Making and Installing A Window Valence
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Making and Iris. ring a Valance
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IMPORTANT: Read this before you start 5'/\ 1v;cfJ-I/........,
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Introduction
Valances add a nice touch to windows that you do not want to cover completely, but that you also
do not want to leave bare. Bare windows can seem cold and uninviting , and adding wi nd ow dressing
such as a Window Valance will make your room much more homey and wa rm. Th ere are several
styles of va lances from which to choose. This va lan ce is a single rod va lance requiring a 2 1112" flat
curtain rod . Al though this va lance is intended to be poufed , it can be left as a flat va lance for a more
traditiona l look.
Beg in by determining where you want to install the hardware for the va lance. You can either install
the rod on the frame of the window or 1-2" on either side of the frame. If you are installing the
va lance over window blinds you will want to install hardware on either side of the wi ndow frame .
Where you install the hardware will affect th e width of the fabric, so you must decide how wid e your
va lance will be before you purchase fabri c.
BEfORE you .tart ...
Skill lEVEL & TIME to Complete 0
• Beginner - 1.5 hours
• Intermed iate - 45 minutes
• Advanced - 30 minutes
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To view a multimedia demonstration of this tutorial , click here.
The demonstration requires Macromedia Flash 4 player. If you don't already have it , click here to
get it.
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Making and In stalling a Valance Page 2 of 4
1. Determining the amount of fabric to buy: Measure th e fini shed length r:O
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of th e valance (B in picture) . Begin the measurement at the to p of th e rod
and measure to where yo u wa nt th e va lance to end . Trad itionally, a
va lance is 1/6th of the total length of the window, so this will probably look
most natural on your own wi nd ows.
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2. Dete rmin e the length of material you need by using th e fini shed length , D
and double it (2 x B) so that the valan ce ca n be poufed. Now add 10" to ·--- A ----j
th at number to allow fo r a 3" heading and hems. Th is number will be
referred to as the cut length - this is the length of materi al th at you will B
have to have cut at the store. As indica ted in the picture, this calculation
is :
«2 x B) + 1 0).
3. Measure the width yo u need depending on where yo u are planning to
place the rod hardwa re as discussed in the overview. Determin e the width ('J~ l.i"~:;, h =
by multi plying the rod width by 3 to give th e valance fulln ess. Divide this 28 ... 10 '
num ber by th e fabric width of yo ur bolt of materi al. (This is the width th at "f,;i>r~, '/{(}l);> =
th e fabric com es in, whi ch is generally 45" or 54".) This gives you the 3A I F.lbflc \Md lh
num be r of fabric widths you will need to finish the valan ce. As indi cated in "f(:'/d? M.Hc:" :,}! N ; ~iJ d (,'.:J =
th e picture, this ca lculation is: (lit Leogth x
~ F4bric I"VidUH
«3 x A) I bolt width).
4. To get the am ount of mate ri al yo u need in sq uare ya rds, multi ply the cut 0
length (step 2) by th e num ber of fabric widths (step 3). This gives you the .... Cut Le ngt h
tota l length of fa bric you need in in ches. Divid e th e total length in inches
by 36 to give you the number of ya rds of fabri c yo u will need to buy.
5. Sew ing the valance: If yo u are using a full bolt of materi al, measure out
the cut length of the fa bric and cut it at the cut length. Most li kely, yo u will
have to join widths of fabri c to make your valance full enough. Lay th e
pieces of fabri c to be joined on top of one anoth er with the pattern sid e
facing in being sure that the pattern lin es up.
6. Stitch a sea m y," fro m the edge along the side to be jOin ed.
7. Flip the join ed materi al over and press th e stitched edg es so that you
have a clea n fini sh.
oI , Fold Side Edge
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Mak ing and Installing a Valance Page 3 of 4
8. Now you will need to make hems along the sides of your valance . Fold
the side edge over 1/2" and press.
9. Then fold 1/2" of fabric over aga in , press, and stitch in the hem. Do thi s
for both sid es of the fabric.
Bot1olTl Inside
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10. As you are making a poufed va lance , you will need to sew a tube for the
fi ll material. Fold the fabric in half from top to bottom , inside out. Sew the
fabric together to form a tube.
11 . Turn the fabric right side in and wh il e keeping the seam 1" from the top,
press a crease in the fabric. This is the top of the header on your valance .
12. Now you will need to make the rod tube for your valance to hang from .
Measure 3" from top of the header and sew across the width of the fabric.
This gives you a 3" header. Now, measure 2% - 3" down from the new
seam and again sew across the width of the fabric. This is the rod pocket.
13.Now it is time to hang your valance . Slide the rod into the rod pocket and m
place the rod on the hooks.
14.Finally , stuff th e tube that you crea ted in the va lance with nylon netting ,
plastic, or newspaper to pouf the va lance.
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Making and In stalling a Va lance Page 4 of 4
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