Pleating to Pattern- Roman shade style

When there is a bottom trim on a shade you want to pleat to pattern, it's easiest to do a little mockup to see how the pleats will fall.  The best ring and pattern placement might not be what at first seems to be the obvious.  I was glad I made a template before committing myself with this pattern:

I used a cut-off selvedge to make my template so that all 3 shades would match.  I also wanted a complete circle, not a section of a circle, at the top.  Luckily all 3 shades were the same size.

Something to look out for when marking for rings to pattern is take-up.  Here you can see that the pattern on the tabled shade is a bit shrunken compared to the selvedge.  I adjusted my ring mark placement to correspond to the fabric after tabling.

These shades were perfect for this home.  I was completely satisfied with the outcome!

Little return flaps hide the clutch.

The clutch was fitted with an antique brass bead chain loop and a brown tension device that blends in with the wood.

 

Everyone was happy when this was installed!  Especially me.

A surprise, improv, return flaps, and color-block

Workrooms often don't get to see their work in a truly finished room.
Often when we go to measure, the room is still under construction, like this one.

The day we came to install the treatments, there was a carpet in place but no furniture.

There was also a big surprise.

These built-ins were not there when I measured!!! 
The shade needed barely 1/4" off one side of the board.  The fabric fit just fine.
Well, we are nothing if not problem-solvers, and Mario's improv experience serves him well in all phases of his life.  He wielded the saw, and I helped by applying my weight to the miter box.  A little hot glue and a couple of screws later, that shade was hangable.

Fusible buckram has more magical uses than I can count, and one of my faves is to stiffen return flaps for shades.  Here I made 5 pair.  Sewing them makes them too bulky so I use double-sided adhesive. 

A quick fold and steam-

And they're ready to be attached.

Here they are from the front, on a different shade.

A peek underneath-

And from behind:

Curious to see the color-block shade?