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Archive for the ‘DIY - Do it Yourself’ Category

How To Hang an Austrian Blind

Tuesday, October 30th, 2007

Austrian Blinds are absolutely lovely and very functional, but hanging them can tend to be confusing because of the gathered material, the numerous cords and the ability to hang them from either side.. They aren’t difficult at all once you get the “hang” of it.. and you will be able to do it in under ten minutes after a couple attempts. (more…)

Covering Your Roll Up Window Blinds

Monday, October 15th, 2007

Roll up window blinds are wonderful for their room darkening effect, but until recently haven’t been as stylish or fashionable as we might wish them to be.

Available in fabric or in Vinyl , they are now available in colors, but still aren’t as easy to match to our window coverings or our wallcoverings as we might wish them to be, available primarily in only plain colors without the prints that are the seasons best and most interesting part of the room (more…)

Roman Blinds: Hand Decorated

Monday, October 15th, 2007

Among the most elegant type of blinds as well as another which is easily decorated and adapted to echo the look and feel of any room is the Roman blind.

Easily stenciled or colored they lend themselves well to additional decorating, and hold the fabric paint well, giving the design the ability to last for years with proper care and cleaning. (more…)

Stencil Patterns for Blinds

Monday, October 15th, 2007

Using the stencil patterns below, its easy to get the exact look that you want from your vinyl mini blinds or roll up blinds with a bit of paint and your time and talent.

The stencils here are just one layer required, but you can easily make a shaded look by using two different colors when you load the brush, or dabbing darker colored paint around the edges of the stencil when working with it.

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Making Roller Blinds

Monday, October 15th, 2007

1. First, stiffen the fabric by following the directions given on the back of the Fabric stiffener box. Then allow it to dry and proceed to press it.

2. Cut the fabric to the needed size. Make sure you use a set square. This will get you a perfect square shape.

3. Next, lay the fabric down completely flat on a flat surface. Make sure it is wrong side up. Then turn up 1.5″ (3.75 cms) at the bottom edge and stitch close to the raw edge. Now this measurement should be only a little bigger than half the circumference of the dowel. It will be capable of being adjusted to fit any size dowel. (more…)

Decorating Your Blinds

Monday, October 15th, 2007

Vinyl blinds traditionally are plain and simple, colored in any shade to match your room, but still sometimes, less than exciting, and they really don’t seem to show off your more creative side.

With a little bit of creativity and some imagination you can change that. (more…)

Outside Mount Method

Monday, October 15th, 2007

If the installation requires you to hang the vertical blind on the wall or outside the window frame, you need to mount it using an outside mounting method. To do this you need to use the measurements of the blind’s height and add about Ό’’ to it.

Then using a measuring tape, measure from the floor up, the new height and mark the spot. Then screw in your first screw there. Next place an installation bracket on the wall about 3-4″ from the end of the headrail. Afterwards, insert a screw in the bracket and screw it in. Make sure the bracket is level and screw in the second screw. This will prevent the bracket from moving. Next, place the additional brackets across the headrail. Then place the clip release flange towards the wall or window. Finally tighten all screws so the brackets are securely mounted. (more…)

How to make Roman Blinds

Monday, October 15th, 2007

Roman blinds are one of the most popular styles of blinds today. Due to their design and refreshing look, they are often known as one of the most stylish ways to decorate a window. What is even nicer is they can be made from many a material and weight of fabric. Now it will be revealed how to estimate the fabric quantity needed to make your dream blinds.

Fabric, Lining - Strips of wooden or plastic dowelling, 1.25″ (3 cms) less than the blind’s width.
Small plastic rings, approximately 0.5″ (12mm) in diameter.
Wooden or brass acorn.

Nylon cord, 3 x (twice the length of the blind + the width of blind).
Wall cleat. (more…)

How to make a Plain Roman Blind

Monday, October 15th, 2007

Once you measured the amount of fabric you will need for the actual creation of your Roman blinds, you can begin the easy and quite fun process of actually making them.

1. To begin with you need to cut the fabrics to the size required while adding an additional 2” (5 cms) to the width for side seam allowances and 2″ (5 cms) to the length for hem allowances. If a patterned fabric is used, make sure it is cut so the pattern matches up on both sides.

2. Cut the lining out to precisely math the exact measurements as the upper fabric while leaving out any extra allowance that may have existed for pattern matching.

3. Take the fabric and lay it down right side up on a flat surface.

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Vertical Blind Installation

Monday, October 15th, 2007

To begin with, mount the vertical headrail on the window frame. To do this you need to use installation clips. If the blind is larger than 52’’ you will need to use three or more clips. However any those are 52’’ or less can manage with two clips, which should be placed at each end and about 4 inches from the edge.

The clips are attached up to the ceiling of the window frame using a screw in the hole closest to the flange at back. The hole needs to be about 2 1/4″ away from the window, wall or other obstacles to allow proper fane rotation. The take the valance and hold it up to the window, center it and screw it up through the back hole about ½’’ from the back edge.

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