Here at Fabrics Galore, we are always looking to be as helpful as possible and we have noticed that people coming into Fabrics Galore HQ have been asking about how, or if, our fabric can be used to create a roller blind. They are a wonderful addition to any home, not only because of their excellent functionality for privacy and light blockage, but also because they look great and can truly transform your interior. You will be pleased to know that we can certainly provide you with some insight and ensure you are well informed and equipped to choose the most suitable fabrics for your roller blind before you purchase any curtain fabrics.
What is the difference between a roller blind and a roman blind?
To start with, let’s sort out the difference between a roller blind and a roman blind. A roller blind simply rolls up around a circular tube, whereas a roman blind neatly folds up in sections, and although they both pull up via a chain, they sit quite differently.
Fun fact: roman blinds were first designed during the Roman era to provide a level of protection from both the sun and dust from the road. Nowadays, these blinds are normally best suited to bedrooms and living rooms. If you want to create your very own roman blind, you can choose between many different types of soft furnishing fabrics and make your decision based on the look you want to achieve. We’re not sure whether we have mentioned it, but our snazzy new website has blind fabric collections available with both of these rooms in mind. From children’s curtain fabrics to just standard plain curtain fabrics, we have it all.
What is better - medium or heavier weight blind fabrics?
If you want to use a medium weight cotton fabric for your blinds, this would be the best option for a crisp and neat roman blind. It may be a better choice for a smaller window in a study or a children’s bedroom where there is already quite a lot going on. The wonderful thing about designing your own roman blinds is how you can really play to the directional nature of the pattern or the detail in an illustration because you get to see it flat across the window. This is great if you want to showcase a fabulous animal print.
On the other hand, when looking to design a blind for your bedroom, heavier fabrics such as velvet or wool would be ideal as the softer folds can provide the room with more of a cosy vibe. While we think of it, it’s important for us to mention that if you want to achieve total darkness from your blind we recommend you use blackout lining to help with your beauty sleep.
How to Choose Fabric Width for Blinds
The standard width of these fabrics is 137cm (54inches) which can be a slightly problem for wider windows, but there are ways around this; you can either use a plain fabric or you will have to pattern match it horizontally (nightmare). Or why use one fabric when you can use two, by adding a border to your roman blind almost framing any one of our fab prints?
How do you treat fabrics before making your roller blinds?
When designing your roller blinds, it is important to remember that it is essential to use a spray-on stiffener - unless you are using pre-stiffened materials. This treatment also means they are better for humid rooms or ones with more moisture like a bathroom or kitchen.
Unfortunately, here at Fabrics Galore we do not currently sell the treatment to “stiffen” the fabric to make it suitable for the roller, but this is a solution you can find on the internet. However, although we may not be able to treat them for you we have some great options that would look great. We have always fancied a palm print vibe to our bathroom blinds because who doesn’t want to feel like they are somewhere tropical when enjoying their morning shower?
If you fancy treating the fabric yourself, our advice would be to use a cotton panama and avoid adding any borders. This is because the stitching would make getting through the roller quite difficult which may mean the width would still cause a problem.
Would you like to contact our team?
If you would like to have a chat with a member of our team about suitable fabric for roller or roman blinds, please feel free to give us a call on 020 7738 9589, and we would be happy to assist.
