A Faux Soft Roman Shade

You may remember the no-sew valance I made here for my powder room.  This was hot glued together and upholstery tacks were used to “mount” it.

I couldn’t get away with total no-sew on this one, but the sewing involved is so minimal and not by machine.  Warning:  This post is a little long, but that’s because it includes a How-To with a lot of pictures.

The mission: to cover this window in my master bathroom with some kind of fabric.  The pleated shade provides privacy, but fabric is needed at this window.


The goal:  to use what I have as far as fabric and trim, with minimal sewing involved, and to hang it without having to mount a rod.
Our cast:  this Waverly fabric that I bought off eBay several years ago and which I still had quite a bit of; Stitch Witchery iron-on hem tape; thread that matches the fabric; fabric glue; iron and ironing board; yardstick; scissors; and trim.

I started by measuring the window and deciding how far down I wanted the finished treatment to be.  I measured to the bottom of the window frame and this was 34 inches and would give me plenty of fabric for making the soft pleats.  The window is 32 inches wide.


I cut my fabric 34 inches wide and about 36 inches long.  I folded down an inch on each edge {using the selvage on one side as my measurement} and ironed both sides so I could see where I would have to place the Stitch Witchery iron-on hem tape.  I put the tape between the fabric {the edging I just ironed and the body of the fabric}, and ironed it.  I then proceeded to do the same thing to the top and bottom.


Now, all four sides have been hemmed with iron-on hem tape.


I measure to make sure I’ve got my 32 inches wide. 


Now I want to play with it while it’s on the floor to see how I want to do the soft pleats.  I keep my yard stick nearby because I don’t want to go too short on my drop.


I get it the way I like it and then need to decide on what trim I want to add to the bottom.  Because . . . you know I just can’t leave it plain.  I pull out my bin of trims and try out several different ones that kind of….., maybe ……, might work.  Remember, my plan is to use what I have and not buy any trim.



Here’s an onion fringe, but it has too much yellow.


Here’s a tassel fringe, but there is a lot of rust and neutrals going on.


And here’s another one that has blues and greens in it, not as fancy as the tassel or onion fringe, but out of the trims I have, I think this one will work.


I take my fabric glue and laying a towel underneath the bottom edge of the fabric, I put glue along the width.  I then place the trim on pushing down on it to make sure it adheres as I go along.  This takes 24 hours to dry, so I’m going to leave it to dry before I move on.



Once the trim is dry and adhered to the bottom of the fabric, I pin the fabric the way I liked it laid out.  I am doing quick hand sewing to attach the pleat to the sides of the fabric.  Very simple, back and forth in the same area; really just tacking it. 



Now to “mount” it.  Hot glue.  Yes, I’m applying hot glue in a few key areas on the railing of the pleated shade and sticking the fabric right up there!  Just be careful not to put glue near where the string system is because you still need to be able to pull your shade up.*  Once it was up, I fussed with it a bit and wound up tacking each pleat in the middle.  It depends on the final look you want.



There you have it!  A faux soft roman shade that gives me the fabric I want in the bathroom, hides the shade when it’s up, and it only cost me about $5.00, for the iron-on tape and fabric glue.  The longest part of this project was waiting the 24 hours for the fabric glue to dry. 

Before                                  After

*If you wanted to make this and don’t have a shade, you can get a tension rod that will fit the width of the window.  After you have iron-on hemmed all your sides, go back to what would be the top, use the rod as a guide for size, and fold over another section to make the rod pocket.  Remove the rod and iron-on the hem tape to make your pocket.


Joining in at the following linky parties:
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch
It's So Very Cheri
The Twice Remembered Cottage’s Make Your Monday
DIY Day at A Soft Place To Land
Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous