If you think your budget is too tight for custom window treatments, think again. You can make a simple, no-sew window valance for little money. Since the valance requires little fabric yardage, you can splurge on something special. Check the best sources for bargain fabrics and you might even get the fabric for free.
The instructions for the no-sew valance are fast and simple -- and you don't need any special skills. Expect to spend about an hour per valance, which means you can make custom window treatments for an entire room in one afternoon.
Here's How:
Measure the inside -- inside the window frame -- height and width of your window.
Cut 3/4-inch plywood or MDF into a strip measuring 1 1/2 inches by 1/8 inch less than your inside window width. The strip is your valance mounting board.
Paint the mounting board to match the inside of your window frame. Let the paint dry.
Decide on the finished length of your valance. Typical valance lengths are anywhere from eight to 18 inches long, depending on the height of the window. Fold your fabric to various lengths, and have a friend hold them up to the window. Look at each possible length from various locations in your room. One-fifth of the window height is a good place to start.
Add 1 7/8 inches to your inside window width. Add 2 inches to the finished valance length you chose in Step Four. Cut a piece of fabric to those measurements.
Pin 1-inch fusing tape to the wrong side of your cut fabric, on the end that will form the left side of the valance. Fold the width ends over 1-inch, wrong sides together. Iron the folds into place according to the fusing tape manufacturer's instructions. Repeat with the right side, and then with the bottom.
The top of the valance fabric should be the only side not hemmed with fusing tape. Fold 1 inch of the fabric over the top of the mounting board, and staple it into place with a staple gun. The fabric hanging down from the mounting board will equal your finished length.
Screw the mounting board to the inside top of the window frame. Screw straight through the underside of the mounting board and into the window frame.
Don't mount the valance too close to the window glass. Mount it so the valance seems to hangs just inside the window frame. You'll have plenty of room behind the mounting board to hang privacy blinds, if you need them. The valance will hide the blind's mounting hardware.
Paint the screw heads to match the mounting board and window frame. You'll probably never see them, but paint them just in case.
Tips:
If you're using a directional, patterned fabric, make sure the pattern is centered on the valance, and the top of the pattern points toward the top of the valance.
What You Need
- Metal tape measure
- 3/4-inch plywood or MDF
- Saw
- Paint
- Fabric
- Scissors
- 1-inch fusing tape
- Iron
- Staple gun
- Wood screws
