Have you ever wondered why people go for Roman blinds as opposed to curtains?
Roman blinds are a great way to add softness to a space without needing large amounts of fabric or bulk around your window.
They can be fitted inside or outside a window recess but bare in mind, at their smallest they take up approximately 25cm so can block out quite a bit of light. Alternatively, if the blind is set on the outside we can fit the blind so it only covers a small amount of the window.
If the blind is outside the recess, the track can be visible from the side, and it's not the prettiest!
Ways to avoid this is to have 'track returns' which are fabric covers which are in the same fabric on the blind or you could have the blind set under a pelmet.
Roman blinds can be made in a large variety of fabrics as long as they're not too heavy (upholstery weight), too thin and silky and especially not velvet! Velvet creases and when the blind is down you see the large horizontal stripes created by the velvet creasing when it's 'up'.
Roman blinds can be made lined only, bonded lined or lined and interlined. I would always advise going with bonded lining, it's a lining bonded with a thin layer of interlining, this adds structure and the extra thickness adds luxury! Blackout linings are available too for those who like it extra dark but also if you want to see a patterned fabric when the blind is down. (The sun shining through makes it hard to see a pattern sometimes)
There's two options for how roman blinds are made;
Option 1 - Hand sewn stab stitches, singular stitches horizontally along the face of the blind.
Option 2 - Machine sewn, long lines of machine stitching horizontally along the face of the blind.
Things to bare in mind..
Machine sewn blinds are often thought to be neater but the light protrudes through all the holes created by the machine stitching, especially if the lining is blackout.
If there's anything I've not covered, please don't hesitate to ask!
Lydia x
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