Roman blinds not what I thought

[Eastwickwitch]

Lovely new bedroom. Bought some really pretty fabric for blinds.
The first one arrived for me to see.
It's in the recess, I thought it would be on the wall & it doesn't seem to pleat properly.
I feel sick that they cost so much and I don't really like them.
It's a big room and there are five monstrosities of these blinds.

would 5 outside the recesses not be a bit overwhelming ? Did you hang it or the manufacturer ?

How disappointing. Lizs makes a good point. If the mechanism isn't right you should complain. They should fold up nicely and neatly.

The first couple of times you pull them up though you need to give them a bit of a tug and even out the pleat; then it will appear in the correct place subsequently. Did they hang them for you?

Yes, Roman Blinds do need a bit of 'training' to get them to pleat how you want them but it doesn't take long to get to the point where they just pull up.

Did you specify that you wanted them on the wall? it's more usual for any kind of blind to go next to the glass, so they've either not listened or it's not been explained properly.

Thanks for the comments.
A friend of a friend made them. She's a professional but normally makes curtains. We hung them together.
When she measured I just presumed they would be on the outside & she presumed inside. It's my fault for not communicating properly.
I've left it down but maybe I'll try & fold again.

Clinging onto '5 would be too much outside the recess'.

roman blinds definitely look better inside the recess IMO, much neater and less dominant.

hope they pleat properly soon for you! If not get the maker to come look.

Thanks Mini, I'm holding that thought.
If they don't pleat after a few days I will get her back. The fabric is a polyester mix (sounds horrid but it isn't) with a black out lining so they're not as stiff as my cotton/linen existing ones. I think this could contribute to the lack of neat pleats.

My roman blind is 6 months old and still doesn't pleat properly. It gives me The Rage every day.

I made my own, so I only have myself to blame . Keep folding it and it will get the message.

I had one that needed a hand every night to get it to go 'right'.
And I've been told that unless the window is tiny they always go inside.
I don't know how much that helps, sorry.

Slightly odd suggestion but you could try using an iron (very gently/with towel in between iron and blind) to persuade the blinds to stay in the right pleats? ie pleat it how you want it and then iron in place...?

Nothing creases as strongly as linen, so the pleats will never look quite as crisp as your cotton/linen ones, but they will get more pronounced over time.

Oh yes Rogan I have one that needs to be raised and lowered a few times every night in order to get one of the pleats to fall right. It's thick fabric with thick blackout lining which probably doesn't help.

You do have to 'help' the pleats for a while.

I have some silk/linen mix ones in the sitting room and they don't have 'stiff, proper' looking pleats even after a couple of years so I do think that the fabric influences how well they work pleat wise.

They might need a few extra stab stitches here and there if they continue to misbehave - I presume that the blackout lining is fairly stiff. Your friend will know when she comes back.

I hope that they turn into what you want them to be with a few tweaks!

Roman blinds always look much better inside the recess imo. As others have said, you do need to "help" them hang at first.

We recently had 5 blinds made for one room, and the regulations have changed since we last had blinds made. The new way the chain works makes it much more difficult to raise and lower the blinds, and we had the blind maker back 3 times before they were right. They now look fab though!

I generally prefer them inside the recess especially if you see them side on.

Could you post a picture?

You need to leave them up for a few days first so that they get the message about folding up nicely. Although I have a room with 4, 2 are perfectly behaved and the other 2 always need a bit of a tug to get them to fold up nicely.

Agree that inside the recess is usually better

I've made quite a lot of Roman blinds over the years and agree that they need to be 'trained' into their pleats.
Having said that, has your friend incorporated sleeves via the lining, into the back of each pleat, to allow a rod to run through it? These define the pleat better by giving it equal weight right along the fold.

Thanks for the comments. I've decided I do like them in the recess but they're definitely not right. When they're up the fold lines are at different angles so are bunching. The maker is coming back today.
remembers festoon blinds of 1987

Mine, made by a professional, are outside the recess. Thanks to MN I now know that I've been Doing It Wrong since 1996.

Could you try a vertical shot of steam from the iron while they're up to help to 'train' the fabric?

I have 2 outside the recess and 5 inside. I think which suits best depends on the particular window.

Also the blackout wouldn't be as effective if the blinds were outside recess because more light would come in at the sides

check the rings for the strings are all secure and lying the same way....I've made my own blinds in the past and the hoops/rings sometime get in the way of the pleats if that makes sense.

I have a feeling I re did some and instead of sewing them on with a single set of stitches I re did them anchored just away from the pleat line with teeny stitches at 3 and 9 oclock positions.

They are buggers though...not essentially difficult but any deviation in your lines/angles REALLY shows as they are so simple.