How to Make a Bustle Swag Valance

Measure the curtain rod and divide the measurement in half. This is the distance you will want one bustle swag to cover. Add 4 inches to this measurement for seam allowances and to enable the bustle to drape slightly when you fully extend it over half of the window. This measurement will be the flat side of the half circle (the diameter) of the swag.

Calculate the circumference of the swag from the diameter you measured (3.14 times the diameter). For example, if the diameter measurement was 26 inches, multiply 26 times 3.14 to equal 81.64 inches. Draw a circle with a diameter that equals 26 inches and a circumference that equals 81.64 inches on white newsprint paper and cut it in half to produce a half-circle pattern piece for the bustle swag valance.

Lay fabric flat, with the selvages (the uncut edges, which may have a line of printing along the edge) at the top and bottom. Place the pattern piece onto the fabric with the flat side of the pattern facing up. Cut one fabric piece for each bustle swag valance you want to make.

Place the valance piece onto the ironing board, with the wrong side of the fabric facing up. Turn up the raw edges 1/2 inch and press them lightly with the iron. Turn the edges up another 1/2 inch and press them again. Pin these edges to hold them securely.

Stitch along the pinned edges to hem the bustle swag pieces. Remove the pins.

Divide the circumference measurement in half and add 1 inch. Cut a piece of embellishment trim that equals this measurement.

Pin the embellishment trim to the right side of the rounded edge of the bustle swag, turning under each end 1/2 inch. Stitch the embellishment trim onto the hem of the bustle swag and remove the pins.

Place a clipping drapery ring at both ends of the flat edge of the bustle swag. Place the rings onto a drapery rod over the window.