Anyone used a roman blind kit?

[mossycat]

I've just discovered you can buy complete roman blind kits ready to add your material to. They have a cassette mechanism that cords go into at top so no need to fit batton with loops to the wall/recess.
Has anyone used these? Are they robust? I'm attempting to make blinds over 250cm width.

Someone wiser will come along I'm sure, but 2.5m of fabric will be very heavy!

I have used several of them. They are really good. I use the Merrick and Day Deluxe ones which are really heavy duty, I always buy a chrome chain. Four of them in my current house are five years old, no problems with them at all.

I don't bother with the blind tape though, I sew channels in my lining for the rods (looks better) and then hand stitch everything else other than the first line of stitching on the velcro which you don't see.

Yes to coping with weight, you can order a different chain drive for heavy blinds at M & D. Depends on your fabric of course but I seem to remember their normal kit managing 3kg. I line and interline all my blinds and haven't needed to buy the heavy weight one in this house but I did previously and it was great.

Many thanks for the advice.
Lavenderson how do you your channels in the lining? Does that mean you don't run stitching through blind fabric?

Also how do u attach your velcro?

I was thinking of just lining everything up and sewing though all layers which I realise will look awful now!

When I measure the length of my lining I add length (I think 2cm) for each channel and mark it with chalk. I then fold along the lines, put my presser foot on the edge of each folded line with the needle in the far left position and sew, gives you a nice straight channel for the rods.

Then I sandwich the interlining between my fabrics and turn over the top layer on three sides before stitching by hand (which sounds worse than it is).

To attach the velcro I sew what will be the top of it on with the machine, right side up, fold it over so it is on the wrong side and then stitch the bottom edge to the lining by hand. This hides the cut edge which is under the velcro.

I hang it and pin it every foot or so just below the rods, take it off and do single tiny invisible stitches where my pins are.

The Merrick & Day curtain encyclopaedia is brilliant for guidance.

I wouldn't sew through the layers, the chance of it hanging properly are slim, honestly I hand sew everything and it looks fantastic, the only stitching to be seen is the rod pockets on the lining.

Sorry, forgot to say that I pin and iron all my channels before sewing, makes it easier.

Definitely do lavender sun's method - it looks much smarter than sewing pockets onto the blind and depending on your preference you can get away without sewing across the whole blind - if you are using blackout fabric this might be worth considering….(my beloved brother complains that the blind I made for his bedroom is like a leaky tea bag as I had problems getting the horizontal stitching on the blind straight enough and unpicked several times which would have been fine had I not used blackout fabric!)

My last lot of blinds were a budget make for huge windows and I remade ready made curtains (ironically the cheapest way to get enough fabric was to buy readymade curtains from Dunelm Mill) and I didn't bother doing this as it would have meant unpicking more stuff.

Now they are finished I regret it as they don't look as smart as blinds I've made before.

I've used kits previously (pretty frills) but none were as advanced as to have a mechanism like the one you describe so I can't help with that.

What lavendersun said, exactly. I followed the Merrick and Day book and bought supplies off their website, I've done four blinds so far. My friend and I made a 1.8m blind for her window with a chain drive. 2.5m is pretty wide, how long is it?

The method is to sew small tucks in the lining only for the rods. Then you tack through all the layers at each rod/cord crossing with spot tacks. It works and looks very good. It does save you from trying to get perfectly straight lines with a sewing machine when several huge layers of fabric have other ideas. You lay it out flat on your table (you might have to push a couple of tables together) and it stays flat IYSWIM.

Make sure your wall fixings are heavy duty enough to match the blind!

I've just finished my first Roman blind! I'm really proud of it! even if its a bit wonky.
I used a kit, but don't think I will bother next time. I will buy everything separately.
my question is, if you sew channels into the lining, does it not come away from the main fabric, or do you fasten them together somehow? I can't visualise it...

doing this would be much better for me, as I have sewn the tape through both layers and my sewing isn't as straight as it could be

To fix the layers, hand sew through all layers at several places along each rod, to line up with the strings ideally. You hand sew a little stitch over and over on one spot 5 or 6 times so it's practically invisible on the front, but quite strong.

What is the interlining you mentioned?