Hem & Sew Valance Side Seams

Refer to the drawing below to determine the Finished Size and Cut Size of your Valance. Note that you "design" your Valance beginning at the top of the drawing. That is, you start with Size D, which is the finished Valance size, then use those dimensions to determine the size to cut your front fabric and lining. When you make the Valance, you start at the bottom of the drawing (Size A) and progress through the steps to end up with Size D for your finished Valance.

 

Notice that all of your measurements begin with W (the width of the front of the mounting board) and R (the return of an outside mount board). I use a cloth tape measure and measure "around" the three sides of the board. It is important to have the Velcro already attached to the board at this point. The thickness of the Velcro will add at least 1/8" to your measurements.

If you are piecing or banding your Valance make it oversized then trim to Size A. If you are making your Valance from one fabric, cut to Size A. Hem the bottom using a double 2" hem as shown in the drawing at the top of the page. Measure 4" up from the bottom of the cut front, press wrong sides together, open up the fold and fold the bottom half up to the first fold line, press again. Now refold, ending up with three layers of fabric. Stitch through all layers near the top of the hem using matching thread. Press thoroughly.

If your Valance is mounted alone (not over an existing treatment) or being used on a Top-Down shade, the back of the Valance needs to be protected from sunlight. Use a drapery lining, such as Thermalsuede that is designed to block ultraviolet light.

Cut lining width: Size A Width - 1"
Cut Lining Length: Size A Length

Hem the bottom of the lining the same way you did the Fabric Front.

A note about Thermalsuede or Blackout lining: The foam side of the lining is the WRONG side. The front side of the lining is the woven fabric. It is very difficult to tell the correct side. The wrong side is “slick”, the right side is a little rough.

You have hemmed (separately) both the front fabric and lining. You will now join them together by sewing the side seams. You will end up with a short OPEN tube of fabric that has hems at the bottom and raw edges at the top. It will look like a doughnut. The drawings and photographs below were copied from the Roman shade directions. Your Valance will be very short, so visually shrink the drawings in the vertical direction.

 

 

How to Sew Side Seams:

Check that the lining is 1” narrower than the front fabric. Lay the front fabric right-side-up on a work surface, with the bottom (hem) to your left. Lay the lining with the right-side-down on top of the front fabric. If you are using Thermalsuede or Blackout lining, the “slick” foam side is up. The right-sides of your panels are together. This means that the lining is one-inch short of the other side of your front fabric. Don’t center the lining on the front fabric. The bottom hems will both be to your left. The bottom of the lining should be placed 1/2” above the bottom of the front fabric. This also means that the top of the lining 1/2" above the top of the front fabric. Don’t worry about that. You will be trimming more than an inch off the top of the Valance in a later step. Pin every 2” to 3” close to the edge. You can leave these pins in while you stitch. Also pin the front fabric and the lining together every 6” to 8” several inches towards the center of the shade to stabilize and prevent pulling during stitching. This is shown in the drawing below.

 

	Using a 3/4" seam, sew the first side of the seam beginning at the hem edge (back-stitch at the beginning of the seam) and ending at the top edge. When you are using Thermalsuede, you are always sewing with the plastic side up. The plastic side is the WRONG side of the lining. You may need to use a Teflon or walking presser foot on your sewing machine. Or you can use a piece of thin paper under the foot (such as Adding Machine Paper, which is available in Office Supply stores or in our Online Store), and sew through it to prevent sticking. After pining your seam, position your shade to sew the seam. Before lowering the presser foot, slip the Adding Machine Paper on the top of the fabrics, lower the presser foot and sew the seam. Remove the paper when you are finished stitching by carefully tearing it along the seam line.
	Press the seam towards the lining. Now you need to sew the other side seam. With right sides together and with the lining still on top, pin the second side seam. The hems are now on your right-hand side. Notice that your front fabric is still wider than the lining so your Valance will not lay flat. Pull the lining over so that the sides are flush. Once again, make sure the bottom of the lining is 1/2" above the bottom of the front fabric. This time your will be sewing from the top of the Valance to the hem. Backstitch at the hem. Be sure to start at the top of the Valance when you sew the second side seam. The different types of fabric move differently relative to your sewing machine bottom plate and presser foot. You want the same sequence of fabrics. You sewed your first side seam with the front fabric on the bottom and the lining on the top. You want to sew your second side seam with the front fabric still on the bottom. Trust me, your shade will twist slightly if you reverse the order of the fabrics in your machine.
	Using an ironing board, press the second seam towards the lining. You now have a tube, so it is much easier to press the seam by slipping the fabric tube over your ironing board rather than laying is on a pressing table. Turn the Valance right side out. You have a tube, open at the top and bottom. Place it upside down (lining facing up) on a large work surface. Smooth into a rectangle. You should have a 1/4” overlap of the front fabric around to the back on each side. Pull the shade firmly from both sides to achieve this.

 

Make sure that the bottom of the lining is 1/2" above the front across the entire bottom of the Valance. Press thoroughly. Pin in several places before turning over. Press again, being careful not to iron directly on the pins. Carefully smooth the Valance and measure the width in at least three places. Verify that the measurements are within ¼” of your desired Finished Valance Size C Width. If not, decide if you can live with the “new” width or whether you need to re-sew one or both side seams. Continue the instructions by scrolling up and clicking on the next topic in the left-hand navigation column.