How do I make valances for my windows (a lot of windows)?
Question:The room is 30x33 and has three walls of windows. It would cost me a fortune to buy enough valances. Any ideas?
Answers:
I have made cornices for the 6 windows in my living room and three in my dining room and they look nice and are very inexpensive to make.
First, go to JoAnn fabrics and look at the cornice making kit they sell there. If you're not handy at all, you can actually buy one and put it together to see how they go, but you should be able to get the gist just by looking at the package.
The kit has precut styrofoam, but I go to Home Depot and buy 1" thick foam insulation (the rigid sheets). I cut them to the size I need with a razor knife and add side pieces to form the cornice. I attach all of the pieces with long T-Pins and duct tape.
Then I cover it with material that matches my decor. If you have some money, you can get the fabric at JoAnns or wherever, but if you look there are places that sell end bolts or seconds that you can get for a dollar or two a yard.
Just attach the fabric with straight pins right to the foam.
My cornices cost about $5 a piece, including the fabric.
You can also make straight valances very easily, if you find affordable fabric. You just take a piece of material 2-3 times the width of your window and twice the height you want the valance to be. Fold it in half inside out and stitch around the three open sides. Leave an small piece unstitched so you can turn it inside out. Then, turn it and stitch a straight line about 2" from the top and then 3 1/4 inches down from that. That's the pocket for the rod. You'll have to cut open the seams in the pocket so you can get the rod in. If this sounds too hard, find a crafty friend who will help you with the first one or get a book on basic sewing from the library.
buy some wood and cut it up
If your talking about fabric valances you could use a sheet. Buy a king size sheets and cut your fabric from that. Then sew a pocket for the rod and hem the bottom. With a king size sheet you will get a lot. They don't have to be a high thread count so you could get them at Walmarts or dollor store.
I saw this really neat trick in one of my Better Homes and Gardens magazines. They took these old linen hankerchiefs and hung them on a curtain rod using "o" clips. You can find these really cheap at Wal-Mart, E-bay, just about anywhere that sells curtains. You could also use old linen napkins. Maybe search flea markets or yard sales for these in similar style, patterns, or color and mix and match for a cute "cottagy" look. It shouldn't cost much at all!
More Related Questions & Answers...