Passion for A Pelmet

pel-met [pel-mit]
-noun

A decorative cornice or valance at the head of a window or doorway, used to cover the fastenings from which curtains are hung. via dictionary.com

Yep, that's right - pelmet glory there staring back at ya!

Now, wanna know the story behind it? (If not, just skim through the pics, I won't be offended - oh, but you can still leave a nice comment! ;)

Who among us have not been inspired by the DIY projects by Jenny over at Little Green Notebook? I was immediately smitten with these pink pelmet boxes she made for her daughters' bedroom.

When Jenny described the project as being easy as 1-2-3, I was convinced Avery needed something similar as part of her Big Girl Room makeover.
I figured the most difficult part would be locating foam core board in Brazil. That did require a little extra effort (remember, there's no Michael's or Hobby Lobby down here!), but it was hardly the proverbial End of the Story.

I had been thinking a navy stripe would coordinate well with Avery's bright pink bedding/inky bed, and lucked out when I found some fabric at the same place we had the Chinese Chippendales reupholstered. It is actually an outdoor fabric, so it has a lot of body (almost too much, as it turned out!)

My initial thought was to make a scalloped form - reminiscent of a circus tent

Remember this nursery (by Rhoney Design) featured by Erika?

It's been in the back of my brain.

Alas, the logistics of the endeavor made me chose a simpler form. Among those logistics are one AC unit immediately to the left of Avery's window. Additionally, the windows open inward, making measurement and placement of the stationary form crucial.

Ben inspecting and measuring

This is a good place for me to mention, well, honor really, the efforts of my sweet husband. You see, I can envision a design idea like nobody's business - know exactly how I want something to look - but actually making it come to life, well, that's another story. Ben, however, can see the mechanics of how to bring my ideas to fruition - and does so with a keen eye to accuracy and perfection. I have no doubt we could make a mean design team, and hope one day when we're done with our Globetrotting that we can do just that!

So...I followed Jenny's pelmet tutorial to a T, BUT I had several other factors going on:
a) My pelmet looked to be significantly larger (i.e. more cumbersome)
b) I was working with a stripe, rather than a solid fabric (always trickier)
c) Said fabric was rather stiff - as opposed to a pliable linen.

I (well, "we" - using "we" very liberally) cut the foam board down to the requisite measurement. I then used a small piece of it to trace and cut out my design.

We then duct taped the whole thing together (classy, right?) As I mentioned, the thing is large, so we reinforced the center point with another small piece of foam core board - to act as a "spine."

From this point on, there are no more "action" shots. Why? Oh, because I about lost my mind trying to line up, on the vertical that lovely navy striped fabric!
First, it gathered, then it puckered, then my stripes were diagonal rather than vertical. I had almost given up (at least on the stripe) when Ben said "Why don't you just cut it this way?" Arrgghhhh!!! WHY couldn't I figure that out? No matter, it worked.
Oh, lest I forget...there's quilt batting underneath the fabric, too.

Ben installed it without an ounce of impatience (mind you, Mini-me was "helping" the entire time!), and I beamed with delight - I love it!

The curtains are IKEA that I've had for years. I intend to trim them out a bit, but was too anxious to share these pics with you.

And last, but certainly not least, THANK YOU, ladies (and the occasional Gent) for all your sweet comments and compliments on the Chinese Chippendale chairs - you certainly know how to make a girl feel great!