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Curtain / blind miracle idea needed!

8 replies

KikiShack · 28/03/2014 18:16

Please help befor this causes me and DP to split leaving out baby daughter with only one parent!

DD's bedroom (and our bedroom) face onto the street - we're in a GF flat.
Both bedrooms have voile roman blinds for privacy plus I think they look quite nice. Other houses in the street have nets, venetian blinds, and some have that film stuck to the window which we tried but I hated - made me feel I was in a mental institution.
Anyway DD also has a beautiful roller blind, lovingly made by me while heavily pregnant. It is a lovely dinosaur fabric and is about 2m x 2m, so big and fairly heavy. The only problem is the material is pretty see through - we didn't think at all when we chose it based on the awesome pattern.

So basically these two layers do a rubbish job of blocking any light out, and we're about to move her into her own room (HURRAH) but she'll be waking up at 4am (boo) unless we do something about it.

I don't want to get rid of the dinosaur blind because I love it, I think DD loves it, and the material alone was over £100, plus the blind kit and all my blood sweat and tears, I can't bear to throw that away after less than 6 months. We don't want to get rid of the voile as it gives us great privacy, both for DD and also for me doing endless breastfeeding in there.

So what can we do? We don't want black-out per se but I'll use that as a shorthand to mean 'something a bit darker than completely translucent'
Options I've thought of are:

  1. somehow make the dino blind opaque - are there sprays we could spray on the back of it to add a black-out layer?! I think sewing a black-out lining on would break the blind and make it far too heavy.
  2. add a third blind in, probably between the voile and dinosaurs. But I'm not sure there's enough space to fit them in, plus DP thinks this would look like a dodgy fudge job. Wonder why?!
  3. I'm out - someone please help!!

    Thanks in advance Grin
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JuniperTisane · 28/03/2014 18:22
  1. Get some plain lined curtains as well.
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KikiShack · 28/03/2014 18:33

Hi juniper, thanks for the suggestion. How do you see that working? Curtains over the blind or between voile and dino blinds?
I'm not initially convinced as I assume you mean curtains on the outside, in which case why have the dino blind as whenever it was down it would be covered over by the curtains? If I'm missing a vital part of the master plan please fill me in...obsessive thinking about it all week has stopped me thinking clearly.

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KikiShack · 28/03/2014 18:34

Hi juniper, thanks for the suggestion. How do you see that working? Curtains over the blind or between voile and dino blinds?
I'm not initially convinced as I assume you mean curtains on the outside, in which case why have the dino blind as whenever it was down it would be covered over by the curtains? If I'm missing a vital part of the master plan please fill me in...obsessive thinking about it all week has stopped me thinking clearly.

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JuniperTisane · 28/03/2014 19:44

Grin. I understand. I was thinking close the curtains over the blind at night, because its nighttime and your DD should be too asleep to notice it? In the winter you could leave the curtains open anyway so it would be seen some of the time. And I'm sure you would leave a little bit showing at the top during the day so it would still be seen.

Option 5) if you don't fancy that, is to sell the blind and make blackout-lined curtains with some more of the same fabric instead.

or Option 6) see how it goes. Not all children need total darkness to sleep. DS1 does, DS2 doesn't seem to be bothered at all.

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TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge · 29/03/2014 18:49

Totally bonkers idea,but as you don't want to do anything normal (sorry!) What about sticking a layer of sticky back plastic (fablon) on the back of the fabric?

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jammietart · 29/03/2014 18:55

one of these gro.co.uk/gro-anywhere-blind

or get rid of the voile and replace with something like this www.luxaflex.co.uk/products/indoor/duette-shades.

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Catsmamma · 29/03/2014 19:00

just get some blackout material on the back...it's not heavy and if you cba you can just fix it at the top and bottom...it doesn't fray so the sides could just be left.

i have a homemade blind in the bathroom where I did the blackout thing...just so the neighbours were not treated to a silhouette peep show in the winter.

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KikiShack · 30/03/2014 18:51

Thanks for your helpful suggestions. I was in Ikea today all ready to waste money on temporary blackout curtains and buy blackout fabric to attach to the blind (though I am not sure it would have worked but I was determined to give it a go) when DP spotted a plain blackout roller blind which just fits in the gap between the voile and the dinosaurs, YAY!!!
DD will grow up with two happy parents and there's a chance she'll be obsessed with dinosaurs. I'm so happy, best mother's day present ever.
In case anyone is interested the dino blind is made with Jolly Jurassic print by Harlequin, the natural colouring one. Please don't flame my taste in fabrics Grin

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