Shade Style

As I mentioned last week, I decided to take part in

and decided it was really time to get rid of the curtains in my living room and replace them with some fantastic roman shades via my pin-spiration: 365 Days to Simplicity. So on Saturday, after painting the ceilings in the apartment, I went searching for the mini-blinds I had stored in the attic. Please confess to yourself (and the computer) that you DESPISE mini-blinds as much as I do. I truly hate them... the only reason we have them in our house at all is because they were left behind by our old roommates.

Anyway, I found two (perfect) that were the right size and brought them down to my craft room. Then I read the instructions (I know, I can't believe it either!) from 365, and decided I would prep as much as I could on Saturday, and do the meat of the work on Sunday.

Here's the thing though: I know how to sew... and I know that by saying that, I have sent my mother and grandmother into a hysterical fit of laughter, but it's true, I can sew. I can't make anything from pattern, but that's because of my whole stigma with directions, not because I don't know how to use a sewing machine. Sewing is easy, and it's fast. As far as I can tell, the hardest thing about sewing is loading a bobbin and pushing a flexible piece of thread through an impossible small needle hole. Once you've done those two things, the sewing is the easy part. I don't understand the great lengths that people go to in order to escape sewing. These roman shades are a perfect example of going to ridiculous lengths to not sew.

But! I had the blinds in the attic, and I didn't have a dowel, or the pulley-strings or other things you need for sewing roman shades, so I figured I would give "no sew" the old college try. I began by cutting the strings that needed to be cut.

Unfortunately, I also cut the string that wasn't to be cut (palm to forehead).

"Oh cuss!" I said to Aero and Bruno, who were watching me. "Cuss, cuss, cuss." And then I looked around the room hoping a solution would present itself. It didn't. "Well I'm not going to go out and buy a replacement blind!" I told them. So as the wheels turned I thought about what I had said to Dan (the Mr.) earlier when he asked why I was measuring the windows.

"Are you going to waste money again?" he asked, in the world's most supportive tone.

"I'm not even going to leave the house" I bragged.

before

Yet there I was in my craft room trying to figure out how I could sneak out to JoAnns to get some dowels and pulley cords to make real roman shades. "Cuss it" I said to the dogs (literally, I have been saying "cuss" instead of real swears, like the Fantastic Mr. Fox, because it's funnier and the dogs really appreciate my humor). And I decided that the shades didn't need pulleys, because on the odd-chance that we ever opened them we would only open them about half-way, at which place I could sew in a hook/eye, thus avoiding sneaking out and lying. Besides, we will probably move soon anyway, and when we get into a new house I'll make all new curtains.

I did not explain the rational to the dogs, that part is for you, dear reader.

After-ish

I sewed my little roman shades without a lining, so that they would filter a decent amount of sunlight into the room (and because it's easier that way). But they looked a bit boring. So I decided to get a little crazy and add a decorative little trim at the bottom.

I'm a huge fan of this kind of "trim" if that it what it should be called. Granted, it was a huge pain to make all of those little pleats and folds, but it's worth it, the windows look pretty now. I especially like the filtering effect they have with the sun.

Don't you think it is a VAST improvement?

Granted, I never really liked the dark panels I made, and I hung them in the worst possible way (on the trim instead of above it)... but the new shades make the room feel bigger and brighter. Agreed?

So, did I copy my pin? No. I got crafty with it instead. Sometimes, when I don't follow directions, I call that being crafty, or better yet, "creative". Makes me sound artsy instead of impatient...

Thanks again, for reading my blog. I know I get all story-teller on you about my projects, but I think it's more amusing that way. My next post will be more photos and less blabbing, I promise.

ps - don't worry, I will get around to taking the old hardware down one of these days...