I love roller blinds for their functionality (privacy and light blockage are there when you want it, gone when you don’t), but they’re not always the most exciting thing to look at. (Plain sheet of white vinyl? But here’s a simple way to snazz up the situation — sew your own, using a hacked purchased blind as a base. I think fabric blinds have a minimalism that’s really chic, and they allow you to use bold prints that could be too much in a full-on curtain. Best of all, you can start and finish this project in just a couple hours, so a window makeover is just an afternoon away. CLICK HERE for the full roller blind how-to after the jump! heavy-duty roller blinds (including necessary hardware to hang them) medium-weight fabric (determine how much you’ll need in Step 2) all-purpose thread to match your fabric L-square or yard stick OR cutting mat, rotary cutter and straight edge Sturdy, medium-heavy fabrics (such as light canvas, cotton twill or decor-weight cottons) work best for this project.

A somewhat stiff fabric is preferable over something softer, as the stiff fabric will roll up more successfully than flimsier choices. If you have your heart set on a lightweight fabric, I’d suggest lining it with fusible interfacing to give it more body and stiffness. Although I haven’t tried it, stiff sheer fabrics (like the sheer panels sold at Ikea) would probably work well here too. 2. Hack, Install, and Measure One important thing to note is that you should choose a heavy-weight roller blind (sometimes labeled “maximum light blocking,” or similar). The spring mechanism in lighter blinds isn’t always strong enough to support the weight of a fabric shade, so I suggest playing it safe and going heavy-duty. Install the original (pre-hacked) blind in your window following the manufacturer’s instructions. Note the direction the blind rolls (ie, with the blind rolling from the back or the front of the roller), as well as which end of the roller goes to the left and right.

You’ll need to plan your blind so that it rolls in exactly the same way. Remove the vinyl shade from the purchased roller blind and reserve it for another use. Weight Of A King Size Duvet(I gave mine to a friend who is going to use it as a drop cloth when painting.) Garage Floor Epoxy PittsburghAlso remove the dowel or plastic bar from the bottom of the blind, and set it aside (you’ll use it later).Best Light Bulb For Sauna Measure the roller bar from end to end, just inside the caps on each end. Add 1″ to this length for measurement A. Also measure the distance from the roller bar to the spot where you would like the blind to fall, and add 9″ to this length for measurement B. Cut a piece of fabric that’s as wide as A and long as B.

It’s important to cut the fabric straight and even, so that the blind will hang straight. This is probably the trickiest part of this project, so take a little extra care to be sure you’ve got it really straight. To get a good, straight cut, use the selvedge edge of your fabric as a guide — you can count on the selvedge edge to be straight, so if you work from that line, you’ll be on the right track. If you have access to one, I highly recommend a rotary cutter, cutting mat, and straight edge for this job, as these tools make it really easy to cut perfectly straight lines and right angles. If you don’t have these, you can use an L-square or a yard stick to mark straight lines. Make the first cut along the selvedge edge, then measure from that line to make the remaining cuts, being careful to cut right angles so that all edges will be straight. Turn under the long side edges 1/2″ and press. (Note: only turn the fabric under once, not twice as you would normally do.

It’s best to avoid extra bulk in the seams so that the blind will roll up neatly, and a double-fold would case more bulk. This does mean that the raw edge of the fabric will be visible on the back side of the curtain, but what the heck, live dangerously!) Sew along the side seams, stitching close to the folded-under raw edge. Next, turn under the bottom edge 1/2″ and press, then turn it under another 1 1/2″ and press again. Stitch in place, sewing close to the interior fold. (Note: the sides of the hem will stay open, which creates a sleeve for inserting the dowel at the bottom of the blind.) To attach the fabric blind to the roller mechanism, place the fabric right-side up on a work surface. (The cutting mat works great here, as you can use the grid lines to be sure you’re aligning everything evenly.) It’s important to be sure the roller is aligned perfectly straight at the top edge of the fabric, so that the fabric will roll evenly. (Also take a moment here to be sure your fabric will be rolling in the correct direction, as you noted in Step 2.)

On the blinds I purchased, there was adhesive left on the roller from where the vinyl had been attached, and it was strong enough to hold my fabric panel. If that’s not the case for you, apply a strip of double-sided tape to attach the fabric to the roller. Then simply roll the fabric onto the roller. Pop your blind back into the hardware you installed earlier. Insert the dowel (which you removed earlier from the hacked blind) into the pocket and you’re done!We started from the bottom, now we're here: the 29th Avenue master bedroom makeover REVEAL! As a refresher, this is what we began with. Obviously this dark and dreary and totally lame bedroom wasn't going to cut it. Fast forward a few weeks and THIS is where we are now: In yesterday's post, I mentioned that we live in the Pacific Northwest, which means our bedroom's north and east-facing windows get even less light than most. We wanted to brighten up the room as much as possible and the easiest way to do that is with paint!

We chose a very pale pink (Shell Pink from Benjamin Moore) in a nice matte finish. It lightens the room incredibly well without feeling cold or sterile. Speaking of windows, you may remember our sad, broken IKEA blinds. Well, those suckers DEFINITELY had to go. The best part is the sheer layer that drops down from the top. So, during the day we can have beautiful filtered light and at night block out street lights. They are the perfect window covering for a bedroom! (I asked my husband what his favorite part about the entire bedroom makeover was and it was the shades!) Now that we got our room brightening needs met, it was time to get to my favorite part: choosing furniture and decorating! Like I mentioned before, we wanted to create a colorful yet cozy bedroom and accessories are where it's at. In my opinion, the first part of making any room cozy is adding a rug [insert The Big Lebowski reference] and this gorgeous blue rug from Loloi was the perfect choice. It helps anchor the room and offset the pastel pink walls without being too visually chaotic, like a patterned rug would have done here.

Plus, we've got crazy bedding and pillows that fit my "wacky pattern" needs just fine. (See our bathroom makeover and you'll know what I mean.) The next part is accessorizing with whatever makes you happy. I like surrounding myself with colorful artwork and plants, lots of plants. So, I added a ton of low light houseplants and some hanging terrariums for, y'know, added interest. The terrariums were from Target and, although the twine that comes with them is great, I couldn't help but spice them up a bit. Some leather cording and a few wooden beads did the trick and now I have some awesome, custom hanging terrariums! Our old bedroom was lacking a few basic bedroom-y things, like lamps and nightstands. So, like a good DIYer, I made an IKEA run to snag a couple side tables that could be made over to better fit our needs (and budget). The original tables were solid white, but a few coats of spray paint helped tie them in with the rest of the room and visually separate them from the awesome white table lamps we got from LampsPlus.

We were well on our way to a fully functioning bedroom! The only thing missing? A bed and a mattress that didn't make me wake up feeling like I'd slept on a bed of rusty nails, which is where YogaBed comes in.I cannot say enough good things about our YogaBed mattress. This baby has four unique layers that all work together to give you the best night's sleep you'll ever have (seriously): at the top is a layer of Instant Response Foam, followed by a gel layer, a thick breathable foam layer, and then a support base. It also has a removable, washable cover which, if you're a cleanliness person like me, is a fantastic option to have. Oh, and the best part? It's actually incredibly affordable. to learn more -- you can thank me later! The last thing on our to-do list was to swap out the whirling poo fan for a nice, sleek white ceiling fan and call it a day. Fortunately, LampsPlus came to our rescue and we could finally sleep tight in our colorful, cozy, and little-bit-wacky bedroom!