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Sew a Fine Seam

Annie Sloan Unfolded – A Fabric Review

Stitched


UPDATE *** you can see the tutorial for this here!

Last fall I received an email asking if I would be interested in receiving some fabric from Annie Sloan Unfolded® to do a project with.  I don’t know how you would have reacted but I couldn’t get the word ‘YES’ typed fast enough.  No amount of repeating the word, capitalization, or italics and underlining could express my excitement either.  I love great fabrics, and I was positive that if their fabric was anything close to the quality of their paint I was gonna love it.  I was right 🙂

I picked a fabric that ended up being back ordered.  I decided to be patient and wait on the Riviera Red to be produced instead of choosing a different fabric.

I am so happy that I waited because the stripes and colors of the Riviera Red are just yummy!!  I could not be more pleased with the feel, quality, drape, and width of this fabric too.  It is one of the most amazing fabric I’ve ever used.  It is wide, and you could make a really big roman shade if you wanted.  Or some really cool curtains, pillows, handbags, whatever you wanted.  I really can’t say enough about the great quality of this fabric.

The colors are true and the stripes are straight.  The Riviera Red is a light to medium weight fabric, not to0 light but not too heavy.  I chose not to line the roman shade, so it is not completely light blocking.  My kids can sleep half the morning with the window completely uncovered so I knew I didn’t need a complete light block, just something for privacy.  Making it without lining was easier and faster, but if you wanted light blocking you would want to line it.  Another reason I chose not to line it is because the window where the shade hangs is a North facing window so there is no direct sunlight hitting the curtain. If I were making shades for windows that got a lot of direct sunlight I would use a fade resistant lining to protect the fabric from fading and wear.

My first foray into the art of making roman shades was last summer, when I made several linen shades for a friend.  You can see them here.  We used a pattern she had, and used 3 long, vertical rows of rings on the back for the cords to run through for pulling the shade up.  Because we used a drapey, linen fabric and did not use dowel rods to stiffen the shades, they hang in soft drapey folds.  I love them in that style for the windows they adorn.

When I annouced that I wanted to make a roman shade for my girls’ room, and my husband asked me to make it with the dowel rods in it so it would fold neat and even instead of soft and drapey.  I’ve put together a little tutorial for you about how I made this roman shade, and I will share that next week.  I didn’t really look online for a tutorial, I used the knowledge I gained from making the shades for my friend, and used a few of the techniques from the book Home Sewn by French General.

Stay tuned for next week, and I’ll show you how I made this lovely roman shade.  And no, it is not hard at all.  If you can measure, fold, and sew straight lines you can make this!  Using great fabric like Annie Sloan Unfolded® fabric only makes it easier!

**** Tutorial is up!  Find it HERE! ****

Sew a Fine Seam

*I was given the fabric for this project in return for sharing my opinion about the fabric.  All opinions are mine and are 100% true and accurate!  I love this fabric and cannot wait to order some of the other prints.

About Jill Flory

I am the blogger behind this blog, a small business owner, both retail and wholesale. I'm a designer and design consultant, I blog about DIY projects, sewing tips and tutorials I've picked up along the way in the more than 25 years I've been using needle, thread, and machine, home decor, homeschooling, and life.

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Comments

  1. amber says

    I love Roman Shades & hope to have a few in our new house! This one with its crisp pleats is lovely! {good job!}:)I shall have to check out Annie Sloan Fabric too! Thanks for the review!:)

    Reply

  4. deborah says

    That fabric is awesome and goes so well with your style! Love! it looks so good in that room and with the locker!

    I can measure, fold, and sew fairly straight lines, but I don’t know if I have the patience for such a project. 🙂 I do love Roman shades and this one is neater than any of my boughten ones! Another plus to making it yourself is choosing your fabric instead of being limited to whatever is available ready-made.

    Reply

  14. Peggy~PJH Designs says

    Hi Jill,

    I love the fabric and the Roman shades. So excited for you in getting the opportunity to review their fabric. I love that the shades are soft and not stiff. They drape so prettily. Thanks for linking up at Transformed Tuesday.

    Hugs,
    Peggy~PJH Designs

    Reply

  16. di @ musings says

    Love the peppy red and crisp folds. I have some vintage blue pillow ticking fabric from my hubby’s grandmother and I’m looking for projects. Pinning this. Thanks for the tutorial.

    Reply

  18. June G. says

    I love the fabric you picked! I can almost feel the softness from your pictures. Can’t wait for the tutorial on the Roman shade….I’ve wanted to make my own for a long time! Have a lovely weekend!
    June

    Reply

    • Jill Flory says

      Thanks again Courtney! I already replied to you through email but now that I’m replying to everyone else on my blog I couldn’t leave you out!

      Reply

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