{Stenciled Drop Cloth Valances}

I am so thankful for all the lovely comments I've gotten about my BIG craft room reveal!  I put a lot of work into the makeover, and it feels good to know that others see the beauty in it.  I promised that I would share tutorials for the many different projects in the room, so today I'm going to share how I made the valances for the windows.

When I first started the craft room makeover, I wanted long panels to frame my windows.  Unfortunately, my desk top ended up a little wider than I planned, so I knew the panels were out of the question, and I would have to settle for valances.  I didn't want to buy valances because I knew that I would not find what I wanted for the price I wanted.  I had a lot of leftover drop cloth from my drop cloth pillow covers, so I decided that I would make my curtains out of that.  First, I got out my drop cloth, tape measure, and notebook to create a plan.

I knew how wide my windows were, and two of my Facebook fans told me that my valance should be 2 to 2 1/2 times the width of my window.  I didn't have quite that much drop cloth, but I decided to just go with what I had and make it work.  I had other measurements to figure out, though, and this is what I came up with.

I am not a seamstress by any means, so I hope the above image makes sense.  It makes sense in my mind, but that doesn't mean much!  Please note that if you are making a valance out of material other than a drop cloth, remember to add a seam allowance to left and right side of the valance.  The great thing about the drop cloth is that it already has finished edges.  (If you used the bottom edge along with the side edges of the valance, you could get away with only one inch of seam allowance.)  Also, you can definitely make your valances longer or shorter than mine.  I just measured a valance in another room to decide on the 13" from the rod.  And depending on the size of the curtain rod you use, you may need more fabric for the rod pocket opening.  (In that case you would need to add length to the fold over measurement as well because, as you can see, that measurement came from adding the length of the top ruffle to that of the rod pocket.) After I cut 25" of the drop cloth, I pinned the fabric, which is probably one of my top ten least favorite things to do in the world.

After the valance was pinned, I simply had to sew three straight lines on the fabric where the arrows are pointing in the above photos.  If I can find a marking to follow on my sewing machine, I can actually sew a straight line most of the time!  :)  After the valance was sewn, it was time to make it ME.  I knew the way to do that would be to stencil a design on the fabric.  So I used my Silhouette to cut a damask stencil out of card stock.

Then I just used a small amount of paint to stencil the design on my valances.  When I finished, I liked them, but they needed that something extra.  Since these were going in my craft room, I decided I could be a little whimsical and add something out of the ordinary.  I chose to stencil scissors on the curtains.

Again, the stencil was cut with my Silhouette, and I used a small amount of turquoise paint for the design.

After a bajillion hours of stenciling, I let the curtains dry.  Then it was time to hang them!

When I first hung them, I didn't really know if I liked them or not.  (That happens A LOT to me with stuff I make because I'm a perfectionist...)  After looking at them over and over at different angles, they started to grow on me.  Now, I love the playfulness they add to the room.  I think just the damask pattern by itself would have been a little too plain for me.  The scissors add that extra little touch that says "Pitter and Glink."

I love how well the valances go with the other things in the room.  Plus, they cost me zero dollars because I already had all the supplies on hand.  Seriously, who doesn't love free?!  If I can make a valance, you can make a valance.  So go for it, and don't be afraid to add that little touch of whimsy that will make it shout your name!