A Shady Solution

Remember when I told you I was making an effort to drastically reduce my heating bill and save some dough?  Well, now that the balmy days of March are here, I finally whipped up a little insulated roman-esque shade for my drafty kitchen window. Better late than never.

I sewed it from a fabric remnant I’d been holding on to for years.  The fresh green botanical print and my home’s spring green accents were a match made in decorating heaven.  It even tied into the green flower pots on my homemade back door shelving.   I think the blind adds a much-needed dose of classy cheer to an otherwise dreary and dingy back door.

Am I the only one whose cats see a DIY project in action and think “Project!  Yay!  Something to sit on!”

This was my first attempt at freehanding a roman-style blind, and I made some mistakes – and learned a lot – as I put it together.  I’ll save the in-depth tutorial for next time, when it’s sure to go much more smoothly.  In the mean time, here’s a quick recap:

With the help of my trusty feline sidekicks, I put together the blind from scratch.  I hemmed the fabric, then added plastic loop tape to the back.  (The loops wrangle the ribbons, allowing them to actually pull the shade up in a uniform fashion.)

I forgot to sew the insulating liner  to the green fabric before adding the loop tape.  Laziness prevailed, so I sewed the liner over the back of the blind, loops and all.  Then I cut small slivers in the liner fabric and pulled the loops through.  The back may not be the prettiest, but it’s completely functional.  Problem solved.

I don’t have the numbers exactly, since I already had all the fabric and trimmings on hand, but I’d guesstimate that this project cost less than $10.  While I can’t replace the ugly old back door, at least I can dress  it up with some cheap and  pretty “insulation.”

If you’re curious about those fabulous red stools, click here.

Shared at Kimba’s DIY Day at A Soft Place To Land as well as Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative.