Economical Box Pleat Valance

Hi Everyone,

It's winter around here, the past couple of months were mild, but now we are mostly bundled inside with brief moments outside.   Since we are indoors quite a bit I am excited to knock out a few to-do items on my list.  I have painted several rooms already and am working on completing a few more sewing projects, which I will share with you shortly.  My most recent is an easy yet elegant Economical Box-Pleat Valance.  I completed this project over the weekend, so not terribly time consuming, but I think adds a little something to our office.  So let's get started creating this together.  I apologize for the quality of some of the images, I had limited light in the basement.

The window measured 56.5inches wide and I purchased a yard and a half of fabric with matching trim.                                        
                                                          The supplies needed:
1. Approximately 1 yard of your favorite fabric and matching trim
2.Pine Wood trim piece cut to size
3.Staple Gun
4.Velcro
5.Needles, Sewing Machine, Iron for Pressing


STEP 1

STEP 2

Sew the Lining to the Decorative Fabric.

STEP 3.
Note*  The 2 halves, per step , that were sewn together are lined exactly to the center of your pine board, as shown in the below image.

Step 4.

I hand stitched the hems on the sides. Be sure to douple-fold your hems, since it creates a cleaner more prefessional look.

Step 5.

We sewed the two halves together, therefore; this created a longer length than the actual wooden valance piece.  By trial and error,  this may take some a little time.  I folded a small tuck at the edges to create a little depth and a more custom feel to our valance.
You may need to play around with the fabric to create an even tuck on each side in the corners.

Step 6a.

Step 6b.
Make sure to securely pin the center fold before sewing the velcro, since it tends to open while sewing.

Step 7.

Step 8.

Step 9.

Now add the L-Brackets to your pine board and mount the 2x4 on the wall. Firmly place the velcro on your decorative valance to the rough velcro on the pine board.  Attach  from the center fold and  move toward the edge of the 2X4.

A simple, economical box pleat valance looks great with a roman shade or panels depending on the formality of the room.

Let me know if you have any questions.  I would be happy to help!

Enjoy your weekend!

Sarah

Linking up wtih www.savvysouthernstyle.net

Tutorial for a London Shade

 

Hi Everyone,


   Well, we are all moved into our home, barring for a few small projects we are feeling relatively settled.  The kiddos are adjusting well to their new home and surroundings, thankfully!  Building a home certainly has its challenges, but seeing the  girls happy and comfortable makes it all worth it.

 In a few of the rooms I called a professional to install blinds, but for the most part I would like to tackle each room slowly, by adding roman shade or something similar to dress the windows.  My first project was the London Shade.  It provides privacy and light control, however we will not be lifting the shade too much, which  allows for an easy application, which I will share below.
                                       
                                               

   Below are the supplies I used for my Project

Now to measure the window and fabric requirements for My project,  Yours will look different depending on your size window, but the hem allowance, ruffle allowance, and pleating will look the same.  Hopefully that is clear.

1.) Now we have determined the length and width.  Cut your fabric and lining to size and turn in        your bottom hem 6"(I recommend double turning your hems) and your side hem 2".

Double hem all sides for a total of 6" on the bottom and 2" on the sides.

2.) Measuring for the 2 pleats on each side of the london shade can be tricky and time consuming, but      once you get the hang it, it's simple and so pretty.  I think it give the shade a custom feel and helps       with the folding after its hang correctly.

              a. measure 6" from one width side to the other.  Also making sure to mark 6" 

                 throughout the length of  the panel. This will eliminate or reduce error when pleating.          

              b. fold from third 6"mark to the 5th

            c.  This is how the shade will look from the back once all the pleats are pinned into place.

3.)  Optional step: I added pre-made piping for a custom look.  Pin into place, then sew.

Premade Piping pinned into place making sure the pleats stay in place and folded evenly.  In this picture the pleats on the right-side are fused together. I made sure to keep the pleat from overlapping.

Stitch the Austrian Tape down the middle of the two pleats. Making sure to stitch from the top of the bottom hem line about 3/4 up the length of the fabric, or about 10 inches from the top.

Now screw in the 2 x 4 to the window frame (either outside or inside mount). Pictured, I stapled the rough edge of the velcro to the 2 x 4.

Add  two screw eyes  12 inches from the edge and 1 additional screw eye 2 inches from the right edge.

At the bottom of the shade pull the cords of the Austrian Tape (pictured) to ruffle the fabric. Evenly pull the cords on both sides. Now  firmly tie the cord to the bottom ring (pictured)  and thread through the all  plastic rings.  We are almost done!

3.) Pull the Roman Shade Cord through the screw eyes attached to the 2 x 4 and feed all the the cords through the screws. Do not leave any cords loose, all the cords should be pulled through the screw eyes.  Please make sure your cords are long enough before cutting.

4.) Add the cord condenser to the bottom of the cords to prevent fraying and wrap the cord around a        cleat.

It might take  a little time to adjust the folds and get the look you would want for your London Shade. My shades are pulled up about half way up the window to allow light to come in, but also create the look I wanted to achieve.  


Enjoy making your London Shade and Thanks for Reading this Tutorial!

Sarah

All about Smocking

Hi Everyone,


I am a big fan of detail, whether it be decorative stitching or manipulating fabric to fold in beautiful patterns.  Honeycomb Smocking is one of those timeless "trends"  so popular among childrens' clothing is now  more frequently used within the home.  I tried smocking by hand the other day following one of the many tutorials offered online.  At first it was a little tricky, but once I got the hang of it I was able to complete my project in no time.   Next Smocking Projects just may be panels.

I smocked in slub linen then sewed the piece to leftover dropcloth fabric.  I used a simple backstitch to form the honeycomb with 6 thread embroidery in mint green.

Other Beautiful Smocking I have seen on other blogs and websites~
These panels are gorgeous in KariAnne's Dining Room

Source

Source

 

 

Great idea to use Gingham for smocking.  The markings are already in place.

This dress is Gorgeous! Don't you think?

Source

Source

A pretty Scarf~ Source

 

 

 

Curious~  Does anyone have lovely ideas for smocking? Smocked lampshades immediately comes to mind.

 

Huge thanks for reading!  Have a great rest of the week.

 

XOXO,

 

SK

 

Linking Up with~ http://www.attagirlsays.com/, http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/, http://freshideastudio.com/,http://too-much-time.com/, http://www.itsoverflowing.com/







Chevron Lampshade Cover and a Doll Dress

Hi Everyone,

My daughter's lampshade was in need of a makeover.  It is a little worn and faded and maybe needed updating from her nursery decor.  I choose the super popular chevron  in an effort to  mix more patterns in her current room and make it a litttle more relevant for an young girl. 

The tutorial for this lampshade can be found here.  Before I started the project I added  sweet decorative stitches every few lines to dress it up~ it's all in the details, right.

 

 

 

Another closeup of the stitch on the fabric.  I think this is an easy way to dress up cotton fabric and add fun threads to coordinate with a spaces color scheme.

 

After completing this super quick project I had a little more fabric left to pull together doll dresses for my three favorite girls and their sweet cousin.  Tutorial on doll's dress coming soon~

A huge thanks for reading~ Have a great rest of the week.

XOXO,

SK

Linking up with http://www.simplydesigning.net/,  http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/, http://www.lizmarieblog.com/, http://www.itsoverflowing.com/ http://too-much-time.com/, http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/, http://dimplesandpigtales.blogspot.com/, http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/

Easy, DIY, Shabby Chic Placemats

Hi Everyone,

Back to school week here...It was a great week, busy and productive.  I was able to fit in a quick sewing project, easy and perfect for a beginner.  I am a big fan of details and linen so I opted to use ruffles and trim to dress the  linen placemats.  I think these placemats will dress up a table beautifully for a simple supper or a big gathering.  Below is a picture of the completed project~so let's sew these cute placemats together.

 

Supplies Needed~
Fabric (1 1/2yd for 2 completed placemats)
Trim (1 1/2yd for 2 completed placemats)
Matching Thread

Are you ready...

Double hem the ruffle piece (cut to 4in in width-you probably will need to stitch 2 long strips together for extra length)
Stitch to rectangular piece (I used an placemat I had on hand as a template for size)

I like to ruffle by hand, as seen in the picture below.  Personally, I think it is easier that pulling threads, but that is just me.

Now you can see the ruffles in the below pic~
Measure 2 inches inside the ruffle  for the trim placment.

Pin the trim in place~ lots of pins so there is no movement.



Closeup of the edge and folding for the corners.

Stitch on both side of trim  straight  and as close to the edge as possible.

There you have it, a cute placemat, unique, pretty and so easy to complete.

I hope this was easy to follow~ I generally forget to take pics of each step during my project. So let me know if you have any questions~

Have a Great Week and Thanks for reading.


XOXO,

SK

Linking up with http://www.itsoverflowing.com, http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/, http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/, http://too-much-time.com/, http://www.stonegableblog.com/, http://www.somuchbetterwithage.com/, http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/,




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