Cornice Board DIY Sans a Saw or Sewing Machine

Windows are a lot like people – they don’t like to be naked. Curtains are one option to cover them, but sometimes you want something a little fancier. Roman shades are pretty, but require you to take down your blinds, which is no fun. So I like cornice boards. Jenny at Little Green Notebook posted a DIY for easy Pelmut Boxes (which is apparently another word for Cornice Boards), which I’ve modified a little bit to make them easier to hang. The trick is to use foam core board instead of wood – it’s easier to work with and easier to hang. Don’t be intimidated by this DIY – it couldn’t be easier!

You’ll need:

• Foam core board. Try to find the really big pieces that are the width of your window. If you can’t, don’t worry – there’s a fix for that.
• Fabric – you’ll need about a yard per cornice board, but make sure you measure correctly so you have enough.
• Batting
• X-Acto knife
• Ruler or straight edge
• Duct Tape
• Wire
• One washer per cornice board
• Some kind of small hole-puncher (I used a wooden skewer)
• Tape measure
• Trim (if desired)
• Glue gun (if attaching trim)

Step 1: Place your foam core board on a large, flat surface (either a dining room table or the floor), and draw out the size of your cornice board. Measure the width of your window (including any trim), and add three inches on either size. Decide how tall you want your cornice board to be. My window was 40” wide, so with the three inches on either side, my foam core board was 46” wide x 20” high. I drew this out with a Sharpie and cut out both pieces with the X-Acto knife. If your foam core board isn’t big enough, just tape two pieces together with Duct tape.

Step 2: Measure in three inches on either side of the board and draw a line.

Step 3: Using your X-Acto knife, cut about halfway through the board, so that you can bend the sides in. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through (but if you do, you can fix it with duct tape). You want to cut through the top paper layer and the foam so you can fold in the sides, like this:

Step 4: Measure the center of your board, and down about 2-3 inches. Make a hole with something like a kabob skewer. This is how you’re going to hang these.

Step 5: Cut a piece of wire approximately 10” long, bend it in half so that you have about 3.5” you can use to hang your board, and stick the bent end through your washer:

Step 6: Wrap the end pieces of the wire around the washer:

Step 7: Push the bent end of the wire through the hole in your board. The washer keeps the wire in place and sturdy, so you can hang your board on the wall later.

This is what you’ve got so far:

Step 8: Cut your fabric to the size of your board, adding a couple of inches all around. Place your fabric and batting (also cut, just a smidge smaller than your fabric) on the table, and put your board on top of it, with the edges sticking up:

Step 9: If your fabric has a pattern, make sure it’s level so it will be as straight as possible. Begin wrapping your fabric around your board. Start with the sides, and wrap it tightly enough so that your sides are perpendicular to the table. Don’t wrap it too tightly though! Secure with pieces of Duct tape. Repeat on opposite side.

Step 10: Wrap the top and the bottom of your board, pulling taught but not tight – you don’t want the fabric to have a wave in it. Be sure the wire to hang your board doesn’t get covered up with fabric. You can cut a little notch out of your fabric if you need to.

Here’s what you have now! Looks pretty good, but needs some trim. We get to use our glue guns!!

Step 11: Place your trim on your board so it’s even, and use your trusty glue gun to attach it.

Step 12: Hang! All you need to hang this cornice board is a picture hanger or a Hercules hook (my fave). Just figure out how high you want your board, and put your hanger in the wall. Note – you may have to attach a little more wire to your wire hanger if it’s not long enough to hang. Just make a little loop and attach it. Invite your friends over to marvel at your newly-dressed windows!

If you try this project (which you totally should) send me a picture and I'll post for everyone to see!