You can save a ton of money and get something custom made that looks fantastic and really professional. I will show you how easy it is to make a fabric covered pelmet to fit over your curtains. Your friends and family will not believe you made it yourself.
Tools you will need to make your pelmet
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1. Staple gun
2. scissors
3. tape measure
4. Wood saw
5. Long straight edge (marking lines on fabric)
I suspect most people will have a few of these already. If you are missing any before you run off and buy them ask a friend or neighbor. The next thing is the stuff to make it out of.
Materials to make your pelmet
1. 1/4 inch plywood (sheet of)
2. 1/4 inch staples for your staple gun
3. Curtain lining fabric for the back
4. Curtain fabric of your choice for front of pelmet
5. 8oz sheet fiber wadding (Gives pelmet softer look)
6. Velcro tape (both sides soft and hard)
7. A4 sheets of thin cardboard (very thick paper will do)
8. Can of spray glue (stuff you stick carpets down with)
9. Almost forgot a timber board 6 inches X 1 inches and as long as your pelmet.
I hope you agree with me not an overwhelming list of expensive items on either of the above lists. So the next step in our little project is the making part. Don't panic I will keep it really simple.
Putting your new pelmet together
1. Decide how wide and how deep you want your pelmet to be. Then get the local timber merchant to cut your 1/4 inch plywood board to right size. The sheets usually come in 4ft X 8ft sheets, so if your pelmet is going to be 6ft wide by 12 inches deep. Then get the board cut to this size and also get to extra pieces cut for the sides (the returns). They need to be 12 inches deep again and 6 inches wide.
2. Now you join the return bits to each end. I use scrap fabric and lay it across both pieces and staple it down to create a hinge. Do this for both ends of the long board.
3. cut your fiber wadding sheet to the size of your pelmet board including the end returns. Then spray the glue onto the board (the side without the fabric hinges showing). Then place on sheet wadding and press down.
4. Next step is to cover the board with fiber wadding attached. You need to cut your fabric 4 inches wider and longer than your board with return bits (use you straight edge to mark pencil lines). Then lay fabric face down onto the your table. Now lay your pelmet board wadding side down onto your curtain fabric leaving 2 inches showing all the way around. Now using your staple give fold over the fabric and staple down all the way round Pulling fabric under a little tension as you go.
5. The next step is to cover the back of you pelmet in curtain lining fabric to make it all neat. Again your curtain lining needs to be 4 inches wider and longer than the pelmet board. Now you need to cut your thin card into strips 2 inches wide and fold in half making them 1 inch wide.
Now have you pelmet face down on the table with the back facing up. Then place your lining fabric so it overlaps the bottom of your pelmet by 2 inches. Next place the card board strip along the edge of the lining fabric. You need to open the strips a little and staple down in place. Then you now fold over the lining fabric up the back of the pelmet. The card board strips under the lining fabric give a nice sharp edge to the bottom of the lining fabric while holding it in place at the same time.
Next step is to fold in the ends of the curtain lining so they finish just at the ends of the pelmet board. Just fold in and press down with you hand for now. Now for the top of the pelmet you need to trim the lining fabric so it finishes a 1/4 inch down from the top. Then take your soft strip of Velcro tape and staple down at the very top of your new pelmet. This locks in the lining fabric at the same time.
6. Now your pelmet is finished except for the top board to stick it to. This is a simple timber board 6 inches X 1 inch by as long as you pelmet. You need to now staple the hard strip of Velcro onto the 1 inch edge including around the ends of the board.
Putting it together is simple fit your top board over your window on shelf brackets with the Velcro facing out. Then present the soft Velcro on the back of your new pelmet to the hard Velcro on the top board and press. That's it All made and fitted told you it was simple. So take your time and enjoy making something really special.
Find the Best Way to Make Pelmets That Look Fantastic
About this Author
Lee Stevens has been involved in the making and fitting of all kinds of window tratments for many years. He now writes many "How to" articles to help others create the window treatments of their dreams.
http://www.window-treatments-made-easy.com/make-pelmets.html - For full istructions including pictures on making pelmets and other projects take a look here.
If you have any window treatment problems then Ask The Expert
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