I think that, even with an 'antique' house, a touch of contemporary design is not a bad thing. I mix antiques and newer stuff all the time. Romans are supposed to be extremely easy to do. I sew and have made all types of WT's, but no romans so far. I think your question is so timely, because I was just contemplating burlap for my dining room windows. I have some great rods that I've been wanting to use for over 2 years, and just came up with the idea of mounting them and using a lightweight burlap valance of some sort. Still working on that one. I have yards of a heavier burlap I bought to make a dust ruffle last season, but want something lighter for the DR windows. I'm going to buy 1/2 a yard or so and try washing it to see how it reacts. Why don't you do the same and we will compare notes?

Red

Here is a link that might be useful: Here is a link that may be helpful. Pauline is the best at Roman Shades!

Yes, burlap shrinks; wash it how you intend to wash/dry the final product. You can line it if you want more body and/or privacy. Personally, I would look at linen instead of burlap because it sews up better; burlanp can be hard to straighten and iron once it has been washed. But if you like the texture, go for it!

I too have an 100 year old house and I would say that simple curtains and shades were used in the day as well as elaborate drapery. I made curtains for my kitchen that look like vintage embroidered dish towels, and hung them as flat panels.
Diane

I just did Romans and they are not particularly difficult.
I always wash anything washable before I sew it - particularly if it is going to be lined. The fabric and lining may not "shrink" at the same rate.
As for the burlap, the only thing I would be concerned about is the weave. Some burlaps are very loosely woven, in which case, I would probably not only line, but interline. You really need to make sure the fabric grain is true or you might have problems later.

I have natural colored burlap in my gameroom--short pinch-pleat curtains on 5 dormer windoes and huge ceiling to floor curtains that cover three gigantic windows as though they were one. They are lined with blackout lining because of our southern sun and the need for dark in the room with the big screen T.V. Our home is new, but built mostly in the Central Texas/German stone farmhouse vernacular of the mid-to-late 19th century. I have also used Roman shades in other parts of the house, so I don't see a problem, in theory, with Romans in a 1903 farmhouse. It depends, of course, on how your particular house is styled and on the rest of your decor. Romans are not too hard for someone who has successfully sewn panels, but they must be measured very carefully; and you must be adept at adjusting the tension on your machine. Make sure that you have the appropriate needle and thread for burlap and your specific machine. My burlap was not washed prior to cutting and sewing. I was afraid that it would become either distorted or raveled by a washing machine and dryer. Given that it is lined, I would only dry clean it.

Thanks people!
I would look at linen, as it has got to be one of my favorite fabrics, but I don't think it will have quite enough visible texture and haven't seen anything else with as much texture as the burlap.

So is burlap so fickle that even if I wash, dry, and iron it, then sew it, it may distort the whole shade the very next time I have to wash the kitchen window treatment?
I'm not familiar with making these shades, but have seen some with rings and some with rod pockets. Would there be one system that would be preferable seeing as how this is burlap?

(I'm really jumping the gun thinking of this since my kitchen isn't even done yet, but I do have a vision.) The style in the rest of my house is unfussy antiques, natural/cream colored canvas slipcovers, wool area rugs, quiet and minimalist. The kitchen will have the same feel - creamy white cabinets, old pine floors, farm table as my island, large cupboard for dishes. Quiet. Calm. Burlap, or linen, just seems to fit to me.

I could change the style of the window treatment if the burlap wouldn't make up well as a roman shade. ??

I agree with kitchen detective about washing it. Your roman shade would be lined and with the hardware, (once it's finished), I would not wash it, but have it dry cleaned. So, you wouldn't have to wash before sewing.

I see the look and think it would be great in your house, but I'm wondering if burlap might be a little bulky/stiff for roman shades?

It is pretty cheap, I'd buy some and do a sample run. You could maybe partially sew up a shade and see how the fabric works.

But, yes, if the burlap doesn't work for roman shades, you could definitely come up with some style.

tina

Burlaps are REALLY dusty!

They're coarsely woven, usually of low quality fibres with are INTENDED to degrade relatively quickly (think about balled and burlapped shrubs at the nursery).

I am reading a book called Window Treatments for Dummies, and I do not sew. I DO garden, and I know burlap.

They suggest washing and ironing all fabrics before sewing them into window treatments. They also suggest smelling them, as some fabrics have distinctive odors! Burlap definitely does.

Keeping my inexperience in mind, FWIW, I would look for a slubby linen, one with lots of texture, in a burlap color, for your Roman shades.

Whatever you decide, I have a two-story 1904 Colonial, and would really like to see them when you're done. Sounds like they would be very pretty.

Many years ago we bought a house of that vintage. I went to the Beamis Bag Company and bought a bolt of burlap and made drapes for the whole house.Burlap does present some problems. It's hard on your hands. Figure on getting your machine cleaned completely when you're thru. If you get a good quality burlap (you should) it has some body but it's a little stiff and takes some persuading to drape nicely but it is a wonderful texture and color.

The quality does matter. I looked at the decorator stuff and almost decided against using burlap. But the best commercial bag material was very different and it was still quite cheap. If you are going to make roman shades(not very difficult) you might consider some iron on backing. I would simplify everything.

Good luck..I think you'll have fun.

Interesting, very interesting.....thank you. Not sure which direction I'll go in, but I may try a few of these options.
If it turns out well, in a couple of months I'll post my results.
Thanks so much! Everyone here is SO helpful!

Hi,

I just bought some burlap to make a table cloth out of, fringed with black fringe. I am really happy with the look (I have antiques, etc). I can't remember where I bought it from, but I got in online and it was a "linen burlap"-- a fabric burlap. the edges fray easily and I thought I'd do a zig zag stitch to keep it from fraying further before I hemmed it, but I actually used glue on the edges before turning them over. It worked like a charm! It didn't bleed through, either. It does shed a little, but I've been told if I starch it lightly, it will seal it.

As a sewer, I wouldn't use burlap. It's loose weave makes it a challenge in many ways that have been mentioned. Plus, I'd worry about it stretching out in irregular ways. It has a fuzzy texture which means fuzz in your sewing machine. So, if you try this: be sure to clean your machine frequently. Many burlaps also fade easily. I think burlap is ok for covering bulletin boards, craft projects, and things that won't be much future cleaning.

Somebody on the cooking forum (Ann?) made these absolutely gorgeous curtains from burlap. They are beautiful and they were cheap! I was thinking of making roman shades from burlap myself a few years ago and that's when someone steered me to Ann. If you go onto the cooking forum and post, you might find her - that's how I did. Anyway, IIRC, she said the burlap was a bit of a pain to work with - it left little pieces of burlap lint everywhere that clogged up her machine. I don't think she washed it first either - I washed mine to see how it would look and it got kind of "bunchy" - it didn't want to lay flat anymore. Perhaps an iron would have solved that, but I decided I'd never have the time to figure out the whole roman shade thing and just bought bamboo blinds instead!

I've sewn for decades and I wouldn't make window treatments out of burlap for all the reasons mentioned here. I'd look for something else I liked with an eye to easy-wash, easy-care, and long-term durability.

If you decide burlap doesn't work, what about some unbleached muslin? It's a finer weave but still has that natural fiber look. I made curtains for the bedroom out of it and I love it.

Thanks, and I would love to see photos of Ann's burlap window treatments! I'll do a search or try to post and see if I can find her.

Muslin is an option as well as linen. I haven't scoured the whole fabric store here yet so nothing is definite. All I know is that I must have texture!

Sounds as if my main problems with burlap may be the dust and debris it creates, so I'll probably do a mock up on a small scale first and see how it works. I probably wouldn't move the treatment too much, but since my windows are open most all the time, the breezes may stir up the burlap dust and in a kitchen that may not be a great thing. hmmmm....still thinking....

I sure would love to see Ann's photos! Thanks everyone! Great information and advice.