Your vinyl blinds may have seen better days and that is okay! When I gave my friend a living room makeover, she wanted to throw her blinds away. Instead, I took her broken blinds and updated them to create a custom roman shade look. I am so glad she trusted me because I absolutely love how they turned out!
What Supplies Will You Need to Make DIY Roman Shades?
- Fabric of your choice
- Scissors
- Krazy Fabric Glue
- Krazy Super Glue (just in case)
- Measuring tape
- Sewing machine
Can Vinyl Blinds Be Cut?
To start, I removed the blinds and laid them out so they were flat. I marked every 7th piece in order to remind myself which pieces will be staying.
All the pieces in between, you will cut and remove them from the strings. Vinyl shades are pretty flimsy, making it super easy to cut through the blinds with only scissors!
Don’t stress too much about this project, it is very forgiving! I accidentally cut where I wasn’t supposed to. So if you do, don’t worry about it! I used my “just in case” super glue and now you would never know that it ever happened.
What Fabric to Use
For the fun part – choosing your fabric! There are so many fun options out there, you really get to be creative with this. I ended up going with these cute plaid curtains that I cut down and hemmed to match the size of the vinyl blinds.
How to Apply Fabric to Vinyl Blinds
I found it easiest to start at the top and work my way down. I wrapped the fabric at the top of the blinds and applied a generous amount of fabric glue.
Then, I glued my next piece, rolled out the fabric and used my hands to make sure the glue had adhered to the fabric. I continued this process until the end. Make sure you do not get any glue on your strings! This will make your shades not close and open properly.
What Does the Back Look Like?
To save on cost I did not add a liner to the back. However, you totally can! In fact, I think it is a good idea if you are looking for help with light filtration. I know a lot of people love their blackout curtains, including me! A bonus with adding a liner to the back is the look will be more seamless, however it is not necessary. I didn’t actually see the back from inside the home. If you do decide to add a liner, you are able to purchase some specifically to block out the sun or use some old fabric that you have around.
Reinstall Your DIY Roman Shades
The best part of this project is that once you’ve finished the DIY work, reinstalling the shades is super easy. Simply hang them back on your window using the same method you used to remove them. And finally, test out your new shades. I can’t wait for you to see the difference roman shades can make!
I have redecorated many rooms in my own home and you will see that I have roman shades in almost every room. Being a big fan of how roman shades look, I’m so excited that I had success making my own. You better believe I am going to be making lots of custom shades in the future!