Hook & Loop Fastener

This is an excellent product that is just like "soft" Velcro, but less expensive. You sew the loop portion to the back of your shade at the top. You staple the hook portion to the mounting board. Note that this item earns Terrell's Flawless Use Award. 
 
Most instructions for making Roman shades tell you to staple the top of your shade to the mounting board. I can't stand that method! Let me tell you, after nearly smothering under a large shade trying to screw the mounting board to the window trim, I decided there had to be a better way. Rather than staple the shade, I stapled the hook fastener (that is the stiff part of the Velcro) to the board. Then I sewed the loop fastener to the back top of the shade. Voila! I could attach the mounting board to the window BEFORE placing the shade onto the mounting board. Even a very long board is easy to level and screw into the wall since there is no fabric shade hanging down from it.
 
The typical shade uses 1 to 3 yards of Velcro (the width of your shade). I am more than willing to pay $5 to $15 to make installation simple. I also find that I seldom have to hire a professional installer since it is now so easy to put up the shades. That is a real savings.
 
I am often asked if Velcro works for a large or heavy shade. My answer is definitely yes. Remember, I have a degree in Physics so I am qualified to answer this question. The force on the shade is down, you have to pull out to unmate the Velcro. You'll understand what I mean when you try to re-arrange the shade on the board when you are installing it. Also the wider the shade, the more Velcro you are using and the weight of the shade is distributed across the entire length of Velcro. I have never had a shade fall off the board.
 
A Comment on Other Types of Velcro
You can usually find "soft" sew-on Velcro at a full service fabric store. It costs more than the "normal" Velcro. It is well worth the additional price. The reason is that the loop portion, which you sew onto the back of your shade is very "thin" for the soft Velcro. (The fastener is 3/4" wide, the "depth" is what is thin.) You are sewing the Velcro to the front fabric and the lining. This means that you a joining three different materials (fastener, front fabric and lining). Each material stretches differently and you can easily get quite a bit of shrinkage across the width of the top of your shade. Using the soft Velcro really makes a difference and shrinkage is negligible. Only the "soft" Velcro gets Terrell's Flawless Use designation.