Custom Valances
I see custom valances are a frequently googled term when my web site is accessed. Of course it is always hard to know what you are thinking. Certainly the custom part is easy to define, Custom means that the valance will fit your window or space exactly both in width and length. But valances are a very generic term.
Valances can be very simple such as gathering fabric on a rod through a pocket so that the rod is hidden. Custom fullness can make the valance look very full and fluffy or tailored and almost flat. I like to use shaping on the bottom hem so that the scallops fit the divisions in the window.
Swags and jabots are another kind of valance. They create a softening with the swooped/swag area and can easily frame a window with the jabot, which is a folded piece of stacked fabric on the ends of the window that angles down into a point. Custom comes into play when you decide if you want one large swag across the whole window or multiple smaller swags. The length of the jabot can be the length of the swag, the length of the window, or anywhere in between that follows good design principles. These valances can be mounted so that no hardware shows or they can be swaged over a decorative rod.
Decorative rods can accentuate valances as well as the fabric choice. When decorative rods are used, we find that the fabric can look like it is swaged over the rod, large rings can be used to attach the valance at the pleat, or fabric can be made into flat tabs or fuller scrunched fabric tabs. All of these choices show the beauty of the exposed rod and decorative finials.
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