Roman blind

[Bowerbird5]

Has anyone made a Roman blind? I want to match the wallpaper which is LAshley steel pussy Willow. The kitchen only has one window which is small and behind the sink. Previously I had curtains(got wet and messy) and there is a curtain pole fitted. Could I hang them from here? There is a beam which I would like to uncover but DH says no.

They are very expensive from LAshley so as I am quite crafty and can sew a bit I wondered if I could make one. It is more for show that keeping people from viewing in. So could I make one to hang just outside the recess and from the rail? It would make it look more balanced and cosier in winter. I wouldn’t drop it to the work top as it would get wet. During the day it would stayed half or less drop.

Opinions please😃

Yes I’ve made one, wasn’t difficult. I found some free instructions on the Internet, I think on the channel 4 website.

Will you be actually opening and closing it or just pulled up for show?

We had windows in our kitchen that needed venetian blinds for the sun which hit just as we'd be there doing dinner. But they didn't look the nicest. This back before the nice ones you get now. We put up a curtain pole and basically made a pelmet out of a curtain so that it looked like a roman blind but it was long enough to hide the venetian blind when it was pulled up.

Thanks for answering.

The window opens from bottom out. You can actually turn it right over to clean it. A very clever joiner made it to match the other sash windows so small panes.

So really it is just for show. Otherwise it is just a curtain rail-wooden with rings. I had a piece of beautiful voile fabric before that I tied and it draped but it is totally the wrong colours. At Christmas I decorate it with voiles and Fairy lights.

I am thinking that if it has a deep curtain tape on I could hide the rail a bit and just have the folds then keep it at one level above the sink area so it doesn’t get marked. I have plants there in the winter but put them out in the summerhouse in summer.

The work top goes into the window so it is deeper than normal there. Normal width plus about 6” where the window is.

I've just made 2 Roman blinds for my kitchen; easy as someone upthread says. I'm not sure I understand how you're planning to fit your blind; I'm struggling to visualise how it would work fixed to a curtain pole with curtain tape.

You can buy kits that come with the header rail, strings etc. They're easy to do. You can fix outside or inside a recess. I don't understand why you want to fix it to a curtain rail - that sounds odd!

Ah, got it. Tab top Roman blinds.

How we did it was to thread a short curtain onto the pole using the header tape and then tuck it under and looped back over the pole so you just had a neat edge of the bottom of the curtain showing - sounds a bit mad but actually worked really well. Looked like a blind but was basically just a curtain which hid the workings of the venetian behind it and then we still had the facility to lower the venetian when it was sunny but pull it up out of the way and it still look neat.

Magnetic Roman blinds. Add tab tops to use your existing curtain pole. Buy a blind from IKEA that will fit your window (or bigger & trim) and use the magnetised rods to put in your own blinds. The magnets aren't very strong so wouldn't hold up /work on a full sized window but a small one yes. Here are mine.

Also could I see the wallpaper in your kitchen? I'm intrigued by this and have a thread on at the mo about wallpaper in a kitchen diner.

I've made a Roman blind before too.As others say, it's not too tricky. If you are already handy with a needle and thread and follow the instructions carefully you should get good results.

These are good instructions www.mydecozo.co.uk/articles/129332-how-to-make-roman-blinds-roman-shades-video-instructions-howto-style

I wouldn’t hang it from a pole though, get a kit and fasten the track to the wall.

Hi sorry for not returning quicker. We’ve had som bad news and I have a work issue that requires a lot of input just now.

Thanks for all the ideas.
DH is not keen on taking the pole down. It is an old cottage and we have an old beam above the window which I would like to uncover and take the pole down and just have the window but he is dead against it.

Yes, it was the tab top that I was thinking of Knittedfairies ( love your name)

Ah posted too soon.
So that is the window and pole.

Folicky this is the wallpaper on one wall. The ceiling and one wall is silver grey, one a very pale green with partial exposed stone and between wall and base units silver grey plus the bit on the window wall.

The wallpaper is Laura Ashley Pussy Willow in steel. Laura Ashley have gone into liquidation but you can still buy some on eBay.
The magnetic ones sound a good idea. Fixing otherwise might be tricky.

Anyone? Hoping those lovely people that posted come back now I have a photo up. I should have done that in original post.🙄

I hang my homemade Romans with velcro attached to a wooden batten screwed to the wall. Metal screw eyes in the underside of the batten direct the cords.
Never tried it but could you use your pole as a batten?

I've never made tab-top Romans but Laura Ashley did them (when trading) so they are possible.

Found some instructions...
www.ehow.co.uk/how_4810910_lined-tab-curtains.html

Oh thanks rosegold yes I wish I had got Laura Ashley to make them they were just so expensive by them I have found some material and also people that make normal ones on eBay.