Choosing a fabric for your blinds
Go for a made to measure blind from Vanessa Arbuthnott and you can add contrasting borders to frame the design and draw extra attention to the pleats. Cotton and linen fabrics work beautifully, and thicker fabrics also make great Roman blinds, though the pleats won't be as crisp.
We recommend letting your roman shade extend at least 1”-1.5” on each side of window to avoid light seepage. So whatever is the width of your window from frame to frame, add total of 2”-3” to that.
In summary, for Venetian, roller and vertical blinds, we would recommend they be hung from within the recess. However, Roman blinds would be better suited outside the recess, as they are able to let more light enter into the room.
The bottom of your roman Blind should just touch the window sill when fully closed. You should use the shortest drop measurement if they are different at each end of the sill to ensure you don't have one side too long and crumpling on the window sill.
Not all shades need to be lined. For simple sheer Roman shades, many designers use the selected face fabric by itself for a visually light appearance. But in other situations, using a lining—a secondary fabric sewn to the back of the face material—can give blinds a more finished, luxurious look.
We therefore, recommend that the maximum size of a roman shade be 72” wide x 72” in length or a combination that equates to a similar square footage. We are not saying that roman shades cannot be made larger, rather that you must know the potential of overly heavy shades which are naturally harder to retract.
Approaching the problem of roman shades that are too long is not difficult. If you have roman shades that you love but they don't fit the length of your window, you can easily make an adjustment and provide some cost effective budget decorating.
Measure both the width of the window and the height of the window. Consider adding an extra 3 inches to the width and height for optimum light control and privacy. Extending the blinds outside the window will also provide the space needed for the mounts and help the window appear larger than it actually is.
On a modern Roman shade, you end up with about 3 1/2 inches of stacking once the shade is inside the canister. On a traditional Roman shade, the longer the window, the longer the stacking. It can range anywhere from about 6 inches to 16 inches. Another advantage of the modern Roman shade is the thickness of the fabric.
This sort of blind won't consume up the room in each side of the window either, so you can boost your space in the most ideal way. They Are Ideal For A Moderate Look: Roman blinds are ideal for a moderate look. They can be perfect and contemporary, as there are no unnecessary additional textures with them.
Style. Roller blinds are generally viewed as a modern style of blind. If you have a traditional home or are aiming to produce a traditional feel, we recommend using a roman blind which is much better suited to this type of interior.
Roman blinds create a stack at the top of the window when they are opened or raised. This can block the upper portion of your window view and minimize light and air filtration. Roman shades do not usually come in different sizes and shapes, so you need to customize them to fit your window openings.
Limitations With Curtain Fabrics
Made-to-measure Roman blinds are available up to a maximum width of 300cms (118''). As this width requires more than one width of curtain fabric it will have neat joins, with the pattern matched where necessary, to achieve your required width.
To minimize light leakage and ensure privacy the blind should overlap the window opening by 4" on each side for a total of 8" on entire width. 2) Measure distance from where the top of the blind will be located to the window sill. The blind should overlap the window opening on the top and the bottom by at least 3".
Window should have a minimum recessed space of 2 3/8" for inside mount. Measure the width of the window from the top of the opening to the sill in 3 places. Use the smallest dimension for the blind width. The factory will automatically deduct up to 1/4" - 1/2".
Faux linen, Polyester Roman Shades
Another highly recommended fabric for window coverings is polyester (or faux linen as it's also known). It is reliable, more durable, and usually inexpensive. It has its charm and is loved by design-savvy people.
99% of the time, the best fabric for roman shades is medium weight, 100% cotton, screen printed on canvas/duck. This fabric pleats nicely and doesn't wrinkle as easily. Most home decor/drapery fabric you will find in stores is this type of material.
The short answer is yes, it is possible to alter Roman blinds, and the good news is, it's not as complex as you might think. You will need: Tape measure. Pencil.
Cascade Blinds – The Cascade blind – made using all the contributory elements of a Roman blind the Cascade is the answer to a desire to avoid flat fabric. Using twice the fabric of a Roman the Cascade retains its folds even when fully closed.
A blind that skews to one side when it hangs is usually caused by the strings being uneven. This can be due either to the string being cut too short during installation or the string not being looped correctly through all the necessary fitting loops.