A wide range of fabrics is available that can be used to make beautiful Roman blinds, from medium weight cottons, linen or jacquard to lightweight faux silk and taffeta. Different looks can be created by using various weight and thickness fabrics and variety of colours and patterns will give your room a stylish look.
Sometimes choosing the best fabric for your Roman blind can be tricky. Below is the guide for most commonly used fabrics.
Cotton and cotton blends, linen or jacquard
These are the best fabrics for Roman blinds. All medium thick, non-stretchy fabrics create a crisp, sharp folds that remain straight and true, giving the blind a professional finish.
Taffeta or Faux silk
These fabrics are also commonly used in blind making. They create crisp looking folds and give blind a smooth lustrous sheen.
Velvet fabrics and wool
Thick, heavy fabrics can also be used in Roman blind making. It will not create sharp and crisp folds or lay as flat as medium heavy fabrics, but if you want to create a neat, soft folds then this is the fabric to go with.
Fabrics to avoid
Although it is hard to choose a wrong fabric for made to measure Roman blinds, there are some that should be avoided.
Upholstery fabrics
Fabric is too stiff and prevents Roman blind from folding correctly.
Pure silk
This delicate fabric gets affected by moisture (rot) and sun (fade) and deteriorates quickly.
Stretch knit fabrics
All knitted and stretchy fabrics are unsuitable for Roman blinds. They are difficult to cut precisely and measure. Stretchy and knitted fabrics also have a tendency to go out of shape easily, making the blind look ugly and difficult to operate.
Vinyl or oil cloth
These should never be used to make Roman blinds as they are too stiff to fold into pleats when raised. Their surface creates too much resistance, giving the fabric a sticky effect that will prevent the blind from working properly.
Sheer fabrics
Transparent fabrics are not recommended for Roman blinds. Although the lightweight nature of the fabric means it will fold and drape beautifully Roman blinds need to be lined and placing a lightproof fabric lining behind a transparent or semi-transparent defeats the object of choosing sheers. If the blind were to be made unlined the tape channels, dowels and cords would be visible through the sheers when the blind is lowered which is not a visually pleasing look.
Faux Leather and PVC
These fabrics are not suitable in Roman blind making for the same reason as vinyl and oil cloth. They are too heavy and thick to create folds and despite the nature of the fabric they can easily tear and rip.
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