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Sonya Hamilton Designs

Pleated Valance – Scallops, Pleats, Piping It’s All in the Details

By Sonya

One of the best things about making your own curtains is the chance to incorporate all sorts of details. 

I love details. The little extra “something” that might go unnoticed by some but make all the difference in the final results.

Today I’m sharing a board mounted scalloped & pleated valance that’s traditional in design yet full of details that can be incorporated in so many different curtain projects.  

In the Gallery of this blog you’ll find two sections dedicated entirely just to details. Pillow Details for pillows of all shapes and sizes and Window Treatment Details. 

My client, Sandy, came to me with a vision for her living room windows. Her inspiration came from several valances found in the Gallery including this valance as well as this one. She sent the above photo showing how she’d like to use her fabrics.  

We started with 4 different fabrics.

  1. polyester paisley (brown background)
  2. small red check
  3. upholstery weight paisley (tan background)
  4. medium size red & gold plaid

We created one board mounted, pleated valance we paired with long panels and another we paired with cafe curtains. 

The first pleated valance was created using 3 scalloped panels. We placed the brown paisley in the center and the tan paisley to each side. The small red check was used for the pleats on each end. 

The matching piping was created by cutting the red check fabric on the bias and covering cording. The covered cording was used on either side of the center panel as well as at each corner. 

The valance was embellished with a coordinating tassel trim.

The second valance is very similar to the first. We used the same scalloped shape, matching cording and pleats. This time the brown paisley fabric was used for all three scalloped panels making sure to match the pattern repeat in each panel. 

The lower edge was finished with a flat seam binding made from the same red check. 

The matching seam binding ran along the lower edge encompassing the pleats at each end. 

This photo shows a closer look at the cording as it wraps over the top of the board.

We paired the brown paisley pleated valance with floor length panels made from the larger red & gold plaid. The panels are installed on a rod with rings underneath the valance. They were made using pinch pleats which allows them to hang so nicely. 

Notice the tan paisley fabric is also being used on a bergére chair in Sandy’s living room. 

I don’t have a photo of the first valance installed but it was paired with a cafe curtain and hangs in a stairwell window on an opposite wall in the living room. 

The cafe curtain was made using the same red & gold plaid. Here we used a pinch pleat design with only 2 folds instead of the traditional 3. This allowed the panels to be wide enough to cover the 36″ wide window when closed.  

A matching double ruffled pillow was made using left over paisley fabric. 

The zipper closure was sewn in & hidden between the ruffles. 

Good design is in the details. Whether you see those details or not. 

Some of the details we used here…
a scalloped design, covered piping, biased seam binding, pleated ends on a valance, tassel trim, pleated curtain panels, using 2 folds in a pleat instead of 3, mixing 4 fabrics to create 2 different valance designs, using cording to separate the fabrics, double ruffles on a pillow, hiding the zipper between the ruffles. 

 

Contemplating a similar project?

Here’s a few TUTORIALS to help you along. 
1. Another valance I made for Sandy as well as How to Make Bias Cut Seam Binding
2. How to Make Your Own Board Mounted Box Pleat Valance
3. How to Make Self Piping/Cording
4. How to Sew a Pinch Pleat Valance
5. A Buffalo Check & Floral Valance Tutorial
6. Visit the Gallery especially Window Treatment Details and/or Pillow Details for photo inspiration. 

Need help with your next project?
If you’d like help with a project visit the Services page here at Sonya Hamilton Designs for details. I’m happy to help you with any project you’re having trouble with or help you by making something for you. Pillows, window treatments, bedding, etc. 
You can also contact me at sonya@beyondthescreendoor [dot] com.

 

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Comments

  1. Debbie Lanphear says

    August 27, 2017 at 2:47 pm

    Sonya: My husband and I live in Bowling Green, Kentucky and recently googled blue doors, hoping to find an paint color that would compliment the inside of our home. A picture of your door and blog info came up. We loved the way you painted your front entrance. We are considering doing ours in similar colors. One question that I have….do you have shutters on your brick home and if so, what color did you paint them? (Our shutters are currently black and our window trim is white….yuck!) I also was wondering if the color trim around your windows matched the color of the sidelights on the door? Would you mind sharing the paint color you used on the sidelights, what glaze you used on the door and the color of the wood stain around the door frame? Love, love what you’ve done and look forward to hearing from you!! Thank you for sharing your beautifully decorated home!! Debbie Lanphear

    • Sonya says

      August 28, 2017 at 10:36 pm

      Thank you so much, Debbie! We do have shutters and you can find all the info about how we painted them in Painting Shutters & Our Home’s Exterior.
      All the details about our front door can be found in my post about our Turquoise Front Door
      The paint around our front door was a combination of attempts to find the right color so I’m sorry I don’t have a specific color for that. I hope this helps!

  2. Louise says

    September 4, 2017 at 7:38 am

    Sonya, I have followed your site and you do stunning work! This is one of my favorites! Thank you.

    • Sonya says

      September 16, 2017 at 11:39 am

      Thank you so much, Louise!

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Hi, Everyone! I’m Sonya. Welcome! Would you like to create unique home decor that’s true to your decorating style? Curtains, pillows, bedding? Here at Sonya Hamilton Designs you’ll find the resources to accomplish just that. Or contact me for a custom order. I’d be delighted make your new decor items for you!

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