INSTALL THE SHADE
Get the shade lined up on the wall exactly where you want it, and use screws through the two pilot holes to secure it to the wall. I have the benefit of solid wood walls behind my drywall. If you don’t have that, then you’ll want to use wall anchors to screw into so that the shade will be secure.
relaxed roman shade - 41
Cut the support rod as close to the width of the shade as you can while still being able to insert it into the rod pockets. It will generally be about 1/2 inch narrower than the width of the shade, but you might have to make it as much as one inch narrower to fit.
I prefer to use 3/8-inch round metal rods, which you can find at Home Depot in lengths up to 48 inches. I’ve also used wood dowel rods, but the thing ones tend to droop over time, so I prefer the metal ones. If you need longer support rods, you can order them cut to length from drapery workroom supply stores online.
With the shade installed, insert the support rod into the two side pockets that you made towards the bottom of the shade.
relaxed roman shade - 40
(Obviously that picture was taken while the shade was still lying flat on the floor. But you’ll want to wait until the shade is installed before inserting the rod so that installation is easier.)
Finish off the cords by cutting them to the appropriate length, and adding some pretty cord pulls like these to the ends…
cord pulls
(My cord pulls are on the way, along with my pulleys and cord locks.) :)
And now, you’re shade is ready for use! If you’ve used pulleys and cord locks, you should have a perfectly operational shade. If you used eye hooks, you’ll need to use a cord cleat screwed into the wall or the window trim to keep the shade raised.
relaxed roman shade
That’s a lot of steps, and a lot of pictures, but the process really isn’t difficult at all. I promise! :)
EDIT: I had someone ask me what the purpose of the support rod is, so I thought I’d demonstrate using pictures. Move your mouse pointer on and off of the picture below to see the difference. (On a handheld device, you can tap the picture.)
You can see that with the support rod, the shade looks relaxed while still keeping its shape and looking tailored with clean lines. Without the support rod, it just starts to look sloppy as the fabric droops in the middle. We want gentle curves, not droops. :)
Just in case you can’t see the hover image, here is the shade with the support rod…
relaxed roman shade with support rod
And here is the shade without the support rod…