Sew A Quick And Easy Valance For A Window

Window treatments can greatly enhance the décor of any room. A combination of heavy drapes with sheers, a Roman shade or even a simply swag can turn a room’s look from humdrum into humdinger.

Most homeowners who are new to decorating homes think that window treatments are complex and expensive. In reality, there are many window enhancements that can be made for a minimal investment of time and money. With a little effort, a home decorator who can sew has the ability to give rooms an even more professional-looking touch by creating a valance in about an hour.

Start by choosing a valance that complements the existing draperies. It is best to choose fabrics that are intended specifically for home décor, as they have the right weight and texture to withstand the stresses of sunlight, dust, drafts and so on. If you find something that’s perfect for a home color scheme, you may wish to buy enough of the fabric to have on hand for drapes, pillow covers or even slip covers as well. It might also be a good idea to buy a couple of decorative area rugs at the same time, to make sure you have enough elements to pull the scheme together. For example, if you are adding a tailored valance in plaid for a traditional style living room, consider getting floor coverings such as blue area rugs or red rugs that pick up the colors in the valance.

When you bring the fabric home, if it’s washable, it’s a good idea to launder and iron the fabric before you cut out any pattern. In that way, you remove any “sizing,” such as starch, that’s intended to stiffen the fabric. Laundering the fabric beforehand also will cause the material to shrink, if the pattern can be drawn and cut accurately. Pressing the material after drying it also will give wrinkle-free fabric with which to work.

Once it’s cleaned and pressed, fold the fabric with the right sides facing one another. Lay out the fabric so that any pattern it has is going horizontally. Now make a paper pattern or trace the valance’s outline on the fabric. (Since this is done on the inside of the cloth, any tracing won’t show). Measure the height of the valance at 1/3 to ¼ the height of the window. Make the width of the valance a few inches wider than the window width, including any trim.

Next pin the sides together (right sides are still facing one another) and cut out the valance from the fabric. Sew all sides except the long top side, then turn the material inside out and press flat with an iron. Hem the opening by hand and press the seam so that it lies flat. Now’s the time to add any trim you may want, such as piping, cording, ribbon or other embellishments. Pin any trimming along the fabric’s edge and sew very close to the edge so that it will hang evenly.

To hang the valance on a curtain road, hooks or rings, make loops from matching material or buy cord that complements the color scheme. You can make the loops to hang the valance from the material or buy matching cord. Create loops from the material in the same way you sewed the valance, making the strips twice as long and wide as you want the end size of the loops to be. For cord loops, simply cut lengths that are twice the measurement you want from the valance top to the rod or holder. Attach these inside the top seam as you sew it shut.

Install the rod, rings or other hangs for the valance on the window trim or drywall and hang the new valance. You’ve just completed a customized window treatment!

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