D1. How do I prevent the sunlight from fading my fabrics?
The most important step when you make a Roman shade is to back it with a drapery lining designed to block ultraviolet light. Most drapery linings are designed to provide this function so check the label on the bolt. I really like Roc-lon Thermalsuede lining from Rockland Industries. Most fabric stores that sell home decorating fabrics carry it. If you cannot find this lining in your area, buy it here. Thermalsuede is a 70% polyester/30% cotton, closely woven fabric with a soft foam backing. As well as providing protection from the sun, It acts as an excellent insulation against heat and cold. It is also light-filtering, so that you get a reasonable amount of light through the shade when it is lowered. You cannot see through the shade, so it still provides privacy when down.

D2. How do I make room-darkening shades?
For those of you who do want a light-proof window treatment, use blackout lining. Roc-lon Blackout lining is an excellent choice for this type of lining. Most fabric stores that sell home decorating fabrics carry it. If you cannot find this lining in your area, buy it here. There are several things to keep in mind if you use this lining. It is about twice as heavy as a regular drapery lining, so be sure to use pulleys on your lift lines (see the FAQ's page on Professional Techniques). It is also not recommended that you sew parallel lines to make batten pockets, as you will see the needle holes. 

D3. How do I hang a shade on a steel door or window?
Lots of new construction now has steel or vinyl-clad windows and doors. They don't need painting, but most people are afraid of drilling holes so that they can attach window treatments. This is why they make sheet-metal screws! When you use the correct fastener, even very large shades will stay put. The only scary thing is that is is hard to "plug" a mistake, In wood, you can fill with wood putty. In a metal surface, a misplaced hole probably will have to stay. Measure and drill carefully. Click on these two links for more information on measuring and placement of a Roman shade on a French Door.

D4. How do I hide the lifting hardware so I can't see it on the outside of the window.
There are a few cases when you can actually see the lifting hardware (pulleys, cord locks, etc.) from the outside of the window. This only happens when you have a picture window on which you have placed an inside mount shade. The fix for this problem is to staple a simple "flap" of lining on the back of the board. Make it a few inches longer than the pulleys (about 5" long). I simply topstitch a small hem on the bottom. Note, that the lift rings and lift cord always are visible from the outside of the window when the shades are lowered. You should match the cord color and the lift ring color to the lining color. Then they just blend in.

To see a visual of the backside of several Roman shades that have the hardware showing from the outside of the house, click here. Note that in this case, there was no attempt to hide the hardware as these were functional, unlined shades on a very rustic summer cottage.

To summarize: cut a piece of lining the width of the board and 6.5" long. Turn up 1" on the bottom and stop stitch. Staple the top (use 1/2" of the top for this) to the top of the board. My directions are for Thermalsuede lining, which doesn't fray, so there is no need to hem the sides.

D5. How can I clean my Roman shades?
I don't wash my shades because I glue plastic battens into them. The last thing I do before installing my shades is to spray them with a fabric protectant such as Scotchgard. Once your shade is treated, stains can be easily wiped off with a damp cloth. I vacuum my shades once every 6 months (right, it's probably every 18 months, or when I am painting the window trim). You can find Scotchgard at your grocery store on in our Online Store.

If you are concerned with mold (as one customer from New Zealand was), make pockets for your battens so that you can slip them out when you wash the shades. If you plan on washing your shades, you must pre-wash both the front fabric and the lining. Another option is to call a Drapery Cleaning Service, which you can find in your Yellow Pages. Most will clean your shades without removing them from the window. Just mention the type of glue you used for the battens so they don't dissolve it.

Don't see the answer to your question? Ask Terrell.


Contact Information:
Terrell Designs, owned by Terrell Sundermann 
5325 Sanford Cir. E. Englewood, Colorado 80113
Phone: (303) 758-0188  Email:

Home     Shopping      Meet The Artist     Galleries     How To Make Roman Shades
FAQs     Roman Shade Hardware     What's New      Contact      Hardware Calculator
Links     Site Map