MAQ of Metairie, Louisiana, USA sent photographs of her 13 inside-mount Roman shades. I call these the Ultimate Do-It-Yourself (DIY) shades because she used old curtains and fabric remnants for every window. MAQ wrote: "This was the first shade I made. It is in my kitchen. I had left-over linen material which I backed with ThermalSuede lining."
"I trimmed the bottom of the shade with ribbons. One ribbon was black and white check but I dyed it beige to match the checked oak flooring (beige and ebony). The trial curtain went so well, I purchased 12 more kits". Note from Terrell: MAQ used the Hardware Calculator to put together her own kits which included everything (and only the things) she needed for each window shade.
MAQ continues: "Here I took my old gauze curtains and purchased muslin for the backing. I glued the internal battens to the muslin lining so that the glue did not show on the front gauze fabric. The light weight shades give lots of light to the room but still provide privacy when closed.
"I attached three rows of ribbons and sewed buttons across the bottom of these shades. I used beige embroidery thread and silver metallic embroidery thread to attach the buttons." MAQ also made the pillows shown on the day bed. Some of the small ones were made from her stepmother's wedding dress. I told you this is the ultimate DIY project.
MAQ took her old beige dining room curtains (2 panels), dyed them green, cut them into 6 panels and used 2 panels for each of the three windows in her bedroom. The panels were still too narrow, so she cut a remnant of another fabric into three panels and used this as the center. She used dark sage green velvet ribbons to hide the seams of the panels.You can see photographs of all of MAQ's shades in the Gallery Section of my website. She sent along tons of information on how she made and trimmed the shades that you will want to read.
There has been a lot of drama surrounding the latest version of the Safety Standards for Corded Window Treatments. We are all currently using the Second Provisional Standards that were released in September of 2010. These standards require shrouding any exposed back lift cords, limiting the distance between the lift rings (so that a child cannot insert his head between the cord and shade), and having an operating cord that does not contain a loop when the shade is fully closed. There are many more requirements, but those are the basic ones that pertain to custom fabric Roman shades.The Window Treatment industry is currently self-regulated. That means they are voluntarily developing these safety standards in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) and consumer advocates. Some of the recent drama involved a much publicized disagreement between the Window Covering Manufacturers Association attendees and the CPSC Chairman which resulted in the CPSC Chairman leaving the meeting. Press coverage of that meeting painted a pretty grim picture of the hardworking window treatment professionals who are devoting a large portion of their time making their products and fabrication techniques safe.
The Third Provisional Standards were due out in December of 2011. Because of the conflict between the various groups involved in writing the rules and most importantly, the desire to fully test the premises and changes, the new Standards are now in a Beta Test mode. The actual standards will be out within the next few months. We are all hoping that this is the last revision.
A very informative article was written by Ralph Vasami, Executive Director of the Window Covering Manufacturers Association on December 26, 2011. I have pulled out a few paragraphs to give you his perspective: "The latest stories (about the standards process) have failed to mention that in the last 15 years, the industry has redesigned nearly every window-covering product to address and reduce safety risks. The Standard's latest updates, mischaracterized as tweaks in the Press, will go even further in minimizing potential risk. This is the sixth update to the Standard since the first one which was created in 1996.
According to the CPSC, industry safety efforts have resulted in a steady decrease in window covering-related fatalities over the past decade. Some groups are trying to ban corded window blinds without considering if there are feasible alternatives. Currently there is no universal technological fix to cover the wide variety of custom-made, made-to-measure and stock types of window coverings. Nor is there any technological fix to allow consumers to purchase or make (cordless) blinds at a cost comparable to current products. Proposals to ban corded window coverings would result in removing safe products from the market. Raising costs would likely cause consumers to hold onto older products longer and would create a less safe environment. CPSC data shows that more than 80% of incidents occur with older products that don't meet current standards, incorrect consumer installation or not using the product properly. This is why the industry supports the safety education campaign."
Meanwhile, we are all abiding by the September 2010 Standards. I love Roman shades because they can easily be made by most anyone who has a sewing machine, screw driver and hand saw for an amazingly inexpensive price. Let's hope that doesn't change.
Friday, February 10, 2012
February 8 2012 Newsletter
Today's first article shows shades made by CG of Collinsville, Virginia. These inside-mount shades show off the beautiful window trim in her home. The second article continues my "international" series which began with observations on window treatments in France. I spent the last two weeks of January in the Bahamas with our family. We rented a home on Grand Bahama Island. I'm guessing that the shades in the house were purchased in the United States. However, they were definitely made overseas, probably in China, although I couldn't find a "Made in" label.
Over the weekend we had 2-feet of snow in Colorado. I've included two photographs of my days enjoying fine powdery stuff. The first picture shows me walking with my husband on the unbelievably fine powdery sand on Grand Bahama Island. The second one was taken in equally powdery snow during a snowshoe trek. As long as the sun is shining, I enjoy the cold variety of powder. Maybe not as much as the sand, but I do love living in Colorado.
CG of Collinsville, Virginia, USA sent photographs of her five classic Roman shades.
CG's dining room window is composed of three separate sections. The middle picture window is flanked by two smaller casement windows. She made three separate shades. Looking at the window trim, I'm guessing she could not make one large inside-mount shade because of the two vertical trim pieces. This actually is a great choice since she may want the center shade closed at night, leaving the two side shades partially raised to allow air into the room.
This photograph shows CG's kitchen shade. Roman shades work great over a sink since they sit back from the work area. She matched the hardware in her kitchen by using an antique bronze finish for both the cleat and the cord drop. You can see photographs of all of CG's shades in the Gallery Section of my website.
I was in the Bahamas for 2 weeks with our family in January. We rented a beautiful house owned by a couple from the Atlanta, Georgia area. It was several years old with high-end furnishings. Of course, I was interested in the window treatments. The sliding doors had simple curtain panels hanging from decorative rods through large grommets. The windows all had Roman shades. When we arrived, all of the shades were lowered and looked quite elegant. They were a linen-type fabric with slats on the fold lines. The pull cords exited a cord lock at the front of the shade. The cord lock and board were covered with a short valance. This is very typical of manufactured shades.
After a few days I noticed that the shades weren't looking so elegant. What had changed? They were being raised and lowered and were no longer hanging evenly. They actually looked as if the cords had broken. Don't you just hate that when your blinds pull up crooked?
The shades were all mounted inside the deep untrimmed window openings. They were actually quite a bit longer than the window opening. Roman shades don't have to be lowered all of the way, so it initially was not obvious that they weren't the correct length for the windows. The shades were also too narrow. There was almost an inch between the side of the shade and the window opening.
The pull cords consisted of two cords exiting the cord lock mechanism. There was some kind of small gadget at the top of each cord that looked much like the plastic orbs sold to help level a shade. I'm guessing they were used to level the shade during installation. They had obviously slipped during repeated operation of the cords. The windows were quite high so I couldn't reach this part of the shade to see how they were adjusted. None of the shades in the house had remained level. I tie a knot at the beginning of the pull cord after leveling the shade. I've never had the knot slip or move. My shades always stay level, even after years of use. This could be done with these shades and I assure you I would have done it if I had easy access to a ladder. I also don't use (or sell) the plastic orbs. I've found that a knot with a dot of glue keeps the lift cords in-place through years of use.
Upon closer examination, the fabric was a foam-backed cotton/polyester blend. The sides were "hemmed" and then the bottom was hemmed. The shades had pockets stitched to the front of the shade. Flat aluminum slats were slipped into the pockets and then the ends were sewn closed. Lift rings with short ribbon loops were stitched into the pocket. There were two columns about 4-inches in from each side of the shade. This technique was also used on a set of shades I saw in France.
I'm guessing that the homeowners ordered these shades online, or purchased them from a chain store in the United States. They all had a Warning Label glued onto the inside bottom of the shade. Our 2 year-old grandson insisted that his mother hook all of the cords up out of reach on every shade in the house after inquiring why she did that on the shade in his bedroom.I really did like the look of the Roman shades in this house. They were casual and functional. If that were my home, you better believe that I would have made them myself and they would have fit and hung perfectly.
An even easier way to do this is to fold the panel vertically so that the two side seams are laying on top of each other. Measure over half of the cut-width (29" in our example) and trim both sides with one cut.
Your window may be so high that you need an extension ladder to reach the top of the window. You can still use this method, but now you need a helper to hold the shade. Make sure to add enough extra lift cord so that it is not pulled out of the hardware. I have even done this alone by placing a couple of chairs under the window to hold the shade. I really hate to ask a client to help me with installation.
It has been an extremely busy 5 weeks. So busy, in fact, that I did not write the October 26th Newsletter. I mentioned briefly in my October 12th Newsletter that we were moving our warehousing/packing operation. On October 7th I learned that the Fulfillment House that has been doing a great job of packing and shipping our orders was closed, perhaps due to a gas leak or other safety issue. The next day we learned that the business had been seized by the State of Colorado for non-payment of taxes. They packed and shipped items for over forty companies, whose inventory was now locked up. It took 2 weeks to get into the building. Meantime I set up temporary packing operations in my garage. Talk about a giant step backwards. We're finally up and running in a new location. We're still a bit disorganized and are taking a few more days to fulfill orders. Every day things get a little better and I see the light at the end of the tunnel.
