C1. How do I get started making a pieced Roman shade?
C2. Will you make a pieced Roman shade for me?
C3. Can I make the pieced front and then you make it into a shade?
C4. Will you lay out my blocks for my pieced Roman shade? 
C5. How do I determine the Stackage of a pieced Roman shade?
C6. Do you have an aide to help me lay out my blocks for my pieced Roman shade?
C7. How do I make the Four Diamond Pattern?
C8. How do I make the OceanView Pattern?
C9. Can I use appliqué techniques on my shades?
C10. How do I lay out a Full-Block Fold shade?
C11. Can I use the Warm Window Products with pieced Roman shades?

C1. How do I get started making a pieced Roman shade? 

• Purchase and read the book "Pieced Roman Shades - Turn Your Favorite Quilt Patterns into Window Hangings".
• Go to a lecture and get inspired. View Terrell's schedule to see where she is speaking or invite her to your own Guild meeting.
• View the Galleries. You would be surprised how easy piecing is. If you are a self-learner, you should be able to duplicate a pattern you like. I suggest visiting a local quilt fabric store and signing up for a Beginner's class. You can skip the "quilting" part and just learn the "piecing" part.
• Buy a Sample Kit. I use these complete kits when I teach a one-day workshop called "Crash Course in Pieced Roman Shades". You make a small, functional shade that you can use as a reference when you make your own shade. No, you won't have a window this will fit, but you can complete a "training" project in about 6 hours.

C2. I don't sew, but I love your work. Will you make pieced Roman shades for me? Yes, of course. I have been doing commissioned pieced Roman shades since 1993. I design and make shades for clients all across the United States. For complete information, go to the Commissions page. 

C3. I'm a quilter and would love to make the front of a pieced Roman shade. Can you make the shade for me? Just as you can send a quilt top out to be quilted, you can send a pieced front to Terrell Designs to be made into a Roman shade. Visit our Fabrication Services page for complete information. 

C4. Math really scares me. Will you figure out the folding of my pieced Roman shade for me? You can sometimes use the Hardware Calculator to lay out your pieced Roman shade. However, it does begin with the Stackage and then it calculates a fold depth. This works fine for a PhotoView design where you don't care where the folds are. However, if you are using a quilt block, you really need to start with the size of the block and then determine the number of rows and the top and bottom border sizes. I have an Excel Spreadsheet that does this for me. I will be happy to send a copy to you. Just E-Mail me, putting "Excel Spreadsheet" in the Subject Line and I will send a copy to you.

C5. How do you determine the Stackage (the length when fully raised ) of a pieced Roman shade? 

This is really two questions. For a Pieced Roman Shade, your block size usually determines the size of the Stackage. See Folding a Shade.  If you want to have the "best looking" Stackage for your  particular window I use a general rule of 20-25% stackage. For example, if my window is 72" long, 20% of 72" is 14.4" and 25% of 72" is 18". So for a 72" long window, a stackage of 14 1/2" to 18" looks nice. The simplest way to determine a fold depth is to subtract the Stackage from the Finished Length. This is the part of the shade that folds up out of the way. You MUST have an even number of folds, so divide that "inner length" by an even number to get the fold depth. Now it is easy to do this for your own window using our Hardware Calculator.

C6. I'm good at math, but I find using the Layout Tables in the back of your book to be tedious. Isn't there an easier way? You can receive a Free copy of the Excel spreadsheet file that I use to layout pieced Roman shades. It does the math for you, so you don't have to use (and re-use) the Layout Tables in the back of my book. Just E-Mail me, putting "Excel Spreadsheet" in the Subject Line and I will send a copy to you. Be sure to also print out the page: FAQs - Terms used in the Planning of Pieced Roman Shades.

C7. I want to make the Four-Diamond design that is shown on the cover of your book. Where are the directions? Due to the page limitations, a number of the original projects were cut from the book. You can purchase instructions for this design in our Shopping area. 

C8. I want to make the OceanView design that is shown in your book. Where are the directions? Due to the page limitations, a number of the original projects were cut from the book. Read about this easy watercolor technique on the GardenView page. You can purchase instructions for this design in our Shopping area. 

C9. Can I use appliqué techniques on my shades? Absolutely! I myself do not have much expertise in this area. However, view the Sunset House page of the Gallery to see my one attempt and comments on design considerations for appliquéd Roman shades. 

C10. I am having real trouble laying out a Full-Block Fold shade. Help.   A Roman shade must have an even number of folds. Every time the shade folds "up", it automatically makes a "down" fold. Laying out a shade that folds in the center of a block is easy, since each row of blocks has two folds, one in the center of the block and one on the bottom of the block. When you fold on the full block, there is only one fold per block: at the bottom of the block. You must have an even number of rows of blocks if you are making a Full-Block Fold shade. The easiest way to lay out a Full-Block Fold design is to use the Half-Block Vertical Layout Form (on page 103 of my book) and double the block size. That is, pretend that two blocks are the unit you are working with. Then each "block" has two folds: one in the center (at the bottom of the first block) and one at the bottom. If you are using a rotary cutter to cut your pieces, make sure that your "large" blocks sizes vary in increments of 1/4"-increments, so that your blocks will vary in 1/8"-increments. 

C11. Can I use the Warm Window Products with pieced Roman shades?
Several students have taken my classes to make an artistic front for a Warm Window shade. There are a few things you should keep in mind. First, no light comes through a Warm Window, so you loose the stained-glass effect. You must decide which is more important: the artistic look or the added insulation offered by Warm Windows. Second, the Warm Windows lining comes pre-folded in 4" sections. This means that your Window Hanging design will need to be laid out so that it folds in 4" sections (or 8" or 12"). This might mean using templates for your blocks. See the Layout Chapter of my book Pieced Roman Shades - Make Your Favorite Quilt Patterns into Window Hangings for complete information on designing the front of a shade.

You can get more information on Warm Windows and buy all of the supplies on SewAndQuilt.com. Be sure to also read my Designer's Workroom.

Don't see the answer to your question? Ask Terrell.


Contact Information:
Terrell Designs, owned by Terrell Sundermann 
5325 Sanford Cir. E. Englewood, Colorado 80113
Phone: (303) 758-0188  Email:

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