One of the biggest complaints both Kathy and I have about RVs in general is that the design – especially on the inside – is usually out of date.
Our Winnebago is actually pretty modern looking in most respects, however the window valances that cover our shades are upholstered with a dark geometric patterned fabric that’s straight out of 1975.
After looking at the Valances for the past year, we finally decided it was time to do something about them. I took one of the valances down, took it apart, and after looking at how it was put together started re-upholstering them one by one.
I made a video to show you how I did this:
Things that I left out of the video
The silk fabric that we’re using was taken from drapes that used to hang in our (houses) windows. Instead of throwing them away or donating them we are reusing them. The fabric is silk, so a bit thinner than ideal, but I’m just using them for the strip at the bottom so they should be fine (I hope!).
The linen fabric was originally purchased at Joann Fabric and Crafts. They had the fabric listed for $25/yard, but they have coupons on their website that will save you 40% – 50% off your order, so we only paid $12.50/yard.
We weren’t able to get enough of the linen fabric from Joann to complete the job, so I took down the fabric info and found it online at FabricGuru.com.
Alternatively we could have ordered it through Joann, but they couldn’t tell us when we’d get the fabric (or much of anything really), so buying it online seemed like a better choice.
FabricGuru.com delivered big time too! I received my order in just a few days and was able to buy the matching fabric (exactly the same stuff) for less than $12/yard – so even cheaper than buying it at Joann with a 50% off coupon!
Recommended Gear
This project requires fabric and a staple gun – plus short staples. Long staples will go right through to the other side – so make sure to use short (1/4″) staples.
How Does It Look Now?
You can see the results in our video that shows the updated interior Here:
Short version – we’re both very happy with the Valances!
If you own an RV and would like to re-do your valances I recommend giving it a try. No sewing is required, and if you can pull fabric and use a staple gun then you can reupholster.
If you’d like your valances redone but don’t want to touch them yourself you can hire a professional of course, but you will likely pay hundreds or even thousands to have them redone professionally. This is why I decided to do them myself and so far I’m very happy with the results.
I hope you found this useful or at least informative! Until next time, happy travels.
