EASY CORNICES - MADE BY YOU!

BACK By POPULAR DEMAND...

Some people call them PELMET BOXES,

 some call them Valances, I used to call them...

 "those fabric covered thingies that go over the curtains".

BUT,

For this post we will refer to them as 

"CORNICES"

When I did the makeover of

Phoebe's room...

 in the interest of adding color to the Tops of her windows,

 and with a little help from a few tutorials (little Green Notebook) 

I came up with MY OWN version of the Window Cornice.

   

First ......

What I used:

supplylist

*foam core board

*staple gun or heavy duty tape

*fabric

*measuring tape or ruler

*scissors 

*quilt batting

*mat knife

TUTORIAL -

 1. Foam Board, you know, like the kind your kids use for last minute school projects, they come in packs of 3 - 20" x 30" pieces 

I have seen them priced anywhere from 5-$10, and with coupons...go for it!

 and they actually carry them at our Grocery store, also Michaels, Target, Staples...everywhere they carry school supplies.

2. Staple gun, electric or not, and... 

3. don't forget the size 8mm staples (for the next version of these I made, I could not find my staple gun and actually used TAPE!) POST HERE

4. Fabric- With 52-54" upholstery fabric you need about 1/2 yard each Pelmet , this for solid fabric or a pattern that is horizontal. IF your pattern is vertical, then you will need the amount of yardage length that your window is wide. For example, if your window is 40" wide and you have 44" wide fabric but can use it the long way, you will need at least 49" of fabric. 

5.Quilt Batting - as thick as you want it.

6. Scissors, measuring tape and or yard stick , Mat knife,  Cutting board, packing or duck tape , super glue (optional), card board or some durable surface to staple gun over.

Okay here we go- 

First, measure your window width and then add 9", and this is why. 

You will need 3 1/2" on either side to be the SIDES 

and one extra inch on either side to set the Pelmet out from the window frame. 

(You will need to adjust YOUR personal measurements

 if you want your Pelmet Shallower or narrower or wider. 

     Now, Take your board, (I just used the exact size of the board 20" x 30" (NO cutting!) and I cut the second board so that the EQUALED the measured length I needed. 

IF you ant to do a pattern, Go HERE and Jenny at Little Green Notebook takes you through how to do that.

 Mine is just straight.

After you get the right combined length, tape the two pieces together, back and front. 

NEXT....on one side of your board, which will be the FRONT, measure out 3 1/2" on all sides, draw a line, and cut with your mat knife, BUT only a cut half way through, you are going to bend this to make your BOX.

 ...when you get to the corners, you will have a little box, and the LOWER part, the LINE Part that is on the sides (Parallel with the floor) , you are going to CUT all the way through until you reach the side line, because when you fold that down and tuck it into the side, it will make your BOX!

while you don't do this until you have stapled your fabric on, 

 you are going to wrap the side fabric around both of these pieces above and staple gun it down on the inside to hold this in place...

Ready to staple (OR TAPE) now?

Annie get your gun!

NOW, lay your board down now, FACE UP  and layer on your batting...

and then your fabric..

...and then flip the whole thing over, and have INSIDE UP .

NEXT, line up your pattern to keep it straight along the edge.

(this is MUCHO IMPORTANTE) and it is why using a solid fabric is easier, but YOU CAN DO IT! Just pick a part of your fabric to line up and keep it consistent.

...see how I followed that upside down V with the line in it and kept that LEVEL,
in this way, pattern IS YOUR FRIEND!

 ...so staple all the way around about 2 inches apart, alternating sides to keep it nice and straight and NOT pulling too tight in any direction. CAREFUL not to press too hard with your gun (or too light) because you will go into your surface underneath, like I did!

 OR if you go too light,  the staples don't go in deep enough.

 The good news is : if they do not go all the way in, you can just push them in with your finger.

Lastly, I took some left over sheeting fabric to line my pelmet boxes, though lining is optional,  but our ceilings are high and you can see INTO the inside and it looks unfinished. So I used my FAVORITE thing, Stitch Witchery, and ironed on the fabric!!! I stapled areas that looked unstable...or un staPle! ha!

I added some duck Tape to the underside of the top part...to keep the fabric down and seal it up.

Now to hang them up.

I put nails all the way across the top of the window trim, about 5 inches apart,

make sure the nails are ever so slightly angled so the Cornice will not slide off....

then I hung the CORNICE on the nails.

To secure the box, I reached up under neath, 

(I could not photograph this) and lay down a strip of tape across the nails.)

 It took me exactly 30 minutes to make each one of these! 

so a hour and a half  for 3 windows and DONE!

Halleluiah!!!!

shortly after I made these, I created a set for the Master Bedroom

with a coordinating DWELL STUDIO FABRIC

the post is HERE

THIS is perhaps one of the easiest and most rewarding Home Decorating projects  I have ever done...

and

You can add your own touches...trim, cut, size and fabric choices all will make this 

you won creation! 

have fun and Please send me your photos!!!!

I love sharing this and all my Tutorials with my readers and

All I ask is that if you are going to cut and paste the tutorial and if you feature it on your blog, please follow this blog and  link back to this original post. Thanks and have fun!