B1. Why do you recommend using battens (stiffeners) in the folds of a Roman shade? Most directions for making Roman shades do not include placing battens on the fold lines. Most Roman shades also "bunch-up" when you raise them and require "training" so that they fold cleanly. If you use battens in the fold lines, your shades will fold up perfectly, even the first time you raise them. You will spend many hours making your shade. Do you really want to fuss with it every time you raise it? Battens also allow you to space your lift lines much further apart than normal. Instead of the standard 6" to 8" horizontal spacing, there can be as much as 20" between ring columns. That means you have to sew on a lot fewer rings.

The battens that I use (and love) are 3/16" in diameter, plastic and have a hole in the center of the batten. (These battens are available in our Online Store.) This allows me to splice several lengths together for a wide shade. The center hole also reduces the weight of each batten. You can also use wooden battens, which can sometimes be found in your local hardware or home improvement store. They are available in 3-ft and 4-ft lengths. Try to purchase the 3/16" diameter variety. The 1/8" diameter wooden dowels break easily and the 1/4" are a little too fat. If you can't find 3/16", use the 1/4" ones. Just realize that your shade will stick out more from the wall when the shade is pulled up (the battens fold up on top of each other).

Why do I prefer plastic battens:

• They never break when I turn the shade right-side out.
• They come in up to  5-ft lengths and can be made as long as you like by using the metal splint to join multiple battens.. 
• They don't warp, which the wooden battens do in high-humidity environments. In fact, it is even difficult to find a straight batten in the store, because they are often stored upright. 

B2. Why do you recommend using pulleys instead of the standard screw eyes on the headrail? Have you ever used both hands to pull up a fabric shade? I can guarantee you that shade used screw eyes on the headrail to direct the lift cords. You can make an amazingly large shade and lift it easily if you thread your lift lines through pulleys. They are essential for large shades. In fact, I prefer the "feel" so much that I use them on even the smallest shade. The quality of operating your shade should match the custom look of your fabric front. 

I am not the only one who recognized the benefit of having a pulley instead of a screw eye on the headrail. Click here to read about the "Bobbin Pulleys" that Dan McGrath made.

B3. Why do you recommend using hook and loop fastener (Velcro) to attach the shade to the mounting board instead of simply stapling it to the top of the board? I made my first shade the "conventional" way by stapling it to the mounting board. Of course, my first shade was two large panels on one board, which was for a double sliding door. Picture this: here I am on a tall ladder, underneath the shade, trying to hold up the board (with shades attached) and screw it to the angle irons. My arms were aching and my neck hurt. Then I climb down from under the shades, only to see that they are hanging crooked. So I try to remove the staples, ripping a few hole in the fabric (my beautiful pieced shades that I have spent hours and hours sewing) and attempt to re-staple them while the board is still attached to the wall. Well, that didn't work, so I took the board down, re-stapled the shade, climbed back under the shades and started over. 

I vowed to never again do that, and have used hook and loop fastener on all of my shades since then. The fastener holds even the largest shade. In order to un-mate the fasteners, you have to pull out from the window. The force on the shade (don't forget, I am a physicist!) is downward. The shades do not come off all by themselves.

You can find "soft" Velcro in a general sewing store like JoAnn's. Be sure to get the soft, sew-on variety. It is about half as thick (and twice as expensive) as the regular Velcro. You can also purchase soft hook and loop fastener here at our Online Store. When you try to sew regular-weight Velcro to the top (through two-thickness of fabric and two-thickness of lining), the shade top shrinks noticeably in width. Using the soft Velcro fixes this problem.

B4. How large can I make a Roman shade? My answer to this is always: "As large as your workspace." The largest shade that I made was 14'-'7" wide (that's 175") and 5'-8" long. A student made a shade that was 7'2" wide and 9' long. You can see it in the Reader's Gallery. I worked on a table, she worked on the floor. If I am covering a window that contains multiple panes, I almost always opt for one large shade, rather than separate panels. It is so much more convenient to raise and lower one shade every morning and evening, rather than two or three. So I have never worried about size. If you use the "professional" techniques described above, your shade will work perfectly, however large it is. For more information and photographs on large shades, click here.

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:

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