Deep cascade folds c. 15cm advice please..

[New Maker]

Hello, I'm planning my first cascade blind, and wondered if anyone had any experience on making a blind with large cascades? I'm thinking of using a cascade measurement of 15cm. I'd hugely appreciate any advice. I'm a bit worried the top section is going to look very small when pulled up.

The blind drop is 198cm and the customer is keen on generous cascades. She wants it ceiling mounted and it has to conceal 60cm of wall and top of window frame when fully pulled up, which is the reason for going for such large cascades so that when fully pulled up it hangs down 60cm - the only way I've found to achieve this is with 3.5 folds using a 15cm cascade measurement. This makes the first section 23cm (including 8cm headrail) the second section 45cm, the third section 75cm, and the final half section 53cm. It's the first section at the top I'm concerned will look too thin.

Is there another way using cascades to achieve a pulled up drop of 60cm without quite such large cascades? I had thought about just increasing the headrail allowance to have a 'dead' section at the top but think this would rely on the customer knowing when to stop pulling the blind up. I don't think that would work as I'm making a pair of these blinds and will need them to match and I guess there's a chance she could pull one up more than the other. I did think about putting a chain joiner at the exact point to stop the blind but I'm having to use heavy duty chain drive with a continuous chain so alas not an option.

Anyway, wondering if there's an alternative I've missed that any of you clever more experienced makers could suggest or a way to increase that top section without the cascades looking uneven when pulled up.

I'd really value any ideas.

Thanks,
Keri

[Louise]

Hi - I think 60cm is a large area to cover and would make a mockup with lining or scrap fabric to see what 15cm cascades looked like. Have you used the forum cascade calculator to see if adding a rod or two and juggling with the cascade size helps?

An alternative would be to add a pelmet to help cover the 60cm and mount the blind behind it, that would help with controlling the pulling up of the blind as well.

[New Maker]

Thanks very much Louise. Yes agree it's a very large area to cover which is why I'm a bit uneasy. Sadly no space for pelmets as close up against walls. I have had a play with the calculator, but will go back to it so see if there's another solution. Thanks for taking the time to think about it and reply.

[Louise]

Have you got a photo of the window????? Could you make a really shallow pelmet just a cm or so deeper than the blind track?

[New Maker]

Foolishly I didn't take a photo of it. It's for a 1960s house with very wide windows that extend almost up to the corners of the room, stopping a mere 6cm or so from the corners of the room. So I'll need that space on the side for the blind to overlap and for clearance with the wall.

Hmm.. will have a look again at adding in another rod and reducing the cascade size, though not sure that will do it.

Thanks again for your help! Any other ideas welcomed as I have to admit its the first time I've been properly baffled by blinds!

[Liz Gregg]

Hi Keri
If you are wanting to fill the space above the window right up to the ceiling and the windows are set very close to the side walls, could you make pelmets that are actually fixed to the ceiling so that the wall space at the side of the window is left free for the blind overlapping and clearance? The pelmet wouldn't have a return on the side that is close to the wall, the front would just butt up against the wall.

Best wishes
Liz

[Carolineblue4]

Keri, Maybe you're over-thinking the problem: I suggest you imagine the headrail just above the recess in a position which you would normally put it (if you didn't have to cover the 60cm up to the ceiling). Work out your desired number of rods and cascades as normal, but then add the extra vertical measure above that imaginary headrail (say the 60cms though it will be more like 45cms). Have a wood batten fitted to the wall at the position of your imaginary headrail with little screw eyes as cord guides. This will act as your 'stop' so that above there will be one pelmet -like 'fold' of the blind and below there will be the normal folds. The awkward bit will be the threading of the cords from the headrail (I'm assuming you are using a cassette-type) down through each of the screw eyes and then through the loops/rings on the reverse of the blind as normal. My sketch attached I hope it helps visualise.
Caroline

[Clare W]

I have a similar issue with a blind drop of 224cm to a high windowsill, with ceiling height of 340cm - so very tall. The window is also very wide 224cm.

I think a fully stacked up blind will look out of proportion with height of the room so I am aiming on ending up with a blind length of 66cm when stacked up. I was going to achieve this with a 30cm headrail allowance and just 3 rod pockets and cascades of 5cm.

So the top/front section to the first fold is 50cm.


But can anyone let me know - Keri says this method would rely on you stopping pulling up at the right time - but I was assuming it would be obvious where to stop as you would stop when the 3 rods were lined up with each other. Or do you think that will be unreliable? Thanks a lot.

Clare

[Louise]

Is the blind for you? If not, you would have to be sure your customer understood this is how the blind would work to look 'right' and that everyone in the household behaved in the same manner.

Experience tells many members that this would (sadly) be beyond some people

[New Maker]

Thanks very much Louise, Liz and Caroline. Really appreciate your advice and ideas. The customer has decided she likes deep 15cm cascades so I'm going to go ahead with the original plan, which means a very small first section of 23cm (incl 8cm headrail) before it's folded. 45cm second section, 75cm third section and final half section of 53cm. I'll mock it up to check it works first and the first section doesn't look too stingy. I'll share any big learnings incase it helps others.

Clare, I agree with Louise that unfortunately the stop point wouldn't be obvious to customers, but like Caroline's wooden batten solution.

[Louise]

If you have the customer's approval then that is key - it lowers the obvious anxiety that you have had to make the decision and they can decide they don't like the result when it's delivered. I hate it when customers say 'what would you do?'.....

It woul be great to hear how this goes, when you have time.