With the nights growing ever shorter, our little ones are surging into our bedrooms earlier every morning, and taking longer to get to sleep in the evening, and so we collectively turn our thoughts to how we can make their bedrooms a little more conducive to sleepy time.

So we turn to our Bath Consultant Louise Ball, to offer some advice, and to dispense with a few myths about blackout fabrics.

Moghul: “Louise, tell us a few things about this most versatile of lining fabrics”:

Louise: “A lot of our customers ask me what blackout lining is? The blackout linings pictured in this blog are 265grms 3 pass linings made from 50% polyester and 50% cotton – which is typical of those readily available on the market. An acrylic coating gives the fabric its blackout properties, and you’ll often see them referred to as “2 pass” or the heavier weight “3 pass” – which derives from the number of times the lining fabric is passed through the coating process. You can purchase fire retardant (“F.R”) OR non fire retardant “NON F.R” linings.”

Moghul: “What colours is it available in?”

Louise: “Typically ivory, cream or white, although some suppliers, such as Evans Textiles have a range of coloured “Evasuede” blackout fabrics available in anything from black and blue through to burgundy, and gold”.

Moghul: “A lot of people talk about thermal lining fabric. What’s the difference between blackout and thermal lining?

Louise: “Thermal lining, like blackout is typically polyester/ cotton construction but lacks the acrylic coating, so if you want a lining that has thermal properties, but you also want blackout, you know what to go for!”

Moghul: “You recently completed the installation of a roman blind in our cherry embroidered Jinda Spot fabric for one of our Bath customers. Can you give us a few reasons why blackout lining works well with made to measure roman blinds?”

Louise: “There are various practical, as well as aesthetic reasons why you might decide to choose roman blinds over curtains, and here are a few reasons why blackout lining is the perfect compliment to your new made to measure roman blind:

1. It feels like cotton! It’s surprising how many of our customers still have an image of blackout lining as being a thick, rubberised barrier that is practical but not much else. THIS IS WRONG! Blackout lining feels like cotton to the touch and the acrylic coating is so discrete as to not be noticeable.
2. It works like cotton! blackout lining is a little thicker than cotton sateen lining, but otherwise operates in a very similar fashion. It’s extremely flexible and works perfectly with roman blinds
3. It protects the face fabric: blackout lining will shield the roman blind face fabric (the fabric on the front of your blind) from the harmful effects of the sun, giving you the confidence to choose more delicate fabrics, such as silk, for that south facing window. Not only will it protect the fabric from rotting, but it will also prevent the colours of your face fabric from fading over time.
4. It prevents the sun from dissipating the blind’s colours: blackout lining stops the light beaming through your blinds, not only does it protect the face fabric, but it also prevents the sun from diluting those colours /shades that you chose so carefully – as it would otherwise do, as it shone through the back of the blind during daylight hours.
5. It adds strength, structure and substance: because it is a little thicker than cotton sateen lining, blackout lining adds form and support to a roman blind, which is a great attribute particularly when your roman blind is quite wide (see our blog on extra wide roman blinds for more info on this).
6. It’s the natural choice for bedrooms: the obvious one, but blackout lining is a natural choice for all bedroom blinds. Unless you really aren’t fazed about being woken up by the sun, we would always recommend blackout lining for your bedroom blinds.
Moghul: “Finally, do you have any, slightly “off the beaten track” tips that customers should be aware of?

Louise:  “For a roman blind in a south facing window, and particularly when the blind is made the traditional way (with dowelling rod pockets as opposed to pocket tape), you might just consider interlining the blind with a dense composition interlining, as this will prevent the sun penetrating through the blackout lining at the points where it is stitched to the face fabric (what we call the stab stitches). Where dim out, or blackout is a consideration, the blind will be most effective when positioned inside the window recess or reveal, as this will minimise the amount of light that penetrates around the side of the blind. If location inside the recess is not an option, make sure the blind overlap is generous at the sides and bottom edge.

Next week on our blog, Louise will be tackling ways to blackout childrens’ bedrooms with curtains.