Adventures in Radical Homemaking: DIY: No-Sew Roman Shade-style Fabric Blinds

When we bought our house about 2 1/2 years ago, we were thrilled that the previous owners left us custom-made curtains for every room in the house. We were first-time parents to a 2-month-old as well as first-time home buyers, so one less thing to worry about was a big deal. But we didn't exactly share the same style as the previous owners. Over time, as we settled into our home and parenthood -- and the baby began to sleep at night -- we started to care about things like "style" again, and it became apparent that our home didn't feel like it was truly ours yet. It felt more like an extended stay in someone else's house.

As time and money permit, we are slowly taking steps to change that and make our house feel like home. The day the rooster wallpaper border came down from the dining room walls was one of our happiest days in recent memory. The country-style curtains paired with old plastic mini blinds were the next to go. But what to replace them with?

While poking around some craft sites one day, I found this no-sew fabric blind tutorial, which was perfect for our space. The existing blinds helped with the blinding sunlight while still allowing some natural light into the room. But they didn't do much for ambiance, and many of the slats were broken from hasty yanking on the cords. Using this tutorial, we were able to use the original blinds (with all but 4 slats removed) and retain their functionality while giving the room an all-new look.

Opting for a more sophisticated style, we chose a burgundy/gold damask fabric that we were able to purchase 40% off with a coupon at a certain craft store that distributes coupons every month. Marking and cutting the slats was easy-peasy. Next, we had to glue the fabric in place. The tutorial suggests using Goop adhesive to glue the fabric to the slats, and I second that. I had Goop all-purpose adhesive left over from a prior project, so we used that, and it worked perfectly. It is strong, dries quickly, and does not leave marks on the front of the fabric. A note of caution, though: Goop comes with some pretty strongly worded warnings about inhalation as well as a Prop 65 warning about birth defects. If you do some research on products with Prop 65 warnings, you'll find that so many things have them and they may not be as scary as they seem. But since I'm now pregnant with baby #2 (if anyone didn't know: surprise!), I figured it was worth being cautious and had my husband do all the gluing this time (while wearing a dust mask, just in case).

Overall, this was an easy, straightforward, and inexpensive project. We used blinds and glue we already owned and bought fabric on sale, keeping the costs to a minimum. Even if you have to buy new blinds for this project, the cost shouldn't go up much; the original author said she found plastic mini blinds at Target for about $3 each. You can save even more on fabric by shopping at discount fabric stores.

We are so happy with our new blinds! Check 'em out!