I’ve recently become fascinated with Shabby Chic Decor. This is a romantic style that uses natural looking worn, soft materials and has a boho vintage look. I have created a few pieces for gifts and holidays in this style but this is the first time I have attempted to make a larger item for myself. I wanted to make a Shabby Chic Valance for my dining room window. I looked at quite a few pictures on Pinterest to get an idea of the How-To’s.
Choosing the materials
As I began to plan the Valance for the dining room window , I needed something to attach the ribbons, and other materials to. So I first picked out a basic Macrame Valance from Amazon https://amzn.to/42dHwRa Due to the size of the window, I ordered two. When they arrived, they were not perfectly alike. These were not even the same length as they hung side by side. That’s ok! I have always been the type of creator who doesn’t like “matchy, matchy” or even numbers or “perfectly” perfect. I figured I would make it work and look OK once I began to put it together. I put it aside while choosing the other items.
Recycled Sari Silk
Recycled Sari Silk would be one of the materials for the Valance. Sari Silk is hand torn strips of leftover Sari material that is then sewn together to make a skein. This material is so versatile. I use it for ribbons, to cover bangles and repurpose bracelets, tassels and braids. Sari Silk can be ordered on Amazon https://amzn.to/3StyzzY . I had also just taken apart a large dream catcher that had a lot of lace and ribbon roses attached so I planned to reuse some of these items. To prep I cut everything double the length that I wanted it to hang to because the ribbons and strips of Sari Silk https://amzn.to/3HASFly will be folded lengthwise.
The Curtain Rod
For the “curtain rod” I wanted that rustic look so I insisted on a real branch. The hardest part was waiting for the branch to dry out enough to start on the valance. My husband (who is always willing to help) tried to hurry up the process by carving the wet bark off the branch. A dowel rod, a regular curtain rod or anything that serves the purpose and suits your style can be used. Make sure you plan the way the valance is going to hang before you put it all together. While working you will want to hang it up and look as you go. I had previously used this window to dry herbs from a slightly smaller branch so the hardware is still on the wall. My branch has jute twine wrapped around each end joined in the middle and hangs from the hardware.
Planning and your Work Area
Once you are ready to start, you need a large area to set up. The branch with the macrame valance(s) should be able to lay flat as you tie the Sari Silk and other materials on. I used one color and type of ribbon at a time and started in the middle of the valance to center. Pick a part of the design in the macrame that defines somewhat of a horizontal line to tie the ribbon to. You may want to lay the pieces out on top before tying them on to get an idea of spacing. But really, there are no rules! This is your design, done how you like it.
To tie the materials on I used what’s called a Lark’s head knot. As stated above, fold the ribbon or lace in half lengthwise, hold the closed end over the part you’ve chosen on the macrame as the horizontal line of the valance. Thread the two open ends of the ribbon through the loop and pull tight, making a knot and bringing the open ends to hang down. See illustration below. I’ve also included a photo below of the finished knot on my valance.
Testing Things Out
After tying all the Sari-Silk across the macrame valance, I hung it on the window to see where I may want to add the other odds and ends of repurposed lace and ribbon. The good thing with the Lark’s Head Knot is that it can be easily untied. So if you see some areas that have too much of a color or are too thick, just undo the knot and retie somewhere else. I also added thinner ribbons, gold and silver cording, braiding it in some places(photo below).
Finishing Touches
Once I decided there was enough material and color on my valance, It was time to hang it up. The branch had a slightly uneven arch to it that added to the Shabby Chic character. As I stood back to determine if I was satisfied with my creation, I thought it needed a finishing touch or two. I’ve seen Shabby Chic Valances that have ribbon roses on them so I added a few crochet flowers here and there. I also had some scraps of trim that had ribbon roses attached, so I also added those.
Trim It Up
Now, as it was time to finish the Shabby Chic Valance I could see that the bottom was very long and uneven. I made sure it was hanging exactly the way I wanted it to, in the place it would stay. I took out a good pair of scissors and gave it a trim along the bottom.
Thank You!
If you have any questions as you make this beautiful piece, please e-mail me [email protected] or comment. I would love to see your finished creations.
Custom Orders
If you would rather have the work done for you , custom orders of the Shabby Chic Valances are available at mindyourdotcom.com Rhonda
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