Persia Lou

Creative. Crafty. Fun.

DIY Mini Blinds to Roman Shade

A couple years ago, I turned some old cheap mini blinds into a pretty roman shade, and when I was working on my new craft area a couple months ago, I decided that roman shade needed a makeover.

I wanted to share this project again because it is such an easy way to create a roman shade that actually works and looks great.

To make the roman shade, you will have to start by taking apart the blinds. You will need to only keep a few of the blinds, which will work as the rods that lift the shade.

I just used five, spaced ten inches apart. If you space them closer together, you will get more folds, when you draw the shade.

Once you have everything measured out and lined up, you will just glue the fabric to the blinds with a permanent fabric glue like Fabri-Tac or Fabri-Fix.

Put glue on the blinds around the holes. The cord will still need to be able to move through the hole in the blinds for the shade to work.

Finally, use the glue to wrap the fabric around the ends of the blinds as well as the top and bottom.
Mount the shade to the wall using the hardware from the mini blinds, and easy peasy – new shade in your favorite fabric!
I really like the graphic black and white stripe of this Ikea fabric.

Most of the time, I’m a fan of curtains, but some windows need something a bit smaller. Since this window is framed by bookshelves, a shade works perfectly. And we mounted it close to the ceiling to mask the awkward foot or so of empty wall above the window. 
The blinds are not as sturdy as the rods of a real roman shade would be, which means I have to draw kind of slowly. However, it only took about an hour to make, is perfectly functional, and I think it looks awesome in the space, sooooo I love it. 
What do you think? What are your favorite DIY window coverings?

Filed Under: Home Decor

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  1. I used to make roller shades when I was a just a youngin' living in my parents house. They were renting so I couldn't pull any of the blinds' slats out, but I thought it looked way cuter than the boring aluminum blinds. I dig the fabric choice, it's super cute!