Easy to Make Valance Window Treatments

A valance treatment tops a window with color and helps hide curtain rods and blind rolls. Making a valance rather than purchasing a pre-made one ensures a perfect match for the room's decor and gives the room a custom look. Make valances using either fabric or pre-hemmed materials like tablecloths or napkins.

Basic Preparation

Measure the window that will be topped with the valance. Valences typically hang on the outside of the window frame, so allow at least one inch on either side of the window in your measurements. If outside-mount blinds or shades cover the window, add an inch to the the outside of those measurements so that the valance will cover them. Choose a curtain rod and measure its diameter so that you can account for it when sewing the rod pocket of the valance treatment. Use a decorative rod if it will be visible, and add finials to the ends of the rod coordinating with the theme of the room or the fabric for the valance.

Napkin Valance

Purchase finished 16-inch-square cotton napkins in single or alternating coordinating patterns to create a diamond valance with no hemming. Pre-shrink the napkins by washing and drying them according to manufacturer's instructions. After pre-shrinking the napkins, the finished valance will be washable for easy care. Iron the washed napkins. Lay your purchased rod on a flat work surface. Folding the napkins corners together over the rod, line them up to arrange the valance. Pin them together where they meet, and then slide the pinned-together valance off the rod. Stitch or fabric glue them where the pins are, and then slide the finished valance back over the rod and install.

Gathered Fabric Valance

Using raw fabric or a tablecloth with a finished edge, cut a piece of fabric two or three times the width of the window, depending on how tight and full you want the gathers to be. Cut the fabric to be as long as you want the finished treatment to be, plus enough to wrap around the rod pocket, plus a one-inch seam allowance. If you are using raw fabric, cut the fabric one inch longer to accommodate the hem allowance. Using the finished edge of the tablecloth as the bottom of the valance, fold over the top one-half inch and iron it. Then fold the top down to create a rod pocket and stitch it closed. If you don't sew, create the seam with double-sided fusible fabric hemming tape. Gather the finished valance onto the rod, evenly distributing the gathers, and install.

References

• "Sewing for Dummies", Janice Saunders Maresh, 1999

Resources

• Measure for and Install Window Blinds and Shades