How a Roman Shade Folds
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All types of Roman shades (Classic, Hobbled, Relaxed and even top-down) fold using the same principle. Columns of rings on the back of the shade are used to guide lift cords. When the rings "stack up" they cause a fold in the shade. The lift cord is tied to the bottom ring in each column then threaded up through the remaining rings and through the pulley mounted directly above that column of rings on the headrail. All of the cords are then threaded sideways at the top of the shade along the mounting board and exit on one side of the shade. The shade is operated by pulling on the lift cords. It folds in accordion-fashion halfway between each row of rings.
You will most likely be using the Hardware Calculator to determine your fold depth and the number of folds. But you should still understand how your shade operates.
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The Classic Roman shade pulls up from the bottom. Let's start with the first fold, which happens at the bottom of the shade. The first photo below shows the shade as it is just pulled up. If you squint you can see the lowest lift ring. The lift cord is tied to this ring. When the cord is pulled, the bottom of the shade begins to rise. The middle photo below shows the shade with one double fold. The bottom lift ring has hit the second lift ring. Notice that a second fold has been made halfway between the two lift rings. I call the lower fold of the fabric a "down" fold. It is on the front side of the shade. I call the upper fold the "up" fold. It is on the back side of the shade. Every time the bottom of the cord reaches a row of lift rings, it forms two folds: one "down" fold and one "up" fold. The last photo below shows the shade when the lift cord has reached the third row of rings. There are now two "down" folds and two "up" folds.
I've found that many of you think in terms of "flaps" rather than folds. A flap is made by one up-fold and one down-fold in your shade. You can have an even-number or an odd-number of flaps in your shade. There is one row of lift-cords for each flap.
  
Every shade has an even number of folds.
There are two folds (one "up" and one "down") for every row of lift rings. This equals one flap.
The lift rings are sewn on the Up Folds.
This can be seen in the drawing below.
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This photograph, which was taken from “below” the shade, shows the folds stacked on top of each other. The shade is pulled all of the way up. The length of the shade in this position is called the Stackage. You use this length in the Hardware Calculator as an input along with the Finished Shade Width and the Finished Shade Length to determine the folding of your shade.
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A top-down shade actually folds in the same manner. The lift rings still stack together and cause the shade to fold in an accordion manner. The shade drops down, and begins to fold from the bottom. So the top-part of the shade is always visible. This is important to remember if you are planning an art shade.
Continue the instructions by scrolling up and clicking on "Measuring Your Window" in the left-hand navigation column.
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