Arched Roman Shade

Arched shades are like Halloween: scary and fun.
I don't know which I find more intimidating- inside mounted arches, or outside mounted.  Either way, the frames have to be constructed accurately, with no wiggle room.
This one was mounted outside, directly onto the window molding.

It was a happy moment when the designer called to say it fit perfectly!

We began with a doubled wood frame; added a bottom board for the lift system; topped it with a covered dustboard extending down into wood returns.  The dustboard is a thin strip of wood John shaved off of a 1x4 using our new bandsaw.  It bent beautifully without kerfing.

I'm going to digress for a moment.  I'll get back to the shade in a moment.  We are pretty thrilled with this new workroom tool.  Some years ago we first bought a cheap bandsaw to see how well it would work for ripping wood, and when it was finally overworked to exhaustion, John found a great deal on this one.  His goal is to set it up so I will be able to rip an 8' board by myself- but I'm not quite ready for that yet!

Just out of curiosity, John wanted to see if he could rip a paper-thin strip off the short edge of a board.  Um.  Yes!

So, back to the arched frame.  I used 1/4" hardwood rectangles for my return flaps, nailing them into the side of the dustboard. 

It took me awhile to figure out how to extend the dustboard cover down all in one piece.  I used sticky tape to baste  the folded edges in place so I could sew them easily.

To finish the return, I hand-sewed it to the shade using the versatile ladder stitch.

It came out really beautifully!

I forgot to take a picture of the last step: The back of the frame was covered in lining all the way down below the dustboard, so from the outside, none of the arch, dustboard, or clutch was visible- all that could be seen was the white lining.

And there you have it!

Another soft cornice and another new method

I was so emboldened by my recent soft cornice experiences that I said yes to this treatment as a soft cornice with the shaped bottom and lip cord.  The designer, fellow Ossining-ite Elizabeth Harlow, provided a perfect template- so I had no drafting to do- just had to trace and cut.

In the front hallway

I used a combination of old-fashioned and new-fangled techniques.  (I love doing that!)   The treatment is made on two layers of Skirtex with interlining on top and Bella Notte Silky blackout on the back.  Lip cord traces and enhances the bottom silhouette.

For the shaped bottom, I used three methods: Rowley's fringe glue, double-sided sticky tape, and hand-sewing.  I did not feel comfortable with the curves and cutouts without reinforcing by sewing with an invisible ladder stitch. 

Once all the trim and all the layers were joined, I finished the bottom back with Dofix iron-on gimp.  What a treat that stuff is!!!!

Then, the real fun happened with the return.  The board was cut 1/2" less than the finished width.  For the returns I used 1/4" hardwood, 3.5" wide, which I get from Home Depot, and cut it the finished length.  The fabric was cut on the sides with 2x the return extra.  I slipped the 1/4" board into the return hem:

Folded the fabric over:

Then folded it again:

And secured it tightly at the top.  These steps took a little more fiddling than it looks, but, believe me, it was incredibly easy compared to any other way I've ever tried making a rigid return on a soft treatment.

Then I stapled it to the board:

Put a few more staples to secure the return:

And finished the dustcover.

Lastly, I hand-sewed the bottom of the return to tighten it up:

I'm thrilled with this neat, clean corner that is stable and secure without having to build a frame with attached legs!

For anyone seeking full instructions on soft cornice fabrication, I recommend any one of the following: Jo Braxton Thomas , Donna Skufis, and Rowley Company. All have excellent methods and instructions.