Since the lining and face fabric are sewn together across the shade and there is a dowel inserted through a rod pocket at every row of rings, it really isn't necessary to have a center vertical row of rings.

Now, let me add to that and say that if your hobbled roman shade is fairly wide, and you notice sagging in the middle due to the weight, adding a center row would be best.

Using presewn roman shade tape is the easiest when making a hobbled roman shade. And yes, you would space the dowels twice the distance as the ring spacing on the twill tape. So if the rings are spaced 5" on the twill tape, then space your dowels 10" apart.

You can find roman shade tape at www.roman-shade-supplies.com