In August we had all of the original windows from our 1960s humble abode replaced. This had been on our wish list since 1998. We couldn't be happier with our choices and we're amazed at what a difference it made not only to the exterior of our home but the interior as well. Unfortunately, our blinds no longer fit in some of the rooms and require custom window treatments.

One of my favorite windows is the bay window above the kitchen sink. Finally, I have a spot to grow herbs in pretty pots. The challenge, however, was finding a window treatment. After weighing all the options, we decided a custom roman shade would be the best choice until we learned how much one would cost. So I did what any DIYer would do and made a custom DIY kitchen roman shade for a fraction of the price.

Custom DIY Kitchen Roman Shade

You can see from the photo below that we haven't added trim to the new window yet. We have granite tiles ordered to run along the bottom, sides, and ledge of the bay. I can't wait!

In the Spring I replaced the drapery panels in our living room for a steal of a deal.  I went back the following day and bought the last two panels in stock and hadn't a clue what I was going to do with them.


Our living room, dining room, and kitchen are open to one another and so those panels were perfect to use for the roman shade. Heck, I even had enough leftover fabric to make a faux roman shade and table runner for the dining room (which will soon be undergoing a makeover).


I'm a self-taught novice sewer with limited skills. The thought of sewing a roman shade scared the bejesus outta me so I went to my go-to source for online classes.  I was thrilled when Bluprint (formerly Craftsy) offered a course on how to make custom roman shades. Thanks to the Instructor, Susan Woodcock's easy to follow directions I was able to successfully make one for our kitchen bay window.

It looks a little short in this photo but I've accommodated the height of the granite tile and trim which will be installed soon.


The shade is always rolled up during the day and thankfully at dusk when it's rolled down you can't see the seam in the middle. Because the window is larger than the width of my drapery panels I had to sew both panels together, which presented a few challenges when squaring the fabric and lining up the pattern. It didn't help that I started this project well into the evening and the wee hours of the morning during a bout of insomnia.

Someone with more sewing expertise would have had no problem figuring it out but my tired thick skull needed to watch the video a few times until my light bulb moment finally arrived. That's the great thing about Bluprint classes, you can pause and type notes as you watch the lessons.

After finishing the class and successfully making my own roman shade, I was confident enough in my abilities to make one for my friend's kitchen window.


She had an extra drapery panel from her dining room. Her kitchen window is adjacent to the dining room so it was perfect. You can see in the photo below that I had enough fabric leftover to surprise her with a table runner.

Thankfully her panel fit exactly to the inch the opening of her window - love when that happens!. Unlike my panels hers was lined - one less step, yay.


I was able to cut off the tabs from the top hem and reuse the hem for the bottom of the shade. Happy dance!


For a gal who didn't have a clue how to sew a Roman Shade, I don't think I did such a shabby job and the bonus is that it didn't cost an arm and a leg.