Are U ready to add NEW Shades to UR room

When talking about window shades, you may want to match you decor, in a window that has a roller shade already installed within the window. (I have a 8 panel door, hence the roller shade hangs on the door with brackets that are supporting the shade, and casement windows the shade fits inside the window and side of the window. Please keep in mind the shade needs to roll up within itself. I have found the thickness of the fabric is something to keep in mind. I now know sheer fabric doesn't work well, over time. If you are a person that will be changing these shades and colors in your room then go for it.



I found some knit fabric, that is similar to old fashion curtains. This fabric is some what stretchy and very thin so it will be easy to roll up and down within the window. So a heavy type fabric would not do in this case, however, I have used in the past a light weight canvas fabric, it was striped and similar to very light decorator weight fabric. When choosing your fabric please keep this in mind, how is this fabric going to roll up into the roller and fit into the space it sits in the window (will it be free of the window casing)?

I have cutout my new fabric for my Family room window shades, I will take pic's of the old shades; however, they are in bad shape. I guess you over look the ugly and never want to look at it, when you look at it everyday. I have pieces of sheer window material that has started to string in places, I had seen that starting last year and I would take some white glue and brush it on to the backing to smooth the strings into place. You can't do this to the entire shade, hence the shade is a mess.

I learned a valuable lesson learned is don't buy sheer curtain fabric, since it doesn't wear well for this application.
unless as previous discussed you are the type that changes and updates your room often.


Ok I have ironed the knit fabric with the iron onto pellon backing material(I used pellon craft 809 Decor Bond). please note this fabric is stretchy material so take care when cutting this stuff to your size window measurements and when ironing it onto the pellon, to fit to size. Will post pic's of this process. If the fabric you have chosen is full of wonderful color, match with a good thread color. Mine is off white and white thread will do. I can hear you saying what are you talking about????

Step two is to get out your small sewing machine since I don't want to use my surge(r) since this will make the pellon to type of a stitch for the fabric to roll up on the shade roller. So I use a zig-zag on a 2 length and width of #3. This is what I call a running zig-zag. This will hold the fabric and pellon together, with the movement of being pulled up and down in daily use.

Ok, this is a new day.....I have zig-zag the entire door shade and one of the larger window shade, the fun has began, I am now ready to add trim to the shades. I have a tassle to add to the door shade plus several types of trim. I have learned the hard way that you can not pin the trim to the shade and have it turn out straight, so I found some iron on tape called "Iron on hem tape" it fits the size of the trim without cutting or measuring the size of the trim. Regular iron "Heat'n Bond Ultra Hold Iron-On Adhesive-17''x12''". You iron on to the trim, then take the paper backing off so you can iron the trim on to the shade. It will hold the trim into place so you can sew the trim on without it moving or shifting. As an extra bonus you can see if you like what your placement is what you want.


Here is a hint .....this iron on stuff will stick to your iron, so when your in Walmart in the sewing section grab some
Dritz iron cleaners (it is hanging very close to the iron tape). It works the best of all the iron cleaners I have found.

Well, this is the next day, DUH......I hung the shade on the roller to see if the trim, look straight on the door as well as, looking balanced with the door. I have a red face the width of the shade is about an 1/8 of inch to width. The shade does fit the roller but it hangs to close to the mechanics of the roller. This will make the shade rap around the roller shade to close when the hanger that supports the whole shade. I had to take the darn thing out to the garage and cut the side down a hair. I get a great big duh or maybe 2 big dubs

This is in retrospect after the shades are hung, I have found that the knit fabric stretches .....here is what happened to my shades

The long hanging door: it doesn't hang well, I believe I stretched the fabric to fit the pellon, the shade doesn't fit the sides of the door. I had to put hook & loop on the sides of the shade (the hook portion is stuck to the door, so when the darn thing is pulled down, you can't see inside my living room from the side.
The larger window shade has the knit pattern, the weave of the fabric is running a bit cadawompous or not running straight across the window the design is running a bit down hill. Needless to say, these shades are leaving this house as soon as Jo Ann's has a 50% off designer fabric remnants. I am not a type of person, that will not look at my errors, and get mad all over again. Good Bye errors, and will learn from my mistakes, don't make iron on shades with knit decorator fabric.