You'll Have That.

I know, I know… I’m slacking. In my defense, this week’s DIY project totally, absolutely, 100% bummed me out. I spent hours working on a structured window valance for the kitchen (that Centsational Girl inspired me to make) only to realize that I was using a fabric with a vertical pattern. If it were any other pattern, I could’ve gotten over it but literally the birds in this pattern were sideways and upside down. Basically, I turned parrots into bats. As if that wasn’t enough, I then accidentally cut through the valance when trimming the liner fabric. This resulted in a horrible, no good, very bad DIY day. But as JD always says, “You’ll have that.” This saying has never ever made me feel better (or really made any sense) until now, because it’s so true. Things go wrong, fabric rips, paint drips and I often trip (yes, I just busted a rhyme.) Although it’s incredibly frustrating, messing up a project is a great way to learn and let’s just say, I learned a lot this week.

So after giving the torn valance a piece of my mind and forcefully ripping each staple out (as punishment!) I decided to take a well deserved break, which involved mimosas with girlfriends and a trip to the fabric store. LOVE these two ladies and as you can see it’s hard to be around them without having fun.

Maybe it was the awesome mood I was in after hanging with the girls or the fact that I loved my new fabric, but as soon as I got home I was ready to show this valance who was boss.

Here’s what I used:

1x3x8 white board (cut to the window’s dimensions)
3 yards of fabric (for 96″ window). I suggest using a fabric liner if your fabric is thin.
Sewing machine
Staple Gun
Corner Brackets
Screwdriver

Here’s how I did it:

Step 1
Cut the board and fabric the width of your window. Then cut the fabric your preferred length. I wanted my valance to be 15″ long.

TIP: Here’s a tip when buying wood. To ensure the board is straight, stand behind the board and hold it at an angle to look for curvatures.

Step 2
Sew a 1″ seam on all sides. The second fabric I used was pretty thick, so I skipped the liner.

Step 3
Staple the fabric to the board. I started with one of the edges and worked my way across.

Step 4
Use a screwdriver to attach the corner brackets to the board. Then bribe someone strong to install. You can totally do this yourself, but it’s much easier to get a little help for this part.

Step 5 (Optional)
If your valance isn’t even or if you want to add a little swag, use two pieces of the extra fabric to pull the fabric up. I simply stapled the fabric to the top and then used a safety pin to hold the swag in the back.

Does this bench look familiar? It should! I recently moved it from our bedroom and it now serves as a super comfy window seat. It’s starting to feel a little more nook-ish.