Decorative Window Banner Dressing

This window dressing band goes across the top of a window and covers all of the window shade hardware, makes the window look a bit longer, and the added color adds a great accent to the room (plus, it's dirt cheap).

Step 1: Parts and Planning

1. We wanted (actually, my wife had this great idea) to place an ornamental colored band across the top of our bedroom windows (figure 1). This window dressing band covers all of the window shade hardware, makes the window look a bit longer, and the added color adds a great accent to the room. We already had those cheap adjustable metal rods for drape hanging (figure 2) so we devised a way to use 2 of these rods per window to act as a frame for the window dressing. The window dressing is basically just a fabric tube that is pulled tight by the 2 rods. The parts are:
- 2 adjustable metal drape rods per window (figure 2)
- hanging hardware for these rods (~ $0.60 each)
- fabric; we chose a dark green to go with our plantish motif (~$10)
- heat-activated hemming tape

Step 2: Making the Fabric Banner

2. We took some measurements (figure 3) then cut a piece of fabric that was ~54” x ~18”. The 54” width would span the width of the window plus a couple extra inches per side so the banner could curve around the side following the curtain rods. The 18” height will give us about an 8” banner. Remember, the banner will be a tube. So for an 8” height you need 8 + 8 = 16 plus a couple of inches overlap for the hem gives 18”. Look at figure 4. The fabric “tube” will be pulled tight when we install it on the wall.

Step 3: Finish the Banner

3. We had to be careful to keep the fabric as straight as possible during assembly so we first ironed the fabric so it was very smooth. We then folded the fabric along its length to make the “tube” and measured at several points to make sure our fold was straight. After being satisfied with the fold, we ironed it again to get a crisp pleat (figure 5). This will help quite a bit when assembling. You can then lay the heat-activated hemming tape along the overlap and iron the hem. If you want it to look really sharp, you can also hem the ends but we left them open so we could trim them down if needed.

Step 4: Final Assembly

4. The final step is assembly. We installed the mounting hardware for the top drape rod. We also taped the adjustable drape rod in the middle so it wouldn’t slide during assembly. Otherwise it can be difficult to thread the rod into the fabric tube. So we threaded the drape rod through the tube and installed the drape rod on the wall (figure 6). Then threaded the bottom drape rod through the tube and gently pulled down to make the banner tight. We marked where this rod should be mounted on the wall then installed the mounting hardware. Figures 7 and 8 show the 2 mounted drape rods sticking out of the fabric tube that has now been stretched tight. The final step is to just slide the banner over a bit so it covers the drape rods (figure 9). Now decorate and enjoy!