• 0 items$0.00
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

  • BLOG
    • Knitting
    • Crochet
    • Latch Hook
    • Macramé
    • Punch Needle
  • ABOUT
  • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • TikTok
    • YouTube

How-to: Make a No-Sew Valance

August 2, 2011 1 Comment

I shared a tutorial for making some really easy living room accessories a couple weeks ago. For round two of my living room decor projects, I wanted to bring some more of the fabric I used for my pillows and bench cushion in to my small space. I’ve always like the look of cornice-style (hard) valances and thought I could easily make one of these myself. Turns out, I was right!

Supplies

I’ll talk about how to buy wood cut to size in a moment. 

1 piece of wood 8″ high by a little wider than your window(s)

2 pieces of wood 4″x8″

6 wood screws

drill

staple gun & staples

fabric of your choice that’s long enough to cover your wood

fabric scissors

two eye screws for mounting your valance

two wood nails

Directions

Visit your local lumber-carrying store with needed wood dimensions in tow. Talk to a salesperson about your needs, including the nature of this project (mention that this will be hanging and you can’t use wood that’s too heavy). Lumber stores don’t generally like to make really small cuts, but the salesperson I worked with said he appreciated the fact that I knew exactly what I needed. He had some scrap wood he didn’t think he’d be able to get rid of, so he offered me an awesome price. It was also a slow time of day when I visited the store, so he even cut it for me using the store’s saw. What a guy!

With your wood all set, you’re ready to make my valance frame. Drill three pilot holes in to your wide piece of wood, making sure to protect the surface below your wood. Assemble your frame, creating the shape shown below. Once that’s done, the hard part’s over!

Now you get to upholster your valance. Cut enough fabric to cover your valance. The only downside, in my mind, to this project is having to cut such a long strip of fabric. Luckily, the strip is narrow and there was enough leftover width after I made my cut that I’ll be able to make some legitimate projects with the leftovers.

Next, lay your valance fabric right side down on the floor and line up your valance frame on the fabric. Be careful not to stretch it in weird ways. My fabric, luckily, includes some straight lines that let me know how straight my fabric was. Once that’s all set, start stapling your fabric to the frame.

Stapling the fabric to the ends of the frame takes a little bit of care. I tried to ensure I folded my fabric over all of the corners in the same way. When each end is stapled, trim excess fabric and secure loose ends.

Screw your eye screws in to each end of the valance, through the fabric and in to the wood. Mount the valance to your window with the wood nails, your eye screws hanging on them.

Don’t you love the finished product? I had a really crappy day at work the other day, and when I came home, I saw my valance and felt a little better. That’s when you know you’re happy with your project.

My dog cuddling up on the cushions I made a couple weeks ago, despite the limited petting opportunities while I work.

Filed Under: Home Decor, How-to Tagged With: cornice, diy, drill, home decor, staple gun, valance, wood

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

Previous Post: « Vegan Vittles: Smoky Seared Tempeh & Swiss Chard
Next Post: My DIY Wedding: A Crafts & Photo Roundup »

Reader Interactions

DID YOU LIKE THIS POST?
Visit similar articles...

  • Wild about woodWild about wood
  • Stenciled Coffee Table MakeoverStenciled Coffee Table Makeover
  • Giant Valentine’s Day God’s EyeGiant Valentine’s Day God’s Eye
  • Style this DIY: Swiss Army BlanketStyle this DIY: Swiss Army Blanket

Comments

  1. Sue Rice

    June 18, 2013 at 7:25 am

    Thanks for the info, I am getting ready to make 10 of them and wanted a simple way to do them. I am going to use a thin layer of padding on each.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

learn more / work with me

Find Me on Social Media

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
Latch Hook by Heidi Gustad

Footer

INSTAGRAM

Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
.
Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
.
Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
.
#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
.
During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
.
Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
.
These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
.
I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
.
#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
.
In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
.
Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
.
You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
.
#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
.
Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
.
Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
.
Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
.
Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
.
Image descriptions available in alt text. 
.
#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
.
P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
.
Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
.
#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2025 / Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework / Branding by Ink + Mortar
All Site & Shop Policies / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy