DIY Tutorials, My Old Apartment, Rental Remedies, Sew / No-Sew Projects

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.

DIY Window Treatments

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.

DIY Window Treatment

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

DIY Window Treatment

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.)

diy window treatment

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.

DIY Window Treatment

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.

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10 Comments

  • Reply Amber at 11:30 pm

    Defintely let me know how you made the Romanesque blinds. I’ve been trying to do it off & on for Years & keep messing it up. Probably has something to do with me not remembering what mistake I made the previous times, lol.

  • Reply Rebecca at 12:50 am

    Super cute….love the green combo….I’m def impressed 🙂

  • Reply Julia at 9:54 am

    That green and white looks so fresh. I think you outdid yourself on that one my dear. Hope the furniture and life merging is going well! I wanted to let you know all is well here, I just had zero to blog about and didn’t feel like it. I also got my book from Amazon (THANK YOU SO MUCH!) It’s called miserly moms and even my hubs got in on the reading. He was so surprised a bloggy friend sent me a bday gift – it definitely is encouraging to him to see that!

    Have a great week!

  • Reply Erin @ SYL: Slipcover Your Life at 3:05 pm

    Loving what you did here! Looks so cute with the green walls and red chairs! And DIY projects aren’t just limited to cats, Bailey sees me get out crafts and she thinks, YES, something to sleep on!

  • Reply Melissa at 11:59 pm

    That is great fabric. My roman shades are cheap white Ikea and definitely do not insulate.

  • Reply Emerald at 11:23 am

    That blind looks great- you did a good job! And my cats sit on my collages or whatever I’m working on, too.

    By the way, you won the “Stuff From Our House Giveaway”. Send me an email at thespeedofemily@yahoo.com and let us know your address and what stuff you want us to send you! Congrats, and thanks for reading!

  • Reply Leproust Vintage at 2:18 am

    This is gorgeous! I wish that I was that talented. The colors in the fabric are so stunning, and really pop!

  • Reply Whitney at 10:03 am

    Umm my cat totally lays all over anything I’m ever doing. You are not alone! Love the colors here. Big fan of roman shades

  • Reply brinda nilesh at 9:17 am

    WOW!!the green accents around ur home are totally stunning…!!loved it!!:)

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