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Making A Roller Blind
Blinds serve the same function as curtains, but they can also be used to cut out bright sunlight. When not in use they roll up out of the way, but their main advantage over curtains must be that they are so economical to make. You need buy only the amount of fabric to cover the window area, plus a minimal amount top and bottom there is no extra needed for pleats and gathers as in curtains and no need for lining fabric (although of course, and fullness do make curtains better insulators.)
Roller blinds are useful at windows with radiators or furniture underneath them because they cover only the glass and need not hang below the sill. They look crisper and sharper that curtains and complement the clean lines of a modern room. The blinds are quick and easy to put together. The straight bottom edge is the simplest to make, but the bottom of the blind can also be finished with a decorative scallops or zigzag cuts. Decide whether you are going to hang your blind inside or outside the window recess - blinds are generally gung inside the recess.
- Measure the width of the recess. If you are hanging the blind outside the recess, add 2 ¼ in to allow the overlap. Buy the roller blind kit. They come in a range of standard sizes and, unless the width you need is a standard size, buy the next size up and cut the roller to fit.
- Lay out the pieces of the roller kit to check you have everything you need. In most kits there is a wooden roller with a spring fitted at one end, an end cap and pin for the other end, two brackets, a wooden batten for the bottom of the blind, tacks, cord, a cord holder and a pull. Check the roller kit instructions for the positioning of each bracket. Normally two different brackets are supplied in each kit. The slotted bracket, which takes the spring end of the blind, usually goes on the left-hand side, unless you have chosen a non-reversible fabric. In this case, the roller can be fitted so that the fabric rolls over the front of tit with the right side of the fabric showing on the roller, rather that under the roller and down the back in the usual way. If the fabric is non-reversible, fit the slotted bracket to the right-hand side of the recess for this alternative rolling up method.
- If fixing your blind to the inside of the recess, position the brackets as close to the sides of the recess as possible so that the maximum area is covered by the blind. Screw in the brackets tightly, making sure they are absolutely level. If fixing it to the outside of the recess, the brackets should be at least 1 ¼ in from the recess edge and at least 2 ion above it to prevent light from the window showing round the top and sides of the blind.
Cutting The Roller To Size
Measure the distance between the brackets with a steel or wooden rule and saw the roller to this width, making an allowance for the end cap, which you still have to fit. Fix the end cap and pin to the sawn end of the roller, following I instructions supplied with the kit. The roller is now ready to take the fabric.
Choosing And Preparing The Fabric
Use either commercially pre-stiffened fabric or a furnishing fabric, which you can stiffen at home. Pre-stiffened roller blind fabric has been commercially treated to make it stiff, fray-resistant and in some cases, sponge able and fade resistant too. The fabric can be bought by the yard, in widths up to about 2 ¼ yd. Patterns without one-way designs can be used either vertically or horizontally to get the most economical use from the fabric.
Furnishing Fabric As Blind Material
There are several do-it-yourself stiffening agents for roller blinds on the market. Choose a medium weight fabric- too thin and it will not stiffen satisfactorily and will crease when rolled up - too think and it will not roll up evenly. Many fabrics shrink slightly when stiffened, so treat the fabric before cutting it to size. Follow the instructions for stiffening provided with the product, testing a sample piece of the fabric first to see if it is colorfast and can be stiffened.
Measuring Up For The Fabric
Measure the full width of your roller (excluding the protruding pin ends) and deduct ½ in to arrive at the finished fabric width.Measure from the brackets down to the windowsill, or to just below the sill for a blind hung outside the recess. Add 7 in to allow for fixing round the roller and for a casing at the bottom for the wooden batten, to arrive at the fabric length. Pre-stiffened fabric will not fray when cut and home-stiffened fabric should not do so either, so no allowance needs to be made for the sides and bottom hems. If fabric has to be joined to make up the width of the blind, allow 5/8 in seam allowance3 on each piece of fabric. Position the joins at equal intervals for the best appearance. Patterned Blinds that have joins or are to hang close to one another, such as three blinds at a bay window, should be pattern matched. When you measure up for the fabric make an allowance for the pattern repeats so that you can match them.
Cutting Out And Making Up The Blind
Work on a flat surface to prevent the fabric from creasing. Cut the pre-stiffened or home stiffened fabric to size using a sharp cutting knife or scalpel and a steel ruler or straight-edge tool as a cutting guide.Square corners each one must be an exact right angle or the blind will always roll up unevenly and hang badly. Use a protractor or a carpenter's try square to mark exact 90ºangles before cutting out.
Joining fabric widths The same method of joining widths can be used for both types of fabric. Overlap the two pieces of fabric by 5/8 in and topstitch down both edges to secure.
Neatening fabric edges Pre-stiffened fabric is fray resistant and the edges will not need neatening. Finishing fabric should be fray-resistant once it has been stiffened, but if it does have a tendency to fray, zigzag the edges on a sewing machine. Never turn under a side hem, as this will give you an uneven thickness of fabric on the ends of the roller.
Fitting The Batten
Saw batting to ½ in less than the width of the bind. Turn a single hem about 1 ½ deep too wrong side along bottom edge. Check that the batten will slide easily into this space, and make the casing deeper if necessary. Machine stitch close to the edge or the casing edge. One Pre stiffened fabric a zigzag stitch is preferable if your machine does this. Slip the batten into the casing and sew up both ends with tiny overcast stitches. If you do not have a sewing machine, cut the batten to size and fold the fabric to make the casing. Spread both sides of the batten with fabric glue. Position it carefully inside the fold and weight down with heavy objects. Such as books or kitchen weights, until the glue has dried. You need to position the batten differently if the blind is to have a decorative bottom finish.
To Attach Cord Holder And Cord
Push one end of cord though the hole in the cord holder, and knot behind it to secure. Position cord holder at the center of the batten casing, and screw in the through the material. Generally the cord holder is fixed to the front of the blind, but you can screw it into the back to hide it from its view. Attach cord pull to end of cord.
Fixing The Fabric To The Roller
Lay the fabric flat, right side upwards, and place the roller on the fabric at the top. If you are making a blind in a non-reversible fabric and you have chosen the method of rolling the fabric over the roller rather that under it, you must lay the fabric wrong side upwards. Lift the edge of the fabric over on the roller, lining up with one of the horizontal marks on it. If your roller has no horizontal lines, clap it in a carpenters vice, or ask someone to hold it very still for you, and mark a straight line at right angles to the ends along the length of the roller fix the edge of the fabric temporarily along this line with a length of sticky tape. Hammer the small tacks provided with the kit through the edge of the fabric into the roller and space them evenly. Then peel off the sticky tape. (If you own or can barrow a staple fun, you'll find stapling the fabric to the roller is easier.)
Hanging The Blind
Roll the fabric up tightly around the roller and fit it into the brackets. Pull the blind down to its full extent. You should now find that the tension is correct and when you give the cord a very gently tug, the blind should roll up. If the tension is not correct, the blind will be sluggish and jerky as it rolls up or it may not roll up at all. Try again. Lift the extended blind out of the brackets and roll the fabr4ic up round the roller put the blind back in the brackets and pull down again. Repeat until you get the correct tension, but be careful not to over-tension the blind or the spring may break.
Good Luck -Mayer
