openings at the top for the rod.
 

Those openings allowed me to turn the fabric right side out when I was done sewing the rectangle together. 

 

The rod will go in one opening and out the other at the top of the blind. The fabric could hang just like this but we can make it hang neater and smoother with one more sewing step.

 

I stitched across the top of the blind about an inch from the top to make a casing for the rod. This will keep my fabric smoother while it is hanging up in the window.

You will need 2-3 tension rods for each window. These are adjustable so choose rods based on the width of your window.

 

Now the blinds can be hung up. Put the rod in the top of your blind and squeeze the rod into the window frame at the top. 

 

It will fill in the window opening and block the light well. 

 

You can put your extra rods into the window frame where ever you want to raise your blind. 

 

Tuck the fabric behind the lower rod and let the fabric rest on top of that rod. The fabric will fold over it and will lift the blind up and allow the light in. 

 

The more rods you put in the window frame the more folds you can have when you raise your blind. None of these rods are attached or installed into the wall or the window frame so there is no damage or holes in the wall. 

The blind can stay up and open or down to darken the room. These have a very simple look without any embellishment. (Which is what my son wanted.) You can use a brighter patterned fabric with trim to make these brighter and more fun. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.