I often make valances like this. I interline them with twill (you know, bottomweight wovens but lighter than denim) because it causes them to hang straight and it's OPAQUE. That is the main drawback to quilt curtains - the light shining through them shows all the seam allowances and washes out the actual pattern on the front.

You can see some here: even with that very bright sun behind them, you can still see the quilt pattern.
[IMG]http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/k.../sewingnew.jpg[/IMG]

This one isn't interlined yet.
[IMG]http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/k.../Quilts/av.jpg[/IMG]

Here it is finished:
[IMG]http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/k...Quilts/av2.jpg[/IMG]

The twill I used was a beige color, because that is what I had in my stash. You wouldn't want anything dark unless your quilt was dark.

cathe, those are very beautiful.

I like your idea of making it to the dimension of the door, no gathering unless open. Back in the 70's there was a mag that had a one fabric quilt for the window cover and they took the lower corner and folded it back on itself and attached with a button, unbutton to close. Friend of mine had a scrap quilt of many colors, with a thin batting and when she hung it over the window it looked like stained glass with the light shining through.

There are books at Joann fabrics and Hancock Fabric stores. It depends on what style you want/, just tabs to hold it on a rod or seamed on all 4 sides and held on the rod by clips? They have magnetic rods you can buy and they don't leave holes in the door.
I would like to do a shower curtain to match the bed quilt. Or I could get ready mades and add trims or another large border at the bottom. I could do touches of applique. etc.
The world is your oyster--go for it.

Those are beautiful valances.

Instead of batting why dont you just use fleecy, it is versatile, easy to wash and would hang well, and comes in various widths and colours. This cuts down on the bulk.

Living in Northern Michigan, with all it's wind & snow, I decided to make quilted drapes for my windows. Not only did I do drapes, but swags and valances. They came out wonderfully warm, unique, and draft-proof.
I used lightweight felt that you buy on a roll, for the batting. It dries quickly, is light but durable, easy to quilt, machine washable, all the good stuff. I used tabs to put on the rod, which carried the weight, slid easily, and still looked like that was what should be there. I would be glad to share any other help if you'd like. Have fun.

My sister has made alot of quilt curtains. She makes them in the same design as the wall hanging she has in the room. Like if the wall hanging is a log cabin she will make blocks to hang on point across the top and put a sleeve in the back for the rod. You could do this with you door curtain and make it wharever size you need. brenda kay lea

I made an insulated roman shade out of pieced fabric and it worked very well. Believe it or not it was not that difficult. Joann's' used to sell (and may still sell) an insulated product that was like thermal batting. They also sell roman shade tape with rings that you can stitch to the sides of the shade about 3" in from the outer edge and up the center of the shade if the window is wide. Run a separate cord through the rings on each tape and across the top.
Add extra to pull the shade up and down and the shade will pull up in nice pleats. I pult a cleat on the door to hold the cord while the shade was up. There are a lot of detailed instructions out there; or you can buy a commercial pattern for a roman shade in the home dec section of the pattern books. Good luck, this worked best for me and kept the breeze out of my drafty door window.

There is another option for hanging. You can sew a sleeve across the top like you would for a wall hanging. Make the tube (sleeve) wide enough for your rod, and go from one end of the top to the other and just slide onto a rod, or a heavy wire tightened on hooks. Another tip for hanging items that are not two wide are to sew folded triagle in each top corner before binding. You take a square, fold it in half. Then you place the point up into the corner and pin. It sews down with the binding strip.
You will have the folded edge out to slip a dowel or curtain rod into, on each end of your quilt.