How To Easily DIY Window Roller Shades For Any Room In Your Home

Window treatments are one aspect of interior design that is easy to overlook — until you find yourself living in a home with uncontrolled natural light and minimal privacy. This is the moment when the rather unwelcome discovery of the high price of most roller shades tends to become known. Even at a lower-priced retail store like Kohl's, fabric roller shades can set you back $100 or more per shade. It's no surprise then that creators like @serene.and.co have taken to TikTok to share their methods for making inexpensive DIY fabric roller shades.

If you've ever struggled to find affordable fabric roller shades for your windows, now may be the time to consider creating your own. All you'll need to complete the project is an inexpensive tear-to-fit vinyl roller shade for each window you'd like to cover, the fabric of your choice, spray adhesive, clips, fabric glue, and sharp scissors. Gather your supplies and prepare to be wowed. 

To create your own customized fabric roller shades, start by following the sizing instructions included with your tear-to-fit vinyl shades. You can purchase these shades for $9.98 each at Walmart. Once your shades are the desired sizes, you can move on to cutting pieces of fabric to fit the shades, leaving 1 to 2 inches of excess at the bottom. If your fabric is wrinkled, iron away the wrinkles before proceeding. Also, make sure that the shades are fully extended before measuring and cutting your fabric.

Once your fabric has been cut, apply spray adhesive to the back of the shades and attach it. Use your hands, a putty knife, or a credit card to smooth away any wrinkles or bubbles. If there is any fabric overhang on the sides of the shades, carefully cut it away with scissors. At the bottom of each shade, fold the overhang and glue it in place with fabric glue, cutting away any excess that would reach beyond the fold that already exists in the vinyl shade. Clip the bottoms until the glue has dried, and hang your new customized fabric roller shades backward so the fabric is visible from the front.

If you'd like to further customize your shades, consider adding embellishments to the bottom folds. Embellishment options could include lace, ribbon, fringe, or even beads. Fringe strips by Expo International are currently available for $0.63 per foot on Amazon.