Balloon Shade

The Venetian blinds in our house were one of the first things to go when we moved in as my husband dislikes them. But I still like some way to easily adjust the lighting in a room. One of the first things I do in the morning is let the sunshine in! But I also want it easy to darken the room for naps and at night. Easy to sew balloon shades have been the perfect solution for several of our rooms!

Here is some simple directions. No pattern needed!
First sew a simple, one piece curtain. It should have a top placket for the rod and fall generously below the window. The fullness of the curtain is entirely up to you.
Next, take a trip to a fabric store and home improvement store and gather a few items.

cord - I bought mine in the curtain department at Joannes

tiny rings - I used plastic rings for the first shade I made but after several years of hanging in the bright sunlight, the plastic disintegrated. Ed suggested stainless steel washers. They were more expensive but should last for years without falling apart or rusting. You want the smallest size possible while still allowing your cord to pull through easily.

three small eye screws

one cleat
Lay your curtain on a flat surface wrong side up.
Mark where you will sew on your rings. I used pins to mark three rows evenly spaced across the curtain. Then marked about every six inches from top to bottom.
Carefully hand stitch the rings to the curtain. You want them to be sewed securely without being too noticeable on the wrong side. When the shade is gathered up, the stitches will not be noticed.
Cut three lengths of cording. Make sure it is long enough to go through the whole length and across the top of the shade. String the cording through rings. Tie the end securely to the bottom ring. (This picture is sideways and I can't seem to get it flipped. You want the strings going from top to bottom!)
Hang the curtain in the window. Screw the eye screws into the top of the window frame. String the cording through the eye screws pulling the cording all to one side.
Attach the to the side of the window frame. When you pull the cording, wrap the cords around this to hold the shade in position.

Wasn't that easy! At least it is easy to do but harder to write about!

Please let me know if these directions were not clear!