Before you start, you'll need:
• 2.5cm-square wooden batten the width of the blind
• Length of self-adhesive hook and sew-on loop fastener the width of the batten
• Main fabric (we used Gabrielle Lavender, ref 3274/805/CU, £60 a metre, )
• Border fabric (we used Mojo, ref LF053C/22, col Lilac, £33.90 a metre,
• Lining fabric
• Matching thread
• Lengths of narrow wooden dowelling, the width of the finished blind minus 3cm
• 12mm plastic rings
• 4 screw-in eyelets
• Wooden acorn
• 3 lengths of cord, each the width of the finished blind plus twice the length
• Wall cleat
Step 1) Fix the wooden batten inside the window recess to the underside of the window frame. Press the self-adhesive hook fastener along the front of the batten.
Step 2) To work out the size of your blind, measure from the top of the batten to your required finished drop, adding 2.5cm each for the top and bottom hems. Decide how deep you want the plain border to be and subtract this measurement from the finished drop (remembering to add 2.5cm for seams). For the width, measure the length of the batten and add 2.5cm for each side seam. Cut out your main, border and lining fabric to these measurements.
Step 3) Right sides facing and matching raw edges, stitch the border piece to the lower edge of the main fabric taking a 2.5cm seam. Trim seam allowance and press seam open.
Step 4) Right side up, lay out your main fabric on a flat surface. Place the lining fabric on top, matching raw edges all round. Pin all round, then stitch the side and bottom edges, taking a 2.5cm seam. Remove pins.
Step 5) To create a dowel pocket along the bottom edge, stitch a second line of stitching 6mm from the raw edge. Insert dowel. Trim seam allowances and turn through and press.
Step 6) To create the pleats, lay the blind lining side up and measure 5cm from the top of the blind. Mark with a pencil line across the width of the blind. Divide the remaining length of the blind into 20cm to 30cm pleats, finishing with a half pleat at the bottom. Mark each section with a pencil mark as before.
Step 7) To make pockets to hold the dowels at each of the pleats, cut 8cm strips of lining fabric to the width of the blind for each of the marked pencil lines. Fold each strip in half along the length and stitch the long raw edge and one end, taking a 1cm seam. Turn through and press.
Step 8) Centre the pockets along the marked pencil lines and pin and tack in place. Machine stitch each long edge, through all thicknesses, being careful not to pucker the fabric (see illustration).
Step 9) Slide the dowels into the pockets, turning under the remaining raw edges on the pockets and slip stitching to hold dowels in place.
Step 10) On each pocket mark the centre point of the blind and slip stitch a plastic ring in place. Repeat 5cm in from each side edge of the blind on each pocket (see illustration).
Step 11) To make the top hem, turn the raw edges of the main fabric and lining fabric to the back of the blind by 2.5cm, press and tack. Stitch the sew-on loop fastener in place, close to the fold. Hang the blind from the batten.
Step 12) Screw three eyelets to the underside of the batten so that each aligns with each row of plastic rings on the blind. Screw a fourth eyelet to the edge of the batten where the cords will fall and where the blind will be operated from.
Step 13) Tie each length of cord to each of the three rings on the lowest pleat. Then thread each length of cord through each of the rings above it, and through the eyelets, finishing on the working side of the batten (see illustration). Trim the cords to a suitable length and thread on a wooden acorn. Fix a cleat in place on the wall and use to secure the cords.
Tutorial sourced from - House to Home
Illustration, Michael A. Hill
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