How to Make a Relaxed Roman Shade
X-HT-300137
- Measuring the Window & Using Fabric Calculator – 0:40 min.
- Patterning Decorative Fabric – 2:58 min.
- Patterning Drapery Lining – 8:38 min.
- Sewing Lining to Decorative Fabric – 10:39 min.
- Finishing Bottom Edge – 13:47 min.
- Placing Lift Rings – 17:05 min.
- Sewing Lift Rings – 21:37 min.
- Trimming & Finishing Top Edge – 26:11 min.
- Installing Bottom Rod – 29:01 min.
- Feeding Lift Lines – 31:33 min.
- Creating Headboard & Running Lines – 34:50 min.
- Installing & Dressing the Shade – 40:59 min.
- Materials List – 46:55 min.
- Home décor fabric of your choice
- Blackout Drapery Lining Fabric
- Thread in a matching color to decorative fabric (Tex 30, Tex 45 or Tex 70)
- Sew-On Rings for Shades (we used #104469)
- Seamstick 1/4" Basting Tape for Canvas & Upholstery #104167
- Nylon White Loop 1" #471100
- Nylon White Hook 1" #467100
- Bottom Rod for Fabric Shades 3/8" #104989
- Webbing Tubular Polyester 3/4" White #531610
- Leech Line Dacron® 5/64" White #21207
- Cord Adjuster Orb #120065
- Standard Screw Eye #120034
- Plastic Lift Cord Condenser #104470 (white) or #105503 (cream)
- Wooden Blind Cord Tassel (we used the Vase Shape in White #106673)
- Cord Cleat #106726
- Wooden board (approximately 1" x 2" x width of shade)
- Mounting screws
- Scribe-All® Water Soluble Marking Pencil (we used White #120681)
- Gingher® Scissors Right Handed #19104
- Multiuse Pins #102985
- Sailrite® Canvas Patterning Ruler #107040
- Deluxe 5-1/2" Magnetic Sewing Guide #103597
- Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LSZ Walking Foot Sewing Machine #311602
- Sewing Gauge Ruler 6" #102995
- Sailrite® Edge Hotknife Package (110V) #103800
- Heavy-duty stapler (like the Sailrite® Short Nose Upholstery Staple Gun #121410)
- Straightedge, Tape Measure, Pencil, Drill, Iron
To help with planning this project, we used the relaxed Roman Shade calculator in the Sailrite® Fabric Calculator. This tool will help you plan how much fabric to order, plot out where the lift rings will be installed on your shade and even show you a rendering of how to cut your fabric.
We suggest using a mid-weight home décor fabric for this project. You want to look for a fabric that has enough body to hold the pleats but not something too heavy that won’t pleat nicely or that will be visually too heavy for the room. We chose Sunbrella® Accord Koi Upholstery Fabric for our shade. Then, we lined our decorative fabric with Blackout Drapery Lining Fabric. You can add a blackout lining like this, a regular drapery lining or skip this step completely, depending on your preference.
When your shade is complete, you’ll likely need to help train the fabric to pleat and fold in the way you’d like it to rest. Fixing the pleats is called “dressing” the shade. Because relaxed Roman Shades don’t use rods to force the fabric to fold, you’ll need to help the shade fold the first time you raise it. Then let it rest in place for a day or two so the fabric can form a memory of the pleats. Because of its relaxed style, these shades are often only raised to their highest position or completely lowered. If you’d prefer your shade to have more flexibility, you can add a Cord Lock (#104468, #104857), which allows your shade to be raised and lowered to varying heights. We didn’t use a Cord Lock in our video; we chose to cleat the shade at a fixed position instead.
You can find all the hardware needed to build relaxed or classic Roman Shades in our Roman Shade Hardware category, right here at Sailrite.
Warning: Cords can be hazardous, even fatal, to young children. Keep cords out of reach of children. Keep cribs, playpens and other furniture away from cords. Do not tie cords together or allow cords to twist or loop together.
These instructions are intended for personal use. If making shades to sell or gift, they must comply with the latest safety regulations. Using Sure-Shade Encase Lift Cord Shroud Tape (#106454, #106455) helps prevent the formation of hazardous loops.