I want to make quilted valances for my living/dining/kitchen room. I have a log cabin and I think they would look really homey. My question is what kind of pattern (I'm leaning towards a log cabin design) and how do I hang them after I make them. I'm thinking that I need about 12-14 inches hanging from the top of the window. Your help would be appreciated. I have roman shades on the windows to regulate the sun, so these would be totally decorative.

Are you going to attach the log cabin squares to some other plain material in order to hang them? If you do, you could make a simple sleeve by folding over 4-5 inches of fabric and straight stitch a sleeve along the top. What I do is sew a, say, 3 in. sleeve, and then sew that in half and use the lower one, not the one on the edge, for the curtain rod. This gives a slight ruffle on top. Or you could just sew a sleeve on your log cabin blocks to hang them on the rod. Does this help any?

That should be very pretty. You could do a search here for valances to
get a few ideas. I remember someone posted one not long ago.
Don't forget to post pics. :)

If you make blocks, you can run them end to end and then add a top "border" that is wide enough to double over and double seem for a rod to go through. That's what I did in my dining room and everyone loves them. I also added a small "binding" all the way around to finish it off. I didn't add batting because of the bulk but just used a coordinating backing instead. Another small tip...All of my windows have the spring loaded rods (like showercurtain ones) that sit inside the casing. No nails needed! You can also use the clip type holders so you don't have to create a rod pocket if you are so inclined.

Not sure what kind of valance you want. If you are talking about one that is straight across the bottom and not longer on the sides, I would use the "loops" at the top, whereas with one that is curvy or has longer sides, I would go with the sleeve on top. The loops are going to allow a lot more light in than the sleeve, so it really depends on what you want. I made all of the draperies in our last house, and it was a project. Have tried almost every method. Go with what you are comfortable making.

Anything hung in a window will fade, even w/o sun. Lining helps, but I also "fade test" possible fabric choices. If you can see the difference in color within a week outside (sunny or not), beware!

Speaking of which...I just saw a nice valance on this blog.

http://loftcreations.blogspot.com/20...en-friday.html

I made a valance for my kitchen window and mounted it to a 2" board the length of the window. The board just slipped on 2 L brackets that were attached to the wall over the window and I stapled the valance to the top of the board