Den Drapes Makeover with Valences and Celtic Applique

What??  ME have a little time on my hands and just enjoy the moment?  Rare!  This was just the dangerous situation I found myself in last week.  After all, there are so many projects at home needing to be done.  For one thing, the drapes in my den have needed a makeover for some time.  They are too long for a recessed area two of the windows are in.  And they let in too much light around the top for this room, which we watch TV in.  And they were hard to open and close because they were gathered on the rod.  I have actually thought about what I wanted to do for a long time, and decided to just take care of it this week.

My solution was to cut off the drapes to the correct length and use the cut off part to make a valence.  I'll just describe this part because I should NEVER be trusted to be the one that takes pictures of everything that needs pictures, and I'm afraid I fell down on the job again this time.

I knew I would have about 13" to cut out.  To preserve the existing hem of the drapes and lining, I took this 13" out at the bottom edge of the rod pocket at the top.  After cutting out the piece and putting it aside, I attached the long bottom piece to the rod pocket heading.  I knew that piecing seam would not be noticeable there.  At the same time, I inserted interlining to give the drape body and add insulating qualities -- this room tends to get cold in the winter.

After attaching the lower drape to the header, I put in pinch pleats so the drape could be opened and closed easily and retain evenly-spaced gathers when closed.  I did not use a header tape because I wanted it to be soft and stay open when opened.  Plus, the pinch pleats themselves will not show under the valence and did not need to be so crisp and perfect.

The drapes finished, I hung them using cafe rings on the same inexpensive sheer rod they were on before.  The cafe rings and sheer rood will not show under the valence.

To make the valences, I planned to hem the strip I removed from each panel and staple it to a 1x4 board, and mount it above the drapes.  But I felt the valence needed some decoration or interesting feature.  I had heard about appliqueing Celtic designs or monograms using bias tape and decided to be my own guinea pig so I would be experienced should a client request this feature. 

I went online and found what is a fairly typical Celtic design.  I printed it out, enlarged it to the size I wanted, and made a pattern.  After completing the valence, I positioned the design in the middle. 

I punched holes in the key turns and used a fabric marker to mark the design and then connect them to form the entire design.

 Next I prepared the bias tape.  I had wanted to take the easy way out and find a packaged bias tape, but could not find one in the color I wanted.  I couldn't find cotton either, which would have been the easiest fabric to make bias tape with.  I did find a really pretty gold heavy satin.  The satin was a beautiful choice for this, but not friendly for making bias tape!!  I eventually figured out a method that worked for me and got busy applying it to my prepared valence.

I used a mini-iron (shown here) because I needed something small to work with this 3/8" wide tape.  The mini-iron I purchased - the Clover Mini Iron II - is really the only choice out there.  And it is a piece of junk!  (Not to put too fine a point on it!)  Within 20 minutes, the metal rod coming out of the handle (inside the plastic guard you see on the left) came loose and wiggled around in the plastic housing!  It was not usable that way.  I discovered the rod does not go all the way down the handle but is "anchored" only about a 1/4" inside it!  After much frustration, I found a way to have it held centered inside the plastic guard and was able to keep working.

The finished design!!  I thought it turned out well after all the frustrating twists and turns.








This picture shows the updated drapes.   By the way, I added blackout lining inside the valences so light wouldn't come through and interfere with the look.  I'm sorry I don't have "before" pictures, because this is a 100% improvement!

I'm starting on a baby nursery for a client this week.  I'll keep you posted!