Low Tech Blinds – Construction

Have your patterns and all your supplies ready? Let’s make some blinds.

Start by placing your pattern pieces on the fabric. It doesn’t matter if you cut out the front or back pieces first. The curved sides will create a bit more waste, but it’s possible to place the pattern pieces close to each other in order to maximize fabric yardage. (I thought I took a photo of this step, but I’m not finding it on my memory card. It’s not any different than using any other flat pattern piece. In addition to designs on the fabric, you will want to make sure the grain or the nap is going the same direction on all your pieces.)

I cut out my back pieces first, then placed them on the chenille to cut out the fronts. I chose to proceed this way so there would be front/back pieces with matching edges. Since the chenille is on a 60” wide roll, right side up, the lining piece was placed right side down (right sides together).

After cutting the front piece, secure those 2 pieces together with a pin or clip and set aside if you’re planning to cut all your pieces at the same time. Don’t have a lot of workspace to accommodate unfinished pieces lying about? No problem. Make sure you’re keeping track of the way your pieces will need to be matched up when being fused together, and move to the next step.

Place the fusible web on the wrong side of one of the pieces. Line up straight edge to straight edge. Trim the web to match the side curves. Depending on size of your blinds, you may need to cut another piece of web to get full coverage. (If the front piece is not as heat tolerant, place it on the bottom, with web then lining right side up. Save your scraps. Small pieces of fusible web might be handy for other projects you might want to do later.)

Follow the directions for your fusible web to iron your blind sandwich together. Use a pressing cloth or piece of heat tolerant scrap fabric between the blind and iron. If you have any fusible web going beyond the edges, the pressing cloth will keep it off the iron. The cloth will also protect your nice fabric from the iron.

Applying the double-fold bias tape to the sides and bottom is next. You can try doing it with one piece mitered at the corners, but there is a possibility a package won’t make it all the way around. It actually looks nicer to trim one side at a time, than to have an overlap somewhere on a side. Place the edge of the blind into the open side of the tape. Make sure the blind edge is pushed all the way to the folded side of the tape. I keep the tape on the cardboard it’s wrapped around, and roll it out as I’m sewing it to the edge. It’s cut when I reach a corner.

Using a single straight stitch the bias tape is sewn to the edge of the blind. I don’t pin it, but just keep pushing it onto the edge while I’m sewing. My sewing machine has a sliding switch that allows me to adjust the machine’s speed. I keep it at the slowest speed, with the needle positioned in the middle of tape.

Bottom edge with trim.

Curved side with trim.

After the blind is trimmed make the ties from the bias tape. Each blind needs 4 ties. Mine are 18” long. Sew the ties closed either with a single stitch down the middle of the tape, or double-stitch about 1/8” from each edge.

When you have the ties ready, use a tape measure along the top edge to determine their placement. It doesn’t matter if you work from the front or back. Just make sure the ties are matched up on both sides before sewing them to the blind (2 front, 2 back). If you’re making a separate “cornice” and plan to place Velcro on the back of the blinds to assist with hanging them, cut the loop piece at least an inch shorter than the top edge of the blind. You want to keep the bulk out of the corners when you fold the flaps back. Pin the ties on the front side of the blind if using the Velcro.

Ties pinned to the front.

Even though I was using self-stick Velcro, it was applied to the back before the ties were sewn down. Start at one corner of the top edge and sew to the other, catching the Velcro and ties in the stitching. The Hook piece of Velcro can be attached later, after the blinds are completed. Just keep the tape on it until ready to hang.

Place your blind on the ironing board with one curved side facing away from you. Fold the curved edge under if the top of the blind is facing you. If you’re looking at the back, fold it toward you. Your fold line is going corner to corner, giving you a blind that’s square or rectangular from the front, depending on the shape of your window. To make the fold on blinds with heavier fabric, you may have to start by rolling the curve back until you reach the corners. Press the fold down with your hand first, then come back with the iron to press the edge.

Top-stitch about an 1/8” from the edge, just enough to catch both the front and back in the stitching. The stitching provides an edge that looks finished and helps to keep the side flaps where they belong. The flaps will be pulled to the sides of the windows after the blinds are installed.

Flaps folded to the back and top stitiched on both edges.

The flaring tool is used to curl the center down to the back.

It's the same concept used to put grommets together.

Applying the snaps is the last step. Follow the directions provided with the product you purchase, in case the ones you buy are different from the ones I used. But here are a couple of tips you might find helpful. Mark the placement of your snaps on the back of the blinds. Don’t bother with the small punch tool included with the snaps for making holes in the blinds. Instead, make a small cut with the very tip of your scissors through all layers, then push the shaft of the snap front through the opening. To pound the front and back pieces together, make sure you’re working on a solid surface which can support the use of a hammer. If your snap sets have a small flaring tool like mine did, watch your fingers. The wall part of the snaps is part snap, part screw. Go ahead and snap both sides together. After the blind tops are secured above the window, pull the bottom of the blinds to the wall and press the tips of the screws in enough to make a small mark. This mark will tell you where to install the snap screw. Tie the blinds out of the way first. (One thing to consider when determining quantity of snaps needed; for blinds which are wide, you might want to put some snaps in middle too.)

Don’t want a separate trim piece covering the top of your blinds? Purchase enough bias tape to give the top a finished edge. Leave off the Velcro, sew the ties on first, then apply the trim. You could also bring some extra of the back fabric over the top edge to the front to make contrasting trim at the top of the blind. Make sure you fold raw edges under. This is another area where you could use fusible web, or products like Heat-and-Bond and Stitch Witch. These are basically fusible web that comes in a strip which is wrapped around a spool. You will still want to top-stitch the trim edge to keep it secure and give it a finished appearance.

My blinds are secured above the windows with self-tapping metal to metal screws ¾” long. If I wasn’t making a trim piece (aka “cornice”), I would have finished the top edge and considered putting snaps at the top, too. However, I found the tiny, hand-held flaring tool to be inconvenient. Definitely put the snaps at the bottom corners for easy opening, and use screw covers to dress up your screws at the top. I found a vender pack of 50 chrome screw covers for license plates on Ebay. I’m using them to dress up the screws holding my trim pieces to the walls. Pro-dec is a vendor who sells all kinds of screw covers, both in metal and plastic. The cost of their metal covers can add up if you need a lot of them, but they do come in colors other than just silver. Their plastic covers come in many colors.

Have fun making your blinds! Please don’t hesitate to ask for assistance if the instructions aren’t clear, or you think a step was overlooked.

Kristal