I am a bowhunter,.. & in fact currently working full time as a bow tech, but I am also a former professional cheerleader, & "princess" friend of sorts. So coming up with an interior design theme for my new house was a bit of a challenge for me. It's easy to find rustic, cabin themed rooms, & it's easy to find classically feminine themed rooms... but have you every actually seen those two combined?! No. But this is my style. So this is what I've come up with!!
This fabric was one of my design starting points & inspirations for my living room. It's playful & quirky (in the best representation of my personality).. but it's also outdoorsy in that I believe these are supposed to be peacocks.
In my head they are not peacocks. They are turkeys. This is not up for debate.
My Quirky Turkeys.
Supplies
- One set of mini blinds that probably already exist in your window
- Fabric cutting capable scissors
- Liquid stitch (or equivalent)
- At least 2 yards of your choice of fabric (per side)
Start by popping out the little white stoppers at the bottom of the blinds. The ones that hold the strings in place & kind of look like little wine stoppers.
Alright, now look at the strings that pull the blinds. There should be two sets: one that looks like a ladder & one that simply connects all the slats. Cut down the middle of the ladder to disconnect it, but DO NOT cut the string that is strung through the middle of the slats on its own. Remove the dismantled "ladder" string altogether. You won't be needing it.
Your blinds should now be a series of slats on a string, literally.
Be certain to measure the full length of the inside of your window frame, from top to bottom. This is how much fabric you will need.. plus an additional 4 or 5 inches. Lay your tape measure down next to the blinds, marked at the distance of the inside of your window. This is so you know where your blinds should start & stop.
Once you know the distance you're working with, untie the connecting string at the bottom of the blinds. This is where you will determine how many slats to keep in your blind, which is going to end up being mostly a matter of opinion. There is no right or wrong way to do this. The easiest thing to do is to divide the distance of your window equally. For example: if your window is 36 inches long, you could space out 6 slats every 6 inches. Play around with it. See what it looks like spaced out far apart, as well as close together, but keep in mind wherever you place a slat is where there will be ruffles when the blind is pulled up.
Remove the slats you wont be needing, & retie the string on the bottom of the blind to keep the good ones in place.
Lay your fabric face down, it's easiest to work on the project from behind (the view of the blind from outside the room, that is). Now you can lay your "blind" over the fabric. With your tape measure still in place off to the side, space your slats where you've decided they should live on the fabric. It's important at this point to make sure that all the slats end up lined up vertically. The edges should be flush with each other, otherwise they will look crooked once hung in the window frame.
Using your liquid stitch, or other sewing glue, go through one at a time & glue the top of each slat onto the backside of the fabric. Holding it firmly in place for a few seconds.
Once all the slats are in place, flip over the excess fabric on the sides & glue those onto the blinds as well.
At the bottom, simple wrap the fabric around the base of the blinds & secure in place, almost like wrapping a package. Play around with this step, there is many ways it could be done based on preference. Just make it your own!!
When you reach the top, do the same as the bottom.. But don't forget to cut a small snip in the fabric for the pull string to reach through on the front.
This is where you would wrap the back side in fabric as well. I'll be honest with you, I haven't gotten to this point yet. You know me,.. in typical KaeLeigh fashion I would rather have 6 mostly-completed-projects than 3 fully completed projects. This is also because my projects are never, ever, actually "completed". I want to add fabric to the backs of my shades, because that's what is going to be seen from the outside.. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm thinking about doing a different pattern than the front though.. or maybe a solid color. What do you think?!
Pop the blinds back into the window & stand back to admire your work at this point. If you haven't already, this is where you pour yourself a glass of wine (or two), sit down on the couch & tweet about how creative you are. Suzy Homemaker has nothing on you!! You just made your own damn window treatment in less than an hour, what else can you tackle tonight!?
I made this set of roman shades for my kitchen as well. This fabric is perfect for a completely open & white blank slate of a kitchen. Maybe next time I'll try using burlap.
