Step 11: String & Hang
Printable Worksheet
METAL HEADRAIL
- Fix the headrail into place.
- Unwind all the cord from the cord spools, so the cords hang down.
- Thread each cord down through the appropriate column of rings on the back of the blind and secure the cord to the bottom ring/breakout with an adjustable toggle. Check if there is any applicable child safety legislation in your country. Make sure you string your blind in accordance with the legislation and the instructions in your kit.
- Fix the blind in place by pressing the (velcro) blind loop fastening to the headrail hook fastening.
- Wind the blind up with the chain.
- Just as the blind starts to pull up, stop.
- Check all the cords on the back are pulled taught. If not adjust the toggles so they are taught and the blind is level.
- Trim off any excess cord below the toggles (leave approx 10cm)
- With regard to the chain loop hanging down. Check if there is any applicable child safety legislation in your country. Make sure your chain is fitted in accordance with the legislation and the instructions in your kit.
EXTRA INSTRUCTIONS
- Fix the batten into place using screws or brackets if necessary.
- Cut a length of cord for each column of rings approximately twice the length of the blind plus the blind width.
- Attach a cord to each bottom ring/breakout and thread up through the rings/breakouts, through the eyelet of the batten directly above and then across through the eyelets along the batten to the side the blind will be pulled from. Check if there is any applicable child safety legislation in your country. Make sure you string your blind in accordance with the legislation and the instructions in your kit.
- Press the (velcro) blind loop fastening to the batten hook fastening to hold the blind in place.
- The cords will now be hanging down to the side of the blind and of varying lengths.
- Attach an acorn to the cords. Trim the loose ends. (check if there is any applicable child safety legislation in your country, for example some rules may require an unknotted acorn that releases cord under pressure breaking any cord loops, a break away tassel may also be required further up to from which a single cord hangs.)
- Fix a cleat at a convienient height at the side of the window. (check if there is any applicable child safety legislation in your country, for example some rules require that the cleat must be 150cms from the floor and accumulate all/most of the cord – only a single cord of no more than 20cms can hang below the cleat.)
- Pull the blind up and secure in place by winding the cord around the cleat.
If you have used rod pocket tape rather than make traditional rod pockets, you may be threading the cords through the fabric loops on the tape rather than brass rings.
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Questions & Comments
Thank you so much for your tutorial. I have just completed my first roman blind and to my dismay the head rail hangs about 1-2 inch away from the wall due to the brackets. (I think it is so the blind can be hung on a wall or on a ceiling, the brackets are tight angles). Do you know anywhere that I can get a narrow bracket that sits closer to the wall? Thanks.
What a disappointment after all the hard work. I am not sure you will be able to buy brackets separately that will fit your headrail. You may have to buy a whole new headrail?
Try Merrick and Day for a new headrail…LINK HERE
Alternatively, contact the company where you purchased your headrail and ask for their advice.
Cindy
Good videos but your guidance for using a wooden batten just seems to simply disappear. Where are video instructions for covering the wooden batten, rings or breakouts, etc? Really frustrating because I've made it almost to the end.
Sewing on rings and breakouts is the same for a headrail and wooden batten. We can't show our old video of stringing a wooden batten because it was made before child safety legislation and is not child safety compliant. We will look to see if we can find a child safety compliant wooden batten kit and demonstrate that.
Hi. I don't see at which point you insert the bukram? It is talked about at stage 6, but I don't see that in the video. When should I insert it?
You insert the buckram in STEP 8
Fantastic tutorials which I keep coming back to!
I like that stand you are using to hold the blind!
What is it called and where can I find one?
It is a lighting stand. It is made by "Gorilla Stands".
Gorilla Heavy- Duty 40kg T-bar lighting stand
Just finished your Lined Roman Blind course with the upgraded videos. It was fab, thanks! It took me a whole 2 days though! A flakey internet connection didn't help! How long should one roman blind of the size in your video take once up to speed?
We can make one in 6hrs. (lots of experience though) 2 days for a first attempt is good going, it's important not to rush and focus on quality.
Hi - can I just clarify when hanging (Rotary Chain System) I should fix the headrail in place, offer up the blind and attach the velcro and then string whilst the blind is vertical. Not string horizontally on the work table (or floor!!) and fix blind/headrail together in one go and then adjust strings (erm...like I may have done in the past) Soooo glad I have found you btw - fantastic resource.
You can do whatever you feel is easier. No right or wrong as adjustments can be made once the blind is hanging.
Hello! Thanks for the instructions. Can I just check does this mean that there should be three cords to 'pull' the blind? Is this right? Just checking! X
No
The number of cords is dependent on the width of the blind. The wider it is the more cords. Always use the number of cords supplied with a breakout system because each cord will be designed to only take a certain amount of load.
The space between the rings (cords) is covered in STEP 8 when marking the stab stitches.
Thank you so much for your excellent instructions, I would like to make a Roman blind with a glass bead trim on the bottom of the blind please could you tell me the best way to do it.
Kind regards Dawn.
There are 2 things to consider
1. Incorporating the trim into the dimensions of the blind and the blind folds calculation. Are you outside the recess and just adding it to the length of the blind? Is your blind down to a sill and you want the beads just touching the sill? In this case we would subtract the drop of the bead trim from the required length of the blind. Then make the folds calculation with this new length of blind
2. How you attach the trim, attaching it to the back of the blind, front of the blind (some braids are designed to be seen) or incorporating it into a fold at the bottom of the blind. There is some more info HERE on a question we have previously answered.
Very help full thanks uk
Hi there - as you mention in the red text, my blind kit comes with cord grips. Where would you suggest I attach these to the blind so they don’t show too much? Thanks!
I’m sorry I don’t understand what you mean by cord grips. If you mean toggles or breakouts they should be used in accordance with the instructions with the kit so they comply with child safety regulations.
Can you please tell me what thickness of blind cord you use?
We generally use 1.2mm blind cord.
I am making two blinds, side by side, to cover a window 240cm wide. I plan to have a chain system at the outside edge of each blind. Realistically how close can I expect the blinds to hang together?. I would like them ideally to butt up together for maximum heat retention.
Is there another alternative ?
You can always adjust the position of the blinds on the Velcro of the mechanism to get them close together. A 0.5cm gap between usually works well so they do not catch on each other. It wont matter if the blind slightly overhangs the end of the mechanism on the velcro as long as it is wide enough to keep the mechanism covered at the other end.
My finished blinds look great, but the front fabric sags in the middle of the blind as it is not attached to the lining / rods. I have put a few stitches to join the main fabric to the lining to stop the sagging, but it has started to pull and the holes are opening up where I have stitched. Do you have any ideas please?
Hi Helen
Did you sew in all the Stab Stitches in step 8. They hold the lining and fabric together and stop the problem you are describing.
Oh no, I missed that bit. I will give that a go. Thanks very much.
Hi, and thanks for sharing your instructions. I am about to make a blind for my brother and will follow your videos, as it's a long time since I made one of these! My main concern at the moment is safety, because there are small children in his house. I know that shop-bought blinds all come with safety devices to meet the new regulations. So my question is: would a blind made like this meet the safety requirements? And if not, could any modifications be made to make the cords safer? Thanks.
You will find some information on blind safety here.
http://www.rospa.com/homesafety/info/blind-cord-safety.pdf
http://www.makeitsafe.org.uk
To make a blind compliant with the safety regulations you would need to use a blind kit that has been tested and approved, has the correct safety labling, incorporates cord breakouts, chain breakers or safety clips and has the correct chain/cord length in accordance with the regulations. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CHECK WHAT THE REGULATIONS ARE IN YOUR COUNTRY AND FIND OUT WHAT YOU NEED TO COMPLY WITH.
There are compliant blind kits on the market.
I have made a roman blind which is 6 feet wide so I have used 9 lengths of cord, is there a device I can put all the cord ends into that will attach to an acorn as all 9 cords will not go through an acorn hole
Not that we use. The size of the holes in acorns does vary and with a wooden one there is some scope to drill a bigger hole. We would use a chain pull cassette system on a blind that wide due to its weight, which would negate the problem.
How does one remove the blind for washing? Must all the cords be undone & re-done afterwards?
We do not wash blinds. In our experience there will be some shrinkage and mostly likely at a different rate between the fabric and the lining causing it to pucker, and it will also probably end up smaller. If you were to wash it you would need to remove the rods, bottom bar and cords which will probably involve unstitching and restitching the ends of the pockets.
Can you.hang a Roman blind from a ceiling fixing. I have no wall space above the window in the recess.
Yes provided you can get a strong fixing. Most blind rail brackets can be ceiling fixed.
Hi
I have followed you tutorial to make a Roman blind.
However on hanging , the middle is sagging.
I have reinforced the poles as the blind is quite wide and made from good quality material however this has made no difference.
Is this to do with the cords or rings?
Thanks
A few ideas
Do you have the correct spacing between cords?
Have you put in ALL the stab stitches as per the tutorial?
Did you watch the video on how to stab stitch properly?
Did you use the videos to see our techniques to get the blind square?
The wider the blind the more amplified any errors are.
Hi, I've made the blinds with your tutorial and the folds don't form when the blind is pulled up. I wonder whether I've made a mistake? Did I'd need to stitch the liner to the fabric or did I need more rods???
Did you watch the videos?
Did you insert all the stab stitches correctly in STEP 8?
Are the roman shades machine washable?
We NEVER wash roman blinds. Different shrinkage rates between the fabric and the lining is likely to cause puckering and pulling on stitches. In our opinion it is very likely they will not be exactly the same size and not look good if you wash them.
I have just finished making two large interlined Roman blinds following your excellent instructions, I am so pleased with how they look. Thank you for making these instructions available and so clear and easy to follow.
I am using a mechanised headrail with a metal chain which was a bit too short as the window is very tall. I have extended the chain length with a connector but now it will only pull up half way. Do I need to replace the whole chain or just the position of the connector? I just can't seem to work it out! Thank you
The chain joiner will not go through the mechanism gear, so the most movement you will get is the length of the chain even if you position the joiner. Large blinds generally need geared mechanisms to lift the weight so I suspect you are going to need a new longer complete chain.
You can buy chain joining tools to avoid the joining link but these are pricey for a one off job.
I am making some blinds for a friend and the fabric they have chosen is semi-transparent. The shop she bought it from advised her to use blackout lining show the fabric off better. The blind will require two widths of fabric and I normally put a whole panel in the centre and extra fabric on either side. So how can I avoid seeing the fabric and lining joins that would normally be inside the blind?
It's a transparent fabric so you cant. `The only way to avoid joins would be to use the fabric and lining sideways (if it is plain and looks ok sideways and the width would be sufficient for the drop without a join). If you can find it double width blackout would help.
Brilliant , very easy to follow, put up my blind, no problem
I have made blinds for a bay window. The cord is catching on the edge of the blind when pulling it up. How can I stop this? T
If you are not pulling the cord down it can rub. Try moving the eyelet ring to the edge of the batten.
Do you iron the folds in before hanging or do you just let them fall? Thanks.
We definately do NOT iron the folds in. We let them fall.
Hi, I am using 4 pull cords as it is a wide blind. Do I use 4 separate pieces of cord or can I link 2 pulls together, if you see what I mean? Many thanks
There are systems available now though that join the cords together at the side then you only have one cord hanging down to pull. This makes the blind safer for children as there are no loops in the pull cord that could hang down.
Hi, Ai tried to make lined roman blind using this tutorial which is 215cms wide and 166cms long. It sags from middle and doesn't look that good. Is it because of width? I used 4mm fibre rods. Any suggestions please to make it look better. What is the maximum width I should go for with a roman blind?
A smaller blind is easier to make well and is best for beginners. Wider blinds are harder to make, they are not easy to get straight and square - any small errors are amplified. They do require a lot of care when making up. Quite often the long bars in the bottom warp as well with heat.
The fabric you use can be a factor as well, stiffer fabrics make up better. Also when you press you need to take care. Shrinkage can be a problem when pressing after made as there is such a large area of fabric and the fabric can shrink unevenly in places if you havent been careful, creating puckering.
When making
Did you make it using the techniques in the videos to get it square?
Did you press the fabric before measuring and cutting it?
Are all your stab stitches in place and done the way we showed in the video?
When you stitched did you make sure all your stitching was in the same direction (as in the videos) and you weren’t stitching in from each end.
It could be a hanging problem.
Send us some photos to help@sew-helpful.com and we will see if there is anything you may be able to tweak.
Wide blinds are difficult, It can be done though here is a picture of one someone made using the tutorial. (see more on our Your Makes Page)
Thank you for your brilliant tutorials- I'm now on my 3rd blind and your instructions are excellent. I have a problem with my latest blind - the folds hang slightly to the left when the blind is raised. I would appreciate any suggestion to rectify this.thank you.
Is the cord on that side the correct length it sounds slightly too long. Do you have a toggle end so you can adjust it.
My completed blinds appear to dip down in the middle of the blind and the folds are not straight. I gave positioned the cords 10 cm in at each side, and one in the centre of the blind. Any ideas what might be causing the folds not to be completely level?
Did you follow the techniques in the videos? Can you post a photo?
Thanks, I've played around with the tension on my cords and it appears to have helped to get the folds level and straight.
I have made 7 roman blinds and put them on to an open cassette rail , when I pull them up the pleats are slightly pulling to one side on all of them ,no matter what I have tried to do to fix this problem is cannot figure out what is causing this to happen
It could be numerous reasons, here are a few things to check
1.Are the cords inline with the rings on the blind.
2.Are the spools all the same and all pulling up together at the same rate ( check you dont have an odd one that winds down before it starts winding up?)
3.Are you testing the blinds on the same cassette rail and does this happen if you use a different one.
4.Are your cord lengths all set exactly right on the blinds.
I've made a Roman blind using quite thick fabric, it looks great down but I can't get it to pull up correctly and cannot work out what I have done wrong, it has 4 batons in it, I have attached the string to the end Baton and threaded up and then down to the acorn. When I pull it up the fabric just bunches, is this because I have not stitched the lining to the front fabric?
Did you use this tutorial to make the blind and if so did you stab stitch in STEP 8.
Hi, Ive made a roman blind that is outside recess and know how to fasten it to wall. This may be a dumb question, but how do you do it if you make it inside the recess. Where do you fasten it, and do you still use the wooden piece at the top?
It depends on where you can get a good fixing. Generally it is a v bad idea to screw into plastic window frames and sometimes the walls and ceiling in the recess can be very hollow plasterboard. You can ceiling and wall fix a wooden baten and a metal chain cassette.