Tutorial - Fabric Tie-Up Shade

Disclaimer: I like to call this more of a wingin'-it tutorial. If you are a good sew-er-person, then stop reading right now (and if you do keep reading please don't judge me)! There are a few other tutorials on the net on how to make these window treatments and they did some of the steps in a different order. I'll tell you right now that my steps are prob'ly the ones that are mixed up. BUT, my shade turned out pretty cute anyway so here goes...

Materials:

Sewing machine
Iron
Ironing board
Fabric*
Thread*
Ribbon*
Scissors
Straight pins
Hand-sewing needle
Ruler
Measuring tape
Pencil or fabric pen
Fabric glue (optional)
Fray Check (optional)

* The amount of fabric, ribbon, and thread you need will depend on the size of your shade/window

Instructions:

First you will want to figure out your desired length and width of your window shade. Do you want it to sit inside of the window frame? Outside of the window frame? Halfway in-between?

If you look at the picture below, I chose to have my shade sit above the window frame at the top, and have the sides of the shade fall in the middle of the window frame. The measurements of my tiny shade were 25" wide and 34" long.

Once you've figured out your total desired length, you will need to determine how long you want your rod pocket to be (this will depend on the size of your curtain rod), how long you want your top shade to be, and how long you want your bottom shade to be. You will essentially be dividing your total length into 3 sections. The top shade will be stationary and the bottom shade is what you will be able to tie/roll up or down. How long you make each section is personal preference. Tip: Make sure the length of each section adds up to your total desired length.

I decided to allot 2" for the rod pocket, 4" for the top shade, and 28" for the bottom shade. (2" + 4" + 28" = 34" long). The reason I made such a small top shade was so that I could roll the bottom shade up fairly high to let the sunlight in. I was also using a curtain rod with a small diameter.

Before you cut your piece of fabric, you will need to calculate the extra fabric needed on each side (for seam allowances, etc.). See the diagram below:

I added 2” to the width for seam allowances. I added 6” to the length for seam allowances as well as the back of the rod pocket.

Cut your fabric.


Turn your fabric over to the wrong side. Hem the sides of your shade first. To do this, turn each side over 1/2" and press with an iron. Turn the edges over a second time, another 1/2", and press again to create a finished edge. Pin your edges so they stay in place and sew a straight seam. Tip: Check the setting on your iron. If your iron is too hot you may shrink your fabric.

Hem the top and bottom of your shade. Turn the top and bottom over 1/2" and press. Turn each edge over a second time, another 1/2", and press again to create a finished edge. Pin and sew.

Next you will make the rod pocket. Fold the top of the shade down to create your rod pocket. How far you fold it over depends on how much you allotted for the pocket. Pin and sew a horizontal seam across your shade.

I wanted a 2" rod pocket so I folded my fabric 2" down. I sewed two seams to create a more finished look.


Now you are ready to cut your fabric into a top shade and a bottom shade. (How far you measure down and cut will depend on how long you wanted your top shade to be). Starting from the bottom of the rod pocket, measure your top shade and mark with a pencil. Now measure and mark another 1" down (1" seam allowance for the top shade). Your bottom shade will also need a 1” seam allowance. Cut in-between the two seam allowances. See picture below.

I wanted my top shade to be 4” long so I measured and marked a line for a seam at 4” but then I also marked another line 1” down where I would cut the shades into two pieces.


Next you will want to figure out where your ribbon/ties will go. I decided to put each ribbon tie in the middle of each half of the shade (see diagram).

Cut 4 strips of ribbon slightly longer than the bottom shade. Using fabric glue, attach two ribbons to the front of the bottom shade, as well as two ribbons to the back of the bottom shade. (You will be glueing the ribbon onto the 1” seam allowance.) Your fabric will be sandwiched between the two strips of ribbon. If you don’t have fabric glue you can always pin your ribbon in place.

Now you will be sewing the top shade and bottom shade together. To do this, place the top shade on top of the bottom shade with the right sides of the fabric facing each other. You should see the wrong side of the fabrics at this point. You should also be able to see where you marked your 1” seam allowances. Pin the sides together and sew using a straight seam. Your ribbon will be sewn in as you do this. Once your top and bottom shades are sewn together, you may want to trim the seam allowance fabric and iron them flat.


Trim your ribbon ties so that they line up with the bottom of your shade. Use Fray Check to ensure that the ribbon doesn’t unravel.

Last but not least, hang up your shade and admire your own handiwork! If it turns out. Which I hope it does. ;)

P.S. Tutorials are hard to write.
P.S.S. If you have any questions, fire away.

P.S.S.S. If you end up using this tutorial to craft up your own shade, I'd love to hear how it turned out. :)
P.S.S.S.S. I wrote more about this project here.

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