One would think being in the interior industry, self-made decor would come naturally to me.
Yip, ONE. WOULD. THINK!
The opposite is true for me in fact. I previously loathed doing my own home decor sewing. Curtains, blinds, cushions, the lot…. { LOATHE IT }. It most probably has much to do with the fact that Ive always had professional curtain workshops make my clients curtains, bedspreads, blinds etc & it may have become a luxury to have the same workshops whip up things for me in the past too. Decor sewing always reminded me too much of work & I prefer sewing garments anyway.
Since moving to Austria, I have found it incredibly difficult to find such workshops in & ’round my ‘hood. They probably exist in the big cities but since I live in the sticks, it really has forced me to make things myself.
I really needed to get some window dressings for the baby room so I decided to do simple roman blinds complicated with the need to line these with a good block out lining because the morning sun streams in through the one window & the other window is flooded with an annoying 10,000,000 watt halogen flood light from a neighbour that Im pretty convinced is signaling aliens “Land Here”! Cant have either!!
As you know, we are not aware of whether we’re expecting a boy or girl so we needed to go with something kinda neutral. Yellow is neutral. Non?
I had purchased this happy Ikea fabric a year or two ago just coz I loved it & had cushions planned in but never got to it. Unfortunately 2m was only sufficient for one window so off I darted to Ikea to pick up a further 2m. Thank goodness Ikea still had & might I add, still at the same price! I love the ‘watercolour-type’ effect of the yellow especially. 
Since I had never made roman blinds before, I went into this project…well…blind. I hit YouTube for a tut & came across this Debbie Shore video. She explains things so well, I actually felt like I had the confidence to give it a go. Here are the results : 
We have aluminium venetian blinds integrated to the windows already which when closed give good results but the blinds just add something extra to the room & the blockout does its job extremely well. No more halogen flood lights, thanks neighbours! Instead of installing cleats to the wall to wind the cords, I use the integrated venetian blind fixings because I hardly ever lift the venetians so there was no point in adding extra cleats for the romans. By the way, WTF is up with blinds being named after the Italians???
My experience with decor in general is vast even though I haven’t actually made things myself. Working with professionals in the industry though, I have learned a thing or 10 about the do’s and don’ts so I’ll share some essential tips.
– Always use the best quality supplies you can afford. Don’t be tempted to use cheap alternatives because especially with blinds & curtains, the sun does damage & cheap supplies will just fall apart in no time. Good quality lining is paramount.
– Check your measurements again…..& again before cutting anything!!
– Work systematically – it really does help to keep things clear especially when you’re dealing with various sized windows. Lengths & widths can vary ever so slightly so deal with one window before moving onto another.
– Make worksheets. Simple diagrams with measurements will help. { PROMISE }.
– Take your time.
Ive also included a list with links to the various places I purchased my supplies if your’e interested. Im supplying these links because Im thoughtful, not because Im affiliated in any way. Clear!
Supplies :
{ Fabric } : Ikea Stockholm
{ Lining } : Black out “Natur”
{ Blind fittings } : Toggles, tapes, cords etc
{ Batons } : Husband supplied
{ Rods } : Bauhaus
We’re almost finished with setting up the baby room so I’ll be sure to update pics as soon as its all done.
Hope you’re all well
x Ange
{ SKIRT } : Me-made BurdaStyle 
I used a soft ivory cotton lycra which was a scrap I picked up from a friend that worked at a well known lingerie company. I used the cotton lycra because its super silky soft and feels wonderful on the skin. I used 4 different coloured cottons for the top-stitch zigzag & button : a soft peachy pink around the waist, a lime green at the sides & crotch, bright yellow on the leg openings & a turquoise blue to attach the little button. The cottons (part of a 30 pack of the sweetest colours) I purchased from 
I would recommend these for a quick sew & I would try them again in an alternative fabric & perhaps with elastic to the insides, maybe with a lace trim.
b l a c k l a b e l 