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Prepare the Fabric for the Valance:

For a Three Gather Hanging Valance: 
To determine how much fabric you will need. Measure your window (Or your window's curtain rod if it is longer than the window). Combine the measurement of the window's width with the measurements of your desired side length for both sides of the valance. *Example - for a 45" wide window, with a desired 20" to 30" of fabric hanging down on either side of the window, we used 3 yards of fabric. (45" + 25" + 25")  Then add approximately 5-10" for pull from gathers.
You will be using the whole width of the fabric (usually 45" to 60" wide).
Next follow the instructions for "Finishing the fabric ends" below.

For Short Top Valance:
Measure the width of your window's curtain rod.  Measure and cut the same length of your desired fabric.  You will be using the whole width of the fabric (usually 45" to 60" wide).
Next follow the instructions for "Finishing the fabric ends" below.

Finishing fabric ends:

1. Open out your fabric and iron completely.  (You will notice that the fabric has a finished edge along the length of the fabric, this is called the "selvage"  You will not need to make a hem along this fabric edge because it is already prevented from fraying.)
2. With your iron, press small 1/4" hems on the sides of the fabric parallel to the "selvage".
3. Use your iron-on hem tape to secure the hem in place without any sewing.
4. Fold your fabric in half lengthwise (fabric "selvage" edge to fabric "selvage" edge) and press.
5. Now you are ready to begin putting up your valance as shown below.

1. Drape the fabric over the curtain rod as shown in step 1.
2. Center the fabric over the rod so that all the edges of the fabric line up.
3. Gather the fabric on the curtain rod together and center on the rod as seen in step 2.
4. Secure with a chenille stem. (Be sure to catch the curtain rod in the chenille stem as well as the gathered fabric.)
5. You will now have two halves of the fabric to work with, one in front of the rod and one behind the rod. 
6. Start with the front half of the fabric.
7. Find the side that has the raw edges of the fabric. (That would be the "selvage" edges, left or right)
8. Bring the raw edge up and over the curtain rod as shown in step 3.
9. Temporarily hold in place with a clothes pin or other clip. 
10. Take hold of the fabric at the location shown in step 4 and bring that point up to the corner of the curtain rod, creating a gathering of fabric at the corner.
11. Secure the gathered fabric to the curtain rod with a piece of chenille. (Adjust gathers as necessary to give your valance a soft, flowing look.
12. Now to do the other side of the valance, take the fabric half that is hanging behind the curtain rod and find the side with the raw edge.
13. As with the front half, bring the raw edge up and over the curtain rod and temporarily hold with clothes pins or clips. (You may have to adjust the center gather for the valance slightly in order to bring the raw edge up and over the curtain rod.)
14. Again, take hold of the fabric at the location shown in step 4 for the opposite side, and bring that point up to the corner of the curtain rod.
15. Secure the gathered fabric to the curtain rod with a piece of chenille and adjust gathers as needed.
16. Lastly, add flowers to your valance at the gathers to hide chenille stems and give your valance a complete and finished look.  If your flowers have wire stems you may choose to wrap the stems around the gathers and rod, or you may choose to trim your flower stems down a bit and connect them only to the chenille wire.

1. Take the raw edge ("selvage") side of the fabric and lay 3" to 4" of it over your curtain rod as shown in figure 1. (Temporarily hold in place with clothes pins or clips.)
2. To make the gathers, take hold of the fabric at two points that are evenly spaced from the ends of the curtain rod as shown in figure 1.
3. Bring those points up to the curtain rod, creating a gathering of fabric as you go up.
4. Secure each gather with a piece of chenille making sure that you catch the curtain rod in the chenille as well as the gathered fabric figure 2.
5. Adjust gathers as needed.
6. Lastly, add flowers to your valance at the gathers to hide chenille stems and give your valance a complete and finished look.  If your flowers have wire stems you may choose to wrap the stems around the gathers and rod, or you may choose to trim your flower stems down a bit and connect them only to the chenille wire.