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Use our Hardware Calculator to determine the quantity of plastic battens you need for your Classic Roman shade, Top-Down/Bottom-Up shade or Top-Down Only Roman shade. 

Free instructions on how to make your own Roman shade are available in the How To Section. 

You may request a sample of this item. 

3/16" diameter, 2-ft (24"), 3-ft (36"), 4-ft (48") or 5-ft (60") lengths. A center hole allow splicing of ribs to accommodate wider shades. The largest shade I have made was 14-1/2-feet and the battens (I joined three for each fold) worked perfectly. Plastic battens are easily cut to the correct length using wire cutters of wire strippers. 

The clear battens are designed for use with sheer fabrics. They are more flexible than the off-white variety and not quite as resistant to ultraviolet light.

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. Battens also allow you to space your lift lines much further apart than normal. Instead of the standard 6" to 8" spacing, there can be as much as 18" between ring columns. That means you have to sew on a lot fewer rings.

These plastic battens are quite small (just under 1/4" in diameter). This helps to decrease the amount the shade projects when folded up. In face, you can hardly tell the difference between a shade with no battens and one with 8 to 12 battens. Remember, the "up fold" battens and the "down fold battens stack in different locations. If you have 12 battens total, you will stack only 6 on top of each other when the shade it raised.

I glue my battens to the inside of my shades. For directions, see Gluing Battens. You can alternatively create a batten pocket along the fold lines.

As of June 14, 2007, we can no longer ship 4-ft and 5-ft items to Canada due to the new postal service international shipping regulations. The maximum package length is 42". Since we need an inch on each end for the metal tube end-stops, that means that the longest rod or batten we can ship is 40". Please E-Mail us for help in converting the quantities generated by the Hardware Calculator into shippable items.

A Comment on Other Types of Battens:
I You can use a wooden dowel rod instead of a plastic batten. These are available in your local hardware store. Get the 3/16" diameter ones, which come in 3-ft and 4-ft lengths. Don't use a 1/8" dowel, it will break. You could use a 1/4" diameter dowel if you don't have too many folds. 

Why do I prefer plastic battens to wooden ones?

	They come in a longer length (60" for the plastic ones, 48" maximum for the wooden ones).
	You can join the plastic battens using a batten splint [Item PBSP] for wider shades. The widest shade I made was 174" and it didn't sag!
	The wooden dowels absorb moisture and warp with time, even in a dry climate.
	The wooden dowels sometimes break when you turn the shade right-side out after gluing them into the shade.

The wooden dowel are less expensive than the plastic ribs, so if you are making a narrow shade and don't live a particularly humid climate, go ahead and use them.

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

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