baby-safe "roman shades"

We had a homemade Roman shade in the kitchen (I made it when we first moved in six years ago), but considering the number of recalls of Roman-style shades in the past couple of years, I was never comfortable with it after my kiddo was born. Have I mentioned what a crazy climber he's become lately? I think he has mountain goat aspirations.

Anyway, it was time to nix the kitchen's strangulation hazard in favor of this simple faux Roman shade.

A lot of the tutorials you'll find for "faux roman shades" are actually valances that don't ever drop to cover the entire window. This one does.

It's in no way perfect, but it is inexpensive, easy, and functional. And by functional, I don't mean "easy to open due to an elaborate system of cords and pulleys", but "covers the window at several different heights, providing privacy without blocking too much light".

Again, no strangle-y bits here.

First, clear out your old window treatments.

Acquire three simple tension rods long enough to fit the width of your window, and a painter's canvas drop cloth. Your canvas drop cloth should be wide enough to accommodate a (pre-washed) single piece as wide as your window and twice as long (plus seam allowances and about three inches of length to make a pocket for the rod).

Loosen the screws, fit the tension rods to your windows, and tighten the screws.

Install two of the rods as shown, effectively splitting the window into equal thirds.

Hem your canvas panel along all sides and bottom, and create a pocket at the top that can accommodate the curtain rod. Hang it at the very top of your window.

Loop your shade behind the second (middle) rod, creating a deep fold.

Pull out the tail from the bottom, and repeat the loop-and-fold for the third (bottom) rod.

That's it! For us, because the window looks out into the less-than-scenic car port, it's not important that the shade open and close quickly and easily. When I want a breeze, I just pull and tuck and have this again:

Total time: about an hour (not counting the wash cycle). Total cost: $40 including three tension rods and one canvas drop cloth. You could cut the cost by using any fabric you have on hand, sheets, etc.

What's on your windows? I'd love to visit your (non-spam) links in the comments below!



(p.s. pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them, but you probably already knew that.)



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quick and easy seatbelt covers

The car seat we recently bought the kiddo (to replace the one in my car that tops out at a 40 lb. weight limit) included a couple of really handy little seatbelt covers. These are a definite bonus as his least favorite thing about riding in his car seats has been that the belts tend to cut into his neck when properly tightened.

He's been loving the new luxury seat. On the other hand, he's not been loving riding in my husband's car, whose seat does not have the accompanying seat belt covers. And on weekends and long road trips, that car is typically the one we travel in. It's been a little bit of an issue.

So okay; I decided I can either keep dressing the kiddo in hooded sweatshirts all summer (and pull the extra fabric up against his neck to protect it from the seatbelt) or I could just make a couple of seatbelt covers like the ones in the kiddo's other seat. Which is what I did.

Manufacturers typically recommend not adding accessories to car seats, but I felt this was an okay move for our family. After all, they also recommend against wearing excess clothing in a car seat, and the hooded sweatshirts were far more likely to interfere with car safety than two layers of thin cloth at one point on a seat belt. Also, because our other car seat had them as part of the stock package, I figured it was probably safer than other alternatives. You'll have to decide for yourself!

So, have I justified myself enough yet? :)

Here's what they'll end up looking like.

You can use any fabric for this project. I used pre-washed scraps of a cute gnome print by Michael Miller Fabrics, and some red felt. You'll also need thread and 3/4-inch sew-on hook-and-loop fastener (like velcro).

I also used the seatbelt covers from our other car seat as a pattern, but I took measurements for you: cut two pieces of patterned fabric and two pieces of felt measuring approximately 5.5 x 6.5 inches.

Round the corners, and stitch together one piece of felt and one piece of patterned fabric with right sides together. Leave about a quarter-inch seam allowance, and leave a couple of inches of one side open to turn inside out.

After turning inside out, press and top-stitch (stitch around the perimeter close to the edge) till it looks like this:

Cut four inches of hook-and-loop to fit along the long, straight sides.

Stitch the strips in place(right on the edge!), with the hook piece on one edge of the seat belt cover, and the loop piece on the other as pictured.

Trim loose threads and sharp corners of hook-and-loop. Fold in half. Complete!

Repeat for the second seat belt cover. Install in your car seat!

These take about twenty minutes, but you'll more than make up for any time spent the first time you ride in the car and no one feels like he's getting strangled in the back seat.

If you decide to make a set, I'd love to see how they turn out! Link in the comments below. Happy travels to you!



(p.s. you can make these pictures larger by clicking on them, but you probably already knew that!)


Linking up to:



The Stuff of Success