Playdate: Christine Barnes' Kitchen Valance

You sighed, drooled and moaned in envy when you saw designer/author/teacher Christine Barnes’ colorful, quilty kitchen.(Click here to read the original story.)  And we promised to soothe your yearning by snagging the pattern for that so-cool valance.

And here it is!

Christine, who just released her fourth book on quilting and color–The Quilter’s Color Club (C & T Publishing, 2011), carved out time to share the how-to details on her simple valance made with fabric scraps and lightweight clear vinyl. Thanks, Christine!

Materials
Transparent tape
Tear-away stabilizer (equal to the finished valance size, plus 2 inches)*
Cardboard cutting board with 1-inch grid (can be found at fabric and craft stores)
Assorted cotton fabrics
Thread matching one of the chosen fabrics
4 ml clear vinyl, 54” wide; get twice the length of the valance, plus ¼ yard
Tension curtain rod, if planning an inside mount
Wire hanging system, if planning an outside mount

(*Note:  This is usually only 22” wide, so you will need to tape pieces together to get a piece that matches the full finished valance size.)

Step 1—Important! Do this step before you buy your clear vinyl and stabilizer.
Measure window for an outside OR inside mount. Divide the width by the number of fabric squares you’d like across with window. This will help you determine the final size of the grid squares that you will draw on the stabilizer.

Decide how many squares long and wide you want the valance to be. (Christine Barnes’ original valance is 9 squares wide by 3 squares high, using 5” squares.)  The size of the squares can be varied for convenience or effect. For example, If your window is 48 inches wide, and you use 4-inch squares, you’ll have 12 squares in each horizontal row.

Step 2
Tile and tape together pieces of the stabilizer to equal the finished valance size, plus 2 inches on each edge. Tape the stabilizer to the cardboard cutting board. Using a ruler and a pencil, draw a grid with the number of squares across and down that you arrived at in Step 1.

Step 2

Step 3
Cut fabrics into the number of squares needed, making sure each square is ¼ inch smaller than the grid squares. If your calculations, for example, determined that your grid would have 4 inch squares, then cut your fabric squares 3 ¾ inches.

When finished cutting your squares, then cut a little “confetti,” which are thin slices of fabric—perhaps 1/4 “ or less—from some of the same fabrics.

Step 4
Using scissors, cut the vinyl into two equal pieces, each several inches larger than the grid. Lay one piece of the vinyl on top of the gridded stabilizer so that its edges extend beyond the outer lines.

Step 5
Arrange fabric squares as desired within the grid and on top of the vinyl. Put a tiny dot of clear-drying fabric glue on the wrong side of each fabric square at the top corners. Center each square in the grid square and press on the glued corners to hold into place. Then, carefully lay pieces of fabric “confetti” as desired across the fabric squares, crossing grid lines if desired.

Step 5

Step 6
Lay second piece of vinyl on top of the fabric squares.

Step 6

Step 7
Pin through all layers at every other grid-line to hold layers securely, but minimize pinholes.

Step 8
Sew on the vertical grid lines, stitching through all layers. Start and stop 1/4” beyond the outmost lines. Remove the pins just before the needle reaches them. (NOTE: A walking foot can be very helpful here!) To prevent the valance from bunching up as you are sewing, turn it around when you get to the middle and stitch from the opposite edge. Repeat on the horizontal grid lines.

Step 9
From the back, cut a slit in the stabilizer only on each square. A seam ripper can be helpful here; simply pinch up the stabilizer away from the vinyl and insert the tip. Using the slit, gently tear away the stabilizer from each square. (TIP: Hold the stitching line in one hand, while tearing with the other, to avoid pulling stitches.) The stabilizer should be completely removed from the back.

Christine Barnes

Step 10
Using a rotary cutter, trim the valance 1/8” beyond the outer stitching lines, cutting through both layers of vinyl.

Step 11
If using a tension rod, attach a clip-on ring at each vertical line of stitching. Slip rings onto a tension rod and hang. If using a wire hanging system and binder clips (as shown), clip valance to wire at each vertical stitching line.