Making
Easy, No-Sew Window Treatments
Adapted From: Window
Treatments & Slipcovers For Dummies
If you're
looking to update a room with a fresh, modern look, then try these fun, no-sew
"shades." You make this shade with adjacent squares of paper covered
with clear Contac paper, which is a great material to work with for many
reasons: It allows in light, while still offering some privacy, and it's cheap
and easy to use, so you can change your mind often, or redecorate your window
for each season, holiday, whatever your whim.
This
simple project (shown in Figure 1) gives any informal room a fun feeling.
Consider making this shade for a modern bedroom, where the square panels are
echoed elsewhere in your decor. Try it in a child's bathroom or bedroom; it's a
great opportunity to let your kids' artwork have a better place to shine than
the refrigerator door.
To create
a hanging window shade, apply clear Contac paper over equal-size pieces of
paper, which laminates the images so they stay in place and the shade pieces
maintain their integrity.
Figure 1: String 'em up for a fresh, modern look.
Gathering
your gear
Before you
start on your project, get the following items ready:
- Any kind of interesting
paper that matches your décor.
Some ideas include colorful
construction paper, a color-page sheet from a newspaper (check out
foreign-language newspapers if you're matching an ethnic decor), beautiful
wallpaper or wrapping paper, vintage greeting cards, color copies of photos,
images from children's books, or anything you like. For kids' rooms, try
spelling out names, words, or messages by using a letter on each
Contac-covered square.
To figure out how many squares
you need, follow these steps:
• 1.
Measure your window length and width.
• 2.
Figure how many identically sized squares you need to reach your windowsill,
interspersed with 2-inch clips between each square.
• Try 4 x
4-inch squares because they break down nicely for a 30 x 60-inch window and
provide a variety of images. For a window of this size, use about seven or eight
rows of squares, and they'll be ten squares long each, with 2-inch paper clips
between each square. You can do the simple math; now get cracking on finding all
those images!
- 6 yards of clear Contac
paper
- One box of 2-inch paper
clips
Because paper clips can vary in
style and color from company to company, use all your paper clips from one box
for a uniform appearance.
Making your
shade
To create
your shade, follow these steps:
1. Cut your
decorative paper into 4 x 4-inch squares, enough to fill your window.
2. Apply one
layer of the clear Contac over one side of the decorative paper and then the
opposite side.
Doing so
"laminates" the image, suspending it between the Contac paper.
3. Cut the
Contac paper–covered image leaving a 1/2-inch edge of Contac around each
square.
4. Punch a hole
at the top and bottom of each square, being sure to keep the holes within the
1/2-inch of clear Contac paper.
5. Arrange the
squares in columns and attach with large paper clips.
Be sure to
only punch one hole at the top for the bottom squares.
6. Attach the
top paper clips to your curtain clips.
7. String along
your rod and hang.
