Do-it-yourself paper pleated blinds. Pleated curtains: photo, for do-it-yourself pleated plastic windows, this, blinds, types, roll, paper, fabric, vertical, video

The situation with blinds and curtains is somewhat similar to the situation in botany. There, none of the greatest luminaries has so far been able to really explain the difference between dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous flowering plants. Although the child will immediately say: “This is a rose, and this is a lily. This is a birch, and this is a palm tree. Botanists, however, are not to blame, they are serious scientists, not slang "nerds", it's just that the plant world is incredibly diverse. Well, we are not "nerds" either, the heat has hit, and we need blinds for the windows. At first - unpretentious, hastily made from scraps lying around on the farm, and then, perhaps, more impressive permanent ones. How to do both yourself, and understands this article.

Note: the emphasis in the word "blinds" on the last "and". The word is neuter, not inclined. Therefore, "blinds", "blinds", etc. - illiterate. In RuNet, you can also stumble upon a “blind”; apparently, by analogy with the trouser leg and trouser leg. However, an element of type-setting blinds is called a lamella, which, translated into Russian, is something long, thin, flat.

In the blinds technique, a set of rotary slats in a frame for regulating light, liquid and gas flows. But in order to properly make blinds at home with your own hands, you must, of course, understand how the blinds on the windows of an apartment differ from those of a car radiator, a jet propulsion boat, etc. We will assume that household sun blinds are designed to adjust the natural light in the premises, so we will understand them. That is, simply speaking, the curtain is from peeping, and the blinds are from the blinding sun. And let's also take into account that the marquise is not a blind. True, then we will have many types of blinds without slats even without them, but what can you do. Ask botanists if there are precise and unambiguous characters that distinguish monocots from dicots. And the world of blinds is also rich and diverse.

History and types

Sun screens were invented by the Arawak Indians, who lived in the West Indies, on the islands of the Caribbean. The Spanish conquistadors were the first Europeans to see their blinds. They liked the arrangement, but they killed every one of the Arawaks - because those gold and spices turned out to be less than the hidalgos, who had gone crazy with greed, wanted to find, and the Arawaks themselves, in Indian style, preferred death to slavery. However, the history of the conquest, crusades, etc. and so famous.

The first historical type of blinds is colonial, pos. 1 in fig. These are simply shutters with slanted wooden slats. In the tropics, where it is summer all year round and the Sun is high, they are still in use today, tk. simple, reliable and cheap. In a temperate climate somewhere in the middle of the XVIII century. on the basis of the Indian, Venetian blinds appeared: the inner long sides of the slats were hinged in the frame, and the outer ones were connected with a cord. Sipping on it, the slope of the lamellas could be changed according to the season and the weather. At the same time, the French name for this device, jalousie, “jealousy,” took root. The coquettes of that time, closing the blinds, brought the admirers sticking out under the windows to a white heat; especially if before that a man's face flashed through the window.

Note: within the same climatic zone (and who carries the blinds with them?), the rotary mechanism can be abandoned, making the Arawakan blinds reliable. How - see below.

The development of the "Venetian" principle is now horizontal blinds, pos. 2 and 3. The first samples, in which all the lamellas could be assembled into a tight bag and lifted up, appeared on sale in 1841. The bad thing about them, firstly, is the price, up to 5000 rubles. and more for a good model for 1 window. Secondly, steel lamellas, especially the lower ones, are easy to bend to a break, but cannot be restored to their original state. Replacing the slats costs about 1/5 of the cost of new blinds. And the good thing, in addition to suitability for any climate, is the ability to put rigid horizontal blinds on plastic windows without damaging them or the walls at all, see below.

Note: horizontal slats made of Faux material do not break or bend, it is something like MDF with hardening impregnation. But the price of wooden blinds is much higher than that of metal ones of the same size. In addition, so that the lamellas do not wear out quickly against each other, it is necessary to introduce the so-called. ladders, see fig. on the right, which do not add elegance to wooden blinds.

People thought of vertical blinds only by 1960. They are no cheaper than horizontal ones, but, firstly, their slats are fabric and do not break. Secondly, the lamellas can be independently removed one by one for cleaning and replacement. Thirdly, vertical blinds not only regulate light sweat, but also allow you to optimally distribute it around the room, which, if used skillfully, saves electricity. And a somewhat “office” look of “verticals” (which, by the way, is not at all “more office” than horizontal blinds) easily fits into everyday life with design techniques, poses. 4, 5. If the windows in the room are arched or other “wrong”, then there is no alternative to vertical blinds, see next. rice.

The Achilles' heel of blinds with separate slats is the mechanism. It is, firstly, rather complicated, see for example. rice. below. Everyone who uses such blinds knows that even the best world brands cannot do without breakdowns. Secondly, there are knots in the mechanism, for example. ball chain, which is impossible to make yourself; buying parts at retail will cost more than turnkey blinds. Therefore, further within the "do it yourself" framework, we will limit ourselves to methods of attaching finished blinds to windows without drilling and installing them indoors.

In antiquity, there was no robotic production, but the need for blinds was no less than the current one. In different parts of the ecumene, people got out of the situation in their own way. In the East, for example, they came up with pleated blinds, or pleated blinds, pos. 6. in fig. at the beginning. Actually, this is already a curtain, but in order to get around the nit-picking of pedants, we can assume that these blinds have 1 lamella, which rotates along with the window frame. For the rich, pleated blinds were made from selected silk; the poor made do with palm leaves (in India) or rice paper (China, Japan). A significant fact: modern wallpaper paper is even better than rice paper, so it is quite possible to make blinds from wallpaper with your own hands from trash. Time one lamella, very attractive in appearance, will take no more than an hour, and will last at least all summer, see below.

Silk arrived in ancient Europe, but at such a price that not every archon or senator could afford curtains from it. The Greeks and Romans escaped from the heat by building houses of marble, which they had in abundance, and protected from excess light by Roman or Romanesque curtains, pos. 7. Although it would be more correct to call them Persian, because in Europe they appeared after the campaigns of Alexander the Great.

Structurally, Roman blinds are real blinds with connected horizontal slats. Their mechanism is elementary simple and quite affordable for making with your own hands, without expensive purchased parts. However, so that Roman blinds do not jam constantly and do not warp, the fabric from which they are sewn must be sufficiently dense and rigid; Persians used brocade. Therefore, we will briefly touch on Roman curtains further - they are by no means openwork.

Looking ahead a little, take a look at pos. 10. This is also an oriental invention - bamboo curtains. They have little in common with blinds, except for slats (which are also fixed), both constructively and functionally. But according to the principle of bamboo curtains, they make, firstly, roller blinds, pos. 8. These are factory-made products, not readily available for self-production, but indispensable for attics with inclined windows, see fig. left. The roller blind mechanism is much simpler, more reliable, cheaper and lighter than that of blinds with separate slats, and it is mounted on a plastic window independently elementarily and without tools, see fig. on right.

Analogues of roller blinds with a roll of cloth at the bottom - roller blinds, pos. 9 - making it with your own hands is not much more difficult than paper blinds, so we will deal with them further. As for the blinds-wings, pos. 11, then only the function of adjusting the light transmission remained from the blinds. The device of the blinds-stages, presumably, explanations for pos. 11 does not require, so we'll be done with them.

Making blinds

Before taking on any self-made blinds, you need to correctly measure the window opening under them, because. most homemade designs are not amenable to alteration. The scheme of window measurements under the blinds is shown in the figure:

As for purchased blinds, measurements of openings for them, as a rule, are included in the installation cost, and it is included in the sale price. If this service does not reach you, then further, in the section on installing blinds with your own hands, there will be instructions for measurements for certain types; in general, their exact schemes are given in company specifications.

Paper

Blinds made of paper wallpaper are the easiest and fastest to make. It is the wallpaper that is taken because the wallpaper paper is strong enough, tough, resistant and at the same time transmits light a little, i.e. when the blinds are fully lowered, the room will have soft diffused lighting. By choosing the color of the workpiece, the blinds can be made quite aesthetic, and paper wallpapers are inexpensive. A step-by-step instruction for the manufacture of "wallpaper" blinds is shown in the figure:

The process, as you can see, is simple, and if pieces of wallpaper from repairs remain in the pantry, all expenses will be only for adhesive tape and a couple of small pieces of fittings. In addition, a master class on making homemade paper curtains can be viewed in the video below. The usual adhesive tape is enough to keep the blinds all summer long.

Video: do-it-yourself paper blinds

The first drawback of pleated blinds made of wallpaper is obvious: in order to assemble them, you need to reach high up. The second may affect when the blinds are removed - the adhesive tape leaves marks on the painting. You can remove them with a cotton swab slightly moistened with vodka, cologne or 70% medical alcohol (alcohol "for injections" in a vial with a blue stopper), but if the window frames are inexpensive, the sticky layer of adhesive tape can eat into the paint so that nothing is left bring it down.

Blinds made of paper of the design shown in the following are free from this drawback. rice.:

Making them more difficult: you need to accurately glue a lot of pipes on the mandrel. For her, by the way, a pair of identical beer cans, laid with an interval, so that the tapering parts stick out out of the ends of the pipe, will do. Similar curtains are arranged according to the Roman type (see below), so 3 holes need to be punched under the cord: 2 10-15 cm from the edge and 1 exactly in the middle. The weighting agent (wooden rail) is inserted into the lower pipe and fixed with a couple of drops of glue. Its length is the same 10-15 cm less than the width of the canvas; the ends of the weighting agent should fall between the extreme cords. You can generally make a weighting agent from 2 identical pieces laid between the cords. In the upper beam, 3 holes are drilled for the cords, and the beam is attached to the window opening, placing bosses under its edges so that the cords run freely. The timber with an interval is covered with a piece of the same wallpaper. The design turns out to be quite complicated, but it will last more than one year, especially if the wallpaper is non-woven.

Another "design" of paper blinds is shown in fig. on right. These are well remembered by the new settlers of the first Khrushchevs; then they were made from newspapers. However, in the same way, without cutting through the sheet to the end, you can quickly make quite decent paper blinds for a summer residence from wallpaper or paper with a pattern. They are automatic to some extent: the breeze blew, the strips (30-70 mm) swayed. Shading remains, but this primitive curtain does not interfere with ventilation either.

Roman curtains

The layout of the Roman blinds is shown in fig. Pockets, as a rule, are not sewn separately, but are formed from masonry cloths. They are sewn either on one side, as on the right of the figure, or on 2, sewing the free edge of the pocket to the panel. In the first case, less fabric is used (an allowance of 1-1.5 cm is needed for each stitch), but on the folds, the panel is wiped faster.

Roman blinds function reliably if, in addition to sufficient density and rigidity of the fabric, the batten inserts are also rigid, and at the bottom the panel is weighted with a load of about 1-1.5 kg. Therefore, the armor is made from strips of plywood or hard plastic 2.5-3 mm thick and 30-40 mm wide, and the weighting agent is made from a strip of plywood 4-6 mm thick and 100-150 mm wide. The upper beam (the fabric wraps around it) with a section of approximately 40x40 mm. All edges of the inserts, weighting agent and timber must be rounded and sanded with sandpaper, otherwise the fabric on them will quickly rub off. The pattern for the pattern of the Roman curtains is shown in fig. on right.

For more information on making Roman blinds yourself, see the video below:

Video: how to make a Roman blind with your own hands

Note: light waterproof and waterproof translucent Roman blinds are made from a special synthetic fabric, the so-called. calender raincoat fabric. But in the very sun in a room with such curtains, in truth, it is too stuffy.

Roller blinds

Much simpler and more economical are roller blinds made of fabric, which in this case can be any, incl. light translucent. The principle of cutting the panel of home-made roller blinds is shown in fig. They also need a top mounting bar, but it can be round, about 40-50 mm in diameter. The bottom weight is the same. Holes for the cord are framed with eyelets for curtains, and the cord itself can be arbitrarily thin, so long as it does not break. “For beauty” instead of a cord, you can use a ribbon, and so that it is not visible at all, you can use a fishing line. In addition, roller blinds can be hung/removed at any time using the upper hinges. General aesthetics - 3+, but for a summer cottage, probably the best option.

As already mentioned, roller blinds were originally made from bamboo. If bamboo slats are available, nothing prevents you from making bamboo blinds with your own hands. The technological process is elementary: bamboos are tied on a flat surface with any sufficiently strong cord in increments of 30-50 cm, see fig. Fasten bamboo blinds on a bar in a window opening. 3 holes are drilled in the beam for the cords for assembling and unfolding the canvas: one ends of the cords are tightly attached to the beam, and the other, traction, are looped around the canvas below and passed through the holes.

Colonial Advanced

Now let's see how to make simple, cheap and reliable colonial-type horizontal blinds with fixed slats for mid-latitudes with our own hands. First, their grille is assembled in a hinged and/or folding frame, like a window shutter. Then, plywood 3-4 mm thick, twice impregnated with a water-polymer emulsion and painted, will go on the lamellas. The second impregnation is done after the first is completely dry. In an extreme case, say, for a summer cottage, the lamellas can be made of cardboard processed in the same way, but then blind shutters are also needed on the shutters, which are closed for the winter.

The layout of the lamellas of "moderate colonial" blinds is shown in fig. on right. Proportions and angles are given for the Middle Strip of the Russian Federation; the dashed line shows additional lamellas of unshaded windows facing exactly south. In general, it is desirable to maintain the following ratios:

• South windows: h = W.
• Southeast and southwest windows: h = 1.5W.
• East and West windows: h = H = 2W.

If you have not forgotten school trigonometry, then you can more accurately calculate both W, h, and the installation angle of the lamellas β. It is necessary that on the winter solstice on December 21, when the height of the Sun at noon α = φ - 22 degrees, the shadow from the overlying lamella does not reach the inner edge of the underlying one, and on the summer solstice on June 22 it sets to half its width on the west / east windows, 2/3 in the southwestern and southeastern, and 3/4 in the southern. Then in winter the blinds will practically not obscure the room, in the summer in the morning it will be illuminated by direct rays (which is very useful for health), and as the sun rises, direct light will be replaced by diffused light. In the afternoon, the nature of the change in lighting will be reversed.

Note: 22 degrees with a certain, in this case completely insignificant, addition is the angle of inclination of the Earth's axis of rotation.

We put blinds

It remains to deal with the installation of purchased blinds on their own. The first thing you want in this case is to do without plumbing and construction work. Why mangle the window frame and / or its opening? Especially if the windows are brand new plastic, and their slopes have just been re-finished. Are there ways to install blinds with your own hands without drilling? Yes, there is such a possibility, see fig. Installation on brackets clinging to the window frame is more expensive. Mounting on a special tape is no less reliable (up to 5 years warranty), but it can leave indelible marks on the frame.

In general, it is better to mount on brackets, but then you need to keep in mind that there are 2 main systems for attaching blinds to plastic windows - HOLIS and MAGNUM, see fig.:

HOLIS is simpler and cheaper, but MAGNUM allows the use of eaves correctors, and the reliability and durability of the blinds significantly depend on its precise adjustment, especially horizontally along. You can learn more about fastening blinds without drilling from the video:

Video: installing blinds on windows without drilling and screws

If you are going to mount oak blinds on self-tapping screws in dowels, keep in mind that it is best to fix their cornice to the ceiling. Firstly, there is some savings on a pair of brackets and the work of installing them, see fig.

Secondly, fastening to the window slope is much less reliable: there is a thick layer of not very strong cement mortar without reinforcement and an even weaker finish. In order to reliably drive the dowel into the main wall, the slope will have to be drilled to such a depth that the laboriousness of installation will be much greater than the attachment to the ceiling. Branded vertical blinds, eg according to their specifications, are fixed only to the ceiling, see fig. on right.

And one last thing

At the beginning of the article, awnings were already mentioned as sun protection devices for windows. By the way, they have a lot of advantages over blinds: they do not interfere with ventilation at all, they shade better, they protect against splashes in the rain, they do not require frequent adjustment, they are much more reliable. Unlike adjustable blinds with separate slats, awnings are technologically much simpler. It is quite possible to make a good adjustable awning with your own hands, having simple working skills, especially in our time, when there are propylene pipes and synthetic fabrics of monstrous durability and strength. However, materials for an awning will take several times more than for blinds for the same window. This is probably why manufacturers are not fond of awnings: their competitiveness is low. However, the owner of a private household, considering ways to shade windows, awnings should be borne in mind: cases where a disadvantage in mass production turns out to be a virtue in making it yourself are by no means rare. Materials for awnings may well be cheaper than turnkey blinds.

Homemade pleated blinds are one of the ways to express individuality, bring something special and stylish to the interior. The article provides a list of necessary materials, tips for their processing, describes step by step the process of making pleated curtains.

Necessary tools and materials

Many designers consider pleated curtains to be an original window decor option and use such curtains in their projects. Pleated blinds are versatile and harmoniously fit into different interior styles. Curtains are made of fabric or paper. Today we will look at the easiest and most affordable way to create "home" paper blinds.

For work it is necessary to prepare:

1. A piece of paper. It is better to use non-woven wallpaper for painting - such material will transmit light and well "keep" the pleated folds. The width of the paper is calculated based on the width of the window, and the length should be 30-40 cm greater than the height of the window.
2. Two wooden slats of square section 10x10 mm.
3. Awl, hole punch or sharp blade.
4. Scissors or utility knife.
5. Ruler or tape measure.
6. Pencil.
7. Cord, decorative rope or ribbon, matched to match the wallpaper.
8. A latch (limit switch) for a rope or cord, you can use a large bead.
9. Glue.
10. Double sided and single sided tape.

Work sequence

The process of making paper pleated curtains is quite simple to perform.

1. It is necessary to measure the exact width and height of the window.

2. Next, straighten the wallpaper roll and apply markings on it, given that the length of the curtain will be 30-40 cm longer than the height of the window itself. Even when unfolded, pleated waves “eat up” the length of the curtain a little.

3. Cut out the canvas. It is better to take the length with a margin, if necessary, the excess can be cut off. Iron the prepared piece of wallpaper from the wrong side.

Note: if the window is large and one wallpaper width is not enough, then the canvases can be glued together with adhesive tape.

4. On the left and right sides of the paper, make parallel marks every 3-5 cm. The choice of fold width depends on the size of the window and the design idea.

5. Using a long ruler, carefully bend the folds. It is important to control that all folds have a clear straight line and are of the same width.

6. You should get a beautiful accordion, the last fold of which is bent inward.

7. Fold the canvas into an accordion and pierce the paper with a hole punch. The hole should be exactly in the center of the fold. Pass a ribbon or cord through the entire canvas. Cut off the excess ends of the rope and secure with adhesive tape on the wrong side of the paper.

8. If the pleated blind is narrow, then one tape is enough to control. Glue double-sided tape on the upper fold of the accordion (future fastening of the curtain), seal the lower strip halfway with tape.

9. Fold the lower part of the curtain like a fan and glue it with tape. Put a retainer or decorative bead on the tape.

10. In addition, two more holes must be made in a wide curtain, stepping back 4-5 cm from the edges of the canvas. Pass the adjustment ropes through the holes and install the clamps.

11. Glue wooden bars to the lower and upper edges of the curtains. The lower profile will hold the shape of the curtain, and the upper one will act as a cornice.

A paper curtain can be attached to the window frame without a wooden plank, but simply with double-sided tape.

You can also make pleated curtains from fabric.

For work, it is better to choose a light material, for example, organza, which includes silk, viscose or polyester. This rigid translucent fabric holds its shape well and has excellent decorative properties.

Before cutting, the canvas must be processed as follows:

1. Soak 2 packs of gelatin in a glass of warm water.
2. After the gelatin swells a little, heat the solution, but do not bring to a boil.
3. Soak a piece of fabric well and hang to dry. It is not necessary to twist the material.
4. After drying, the fabric should “stand like a stake” and crunch a little.
5. In order to soften the fabric and make it more elastic, the material must be ironed.

The subsequent algorithm of actions is the same as in the manufacture of pleated paper curtains.

Methods for attaching pleated curtains

When designing homemade curtains, it is important to consider how the curtain will be attached. The size of the fabric of the future curtains and the choice of fasteners depend on this.

Method number 1 - along the contour of the glass

This mounting option is possible only if the depth of the glazing bead in the window is more than 15 mm. This type of installation is often used in the design of standard plastic windows.

Method number 2 - on the window frame

The most common type of mount, as it fits most windows. You can use ready-made brackets, homemade strips, or fix the curtain with double-sided tape.

Method number 3 - in the window opening

With this mounting option, it is necessary to take into account the size of the assembled curtains. This method can be used if the distance from the upper slope to the window sash in the open position is at least 6 cm, since the dimensions of the assembled "accordion" pleated in height, as a rule, are about 5 cm.

Pleated paper blinds can be made even more attractive and decorated with an unusual pattern or decorated with a ready-made sticker.

As you can see, making pleated blinds is a simple and exciting process. In order to enjoy the results of your creativity, it is enough to show imagination and spend some free time.

Being engaged in home improvement, every hostess tries to give the interior something stylish and special: something that will not only decorate her home, but also emphasize refined taste. One of the ways to express your individuality is curtains, which reflect a touch of homely beauty and comfort in the interior. In this case, pleated curtains, which can be made from paper with your own hands, will look best on the windows. They can become the highlight of the whole interior.

What are pleated paper curtains?

Pleated draperies are made of paper or fabric, and according to the arrangement of the stripes, they can be vertical and horizontal. You can choose the right material for your work. But paper curtains are original solutions for those who prefer frequent design changes and do not plan to spend too much money on expensive fabric.

In addition to low cost, curtain paper is characterized by the following advantages:

• style. Today, a lot of blanks for the interior are sold with different embossings, drawings and applications.
• different density. This indicator allows you to make pleated curtains opaque for a nursery or bedroom and light for the kitchen.
• Versatility. From paper, you can cut a variety of shapes - horizontal or vertical, various non-standard curtains.
• Availability. In order to create a pleated do-it-yourself, you can even use wallpaper.

How to make pleated paper curtains with your own hands?

In order to make curtains, you will need:

• glue;
• paper along the width of the window and approximately 1.5-2 times its length (height);
• two wooden planks of exactly the same width;
• threads (it is desirable to use thick nylon or silk);
• gypsy needle or awl.

Pleated curtains are made at home, following the instructions.

• We take two identical wooden planks along the width of the window opening.
• We fold the paper and iron it to the width of the bar in small folds.
• We glue the upper edge of the paper to the bar with glue, press it and let it dry. For high-quality fixation, it is better to use double-sided tape.
• We make even holes along the edge of the paper using a needle or an awl, after which we stretch the threads, fixing them on the top bar. In the event that your curtain is very wide, you can stretch the threads through 40-50 cm of the canvas. For high-quality fastening, you will have to make holes in the wooden planks themselves, fixing the threads on top with knots and gluing them.
• Accurately calculate the height of the straightened blinds and windows. Cut the paper sheet according to the desired parameters.
• Glue the paper to the bar below, then fasten the threads there.
• We are waiting for the design to dry, and your paper pleated curtains are ready.

As you can see, making pleated curtains with your own hands is not difficult and does not involve serious costs.

How to fix pleated blinds correctly?

It should be said right away that the fastening of pleated curtains can take place in different ways. One of the most budgetary options is to buy hooks on an adhesive basis. As soon as you pass the threads through two wooden planks, you need to fix their knots, and then make a loop. Attach the hooks to the window and then hang the curtain. You can also decorate the loops with tassels, beads and other decorative elements.

Another type of fastening is special plastic structures that are attached to the window frame using self-tapping screws. Due to the peculiarity of the shape, it is possible to pass the fixing threads through the structure, fixing the paper curtain as tightly as possible.

What is the best way to fix pleated blinds on a window?

Such structures can be fixed both above the window and in the frame of each window, since the curtains are quite light. Mounting on the frame provides more freedom in opening windows, but an open window can let the sun's rays into the room.

Mounting above the window can be done to the ceiling or wall. Ceiling attachment will be preferred as it creates a holistic impression of the interior of the room. Mounting on the frame will not allow you to use the window sill, grow flowers on it, since with closed curtains they will sorely lack light.

There are several ways of fastening, and each person chooses them taking into account his own convenience. An economical way to attach a paper curtain to a window is to buy self-adhesive hooks. The threads are passed through the lower and upper wooden planks, then they are fixed into a loop. Hooks are attached to the window, and then a curtain is hung on them. Loops that remain in sight can be decorated with thread tassels, ribbons, beads, or in any other way you like.

Another method of attaching paper pleated curtains involves the use of a ready-made plastic structure, which must be fixed to the window frame using self-tapping screws. The threads are passed through this design and fixed, as stated in the instructions.

Do-it-yourself pleated paper curtains are the pride of the owner of the apartment, since not everyone comes up with such a simple solution. The disadvantage of the design is that these curtains cannot be used in sloping window openings. Therefore, they are not suitable for decorating attics and attics.

If the purchase of new blinds does not fit into your plans or budget, but you have one free evening and a charge of creative inspiration, then we suggest you make the blinds yourself from improvised means.

We have compiled 2 step-by-step master classes on how to make blinds with your own hands and 1 master class on how to update and beautifully decorate horizontal blinds.

Master class number 1: Pleated blinds from wallpaper

You can make such paper blinds in just a couple of hours, and if you still have wallpaper after repair, then you don’t even have to go to the store. Pleated blinds will last for about a year, and then you can just make new ones, because that way is so simple, beautiful and economical. And paper blinds are great for decorating the windows of country houses and co-creating with children.

To make blinds from wallpaper as in the photo above, you will need:

1. A roll of paper wallpaper (only paper wallpapers are suitable, since vinyl and non-woven wallpaper will not be able to assemble into an accordion);
2. Auxiliary materials: scissors or stationery cutter, ruler, pencil;
3. Awl or hole punch (better awl);
4. A rope longer than the height of the window and 5-7 mm thick or a thin satin ribbon;
5. Retainer with end cap of suitable color;
6. If desired, two more tapes of any width and length 2.5 times the height of the window. These ribbons are only for decoration;
7. Double-sided tape (or glue) and Velcro to match the wallpaper, if you want to make curtains with a swag around the edge.

Instruction:

1. First you need to cut off a piece of wallpaper of the desired length based on: window height + 30 cm. Then you need to assemble the canvas into an accordion. You can do it by eye, but the pleating will turn out more accurate if you first line the wallpaper on the reverse side into strips 2.5-3 cm wide. A ruler will help you bend the wallpaper evenly, and a pencil or pen will help you iron and fix the bends.
2. Now the resulting accordion from the wallpaper needs to be assembled, measured and marked in the middle on the first “lamella” and a through hole made in this place with an awl. You can also use a hole punch, but then the holes will have to be made in parts and the holes will turn out not in the middle of the “lamellas”, but a little closer to the edge, but they will be more accurate and wide. Next, we take the rope and draw it through the entire accordion. If the rope is synthetic, then its tip can be burned a little to make it sharp, then it will be easier to thread the rope into the holes.
3. The end of the rope on the first upper "lamella" must be tied into a knot so that it does not slip out of the hole, and the end itself can either be left to tie the curtains to the cornice with it, or cut off if you want to glue and attach the curtains directly to the window frame.
4. At this stage, you can also glue some kind of solid base to the first lamella, such as cardboard, a plastic corner or a thin rail, to hang the blinds on the windows with it.
5. We put on the retainer on the lower end of the rope (at the bottom of the curtains) and assemble our curtains to the desired level. Now, on the right and left ends of the wallpaper, glue the Velcro with glue or double-sided tape, then glue these Velcro and ... voila! We get pleated blinds with a swag.
6. And finally, we attach our curtains to the window.

Advice:

• If you want to make horizontal blinds without a swag, then you need to make through holes in two places, as shown in the picture on the right. And, of course, in this case, either two ropes or one long one will be required. And to make horizontal blinds more interesting, you can decorate them with ribbons, which, in addition, will hide the ropes and fix the curtains at the desired level. An example of such a decor, see the photo below.

• Instead of a fastener, you can use a button of a suitable size with two or three holes, as shown in the photo below.

• Of course, each accordion blank can be cut to width. But, as a rule, wallpapers with a standard width of 53-55 cm are quite suitable for a standard window. But if you need more blinds, then you can choose wallpaper with a width of 1 m.

And here is a selection of photos of different ideas for your inspiration.

Master class number 2: Blinds from newspaper tubes

If you prefer ethnic or eco-style, then you can make paper blinds from newspapers, or rather from newspaper tubes. This method will require a little more time and effort from you, but such blinds will last longer.

• Tip: You can use wooden twigs, plastic straws, or reeds instead of newspaper straws if you prefer.

To make blinds from newspaper tubes, you will need:

1. For one window with a height of 1 m, you need to prepare about 200 painted and dried newspaper tubes with a length slightly more than the width of the window;
2. Auxiliary materials: scissors and PVA glue;
3. A coil of rope to match the tubes, for example, jute twine or just nylon twine is suitable for ethnic or eco-style blinds;
4. Rings for curtains (2 pcs.);
5. If desired, a latch with a limit switch in order to make a lifting mechanism.

How to twist newspaper tubes and lengthen them, see this video tutorial from an experienced craftswoman Elena Tishchenko:

And here is a useful video on how to paint newspaper tubes also from Elena Tishchenko:

• Tip: you can paint the tubes by imitating reed rods with brown, beige, beige-olive or gray-beige stain.

Instruction:

1. We lay out the newspaper tubes in a row on the floor and align;
2. We begin to tie the tubes with each other: we fold a long rope in half, attach a ring to it for attaching to the window, tie one or two knots, then tie the first tube and make 1-2 knots in the same way, take the second one and repeat the steps until all the tubes are contact. Then we proceed to tying the tubes from the opposite edge, but this can also be done in parallel with the first row.

• Tip: you can connect the tubes with a chain of air loops as shown in the photo on the right.

1. Now we need to align the edges of the blinds. To do this, mark the cutting line of newspaper twigs with a ruler (along the entire fabric of the curtains) and carefully cut off the excess with scissors, moving from bottom to top.
2. And finally, we proceed to the manufacture of the lifting mechanism. To do this, you just need to tie one loop each to the upper and lower edges of the curtains (in the middle), thread and fasten the rope to the bottom loop from the back of the blinds, and then stretch it into the top loop. At the end of the rope, you need to put on a retainer with a limit switch so that by pulling the rope, you can easily raise the curtain halfway and secure it in this position.

Master class number 3: Blinds decor

Boring "office" plastic, bamboo or wooden blinds can be updated and decorated with your own hands specifically for the color scheme and style of the interior of the room.

To decorate the blinds as in the photo above you will need:

1. Wallpaper or any colored paper;
2. Plastic, wooden or bamboo blinds;
3. PVA glue and brush;
4. Scissors;
5. Ruler, pencil.

Instruction:

1. We measure the width, length and number of lamellas;
2. On a roll of wallpaper we draw strips in the same quantity and the same width and length as the lamellas;
3. Then we mark on the markup the places of the holes into which the ropes are threaded - here the strips will need to be cut into three parts so that in the future we can bypass these places in the process of pasting the lamellas;

1. We cut the strips along the marked lines and, as already mentioned, cut each strip into three parts. If you need to save a drawing or wallpaper pattern, then you need to cut the paper in strict sequence, and in order not to get confused, you can make notes on the reverse side;
2. Finally, glue the paper strips onto the slats. It is not scary if the strips do not lie down quite evenly, as a result, the flaws will not be very noticeable.

Equipping your home, every hostess wants to bring something special and stylish to the interior. Something that will not only decorate her house, but also emphasize her exquisite taste. Curtains are one of the ways to express your individuality, display a touch of home comfort and beauty in the interior. In this case, pleated curtains will look the best on the windows. They can be the highlight of any interior. Do-it-yourself pleated curtains made by yourself will also be a testament to your skill. And this is not so difficult to do (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Pleated curtains can be made of paper or fabric, and also be vertical or horizontal.

Pleated paper curtains

Pleated draperies are made of fabric or paper, and according to the arrangement of the stripes, they can be horizontal and vertical. You can independently choose the material for work.

However, paper curtains are an unusual solution for those who like frequent design changes and do not want to spend money on expensive fabric.

Figure 2. Scheme of pleated curtains.

In addition to being cheap, curtain paper has a number of other advantages:

1. Style. Now there are a lot of blanks for home interiors with a variety of patterns, embossing and appliqués on sale.
2. Versatility. From paper, you can even without the ability to cut any shape - vertical or horizontal, fan-like or other non-standard curtains.
3. different density. This allows you to make pleated blinds light for the kitchen, living room and blackout for the bedroom or nursery.
4. Availability. You can even use wallpaper to create your own pleated pleats.

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Pleated curtains: manufacturing instructions

In order to make paper curtains, you will need:

• paper along the width of the window opening and approximately 1.5-2 times its height (length);
• two wooden planks of the same width;
• glue;
• threads (preferably thick silk or nylon);
• awl or gypsy needle.

Figure 3. Attaching pleated curtains.

When making pleated blinds at home, follow the instructions:

1. We take two wooden planks along the width of the window opening.
2. We fold the paper and iron it in small folds to the width of the bar.
3. We glue the upper edge of the paper web with glue to the bar, press it and let it dry. For fixing, you can use double-sided tape.
4. We make even holes along the edge of the paper with an awl or a needle and stretch the threads, fixing them on the top bar. If the curtain is too wide, you can stretch the threads every 40-50 cm of the curtain. For high-quality fastening, it is necessary to make holes in the wooden planks, fixing the threads with knots from above and gluing them.
5. We calculate the height of the window and the straightened blinds. We cut the paper canvas according to the required parameters.
6. We glue the paper to the bar below and fix the threads there.
7. We let the structures dry, and the pleated paper curtains are ready (Fig. 2).