i'm now going to show you how to make a pinch pleat and goblet balance to work out the fabric required for your balance first we need to multiply the length of the top board including any returns by 2.5 you then need to divide this answer by the width of the fabric to give us the amount of widths that need to be joined always remember to round up to the next whole number the valence step should be 1 6 of the curtain length if you've not got much space above the window you can make it 1 8 but anything less than this and it does look like you've skimped on fabric so when we cut out the widths of fabric you need to cut it out the actual finish drop of the valance plus eight centimeters for turnings so now we're ready to form the pleat so just pinch the center and push it towards the center back once you're happy that the pleats are all equal take some double thread that's knotted off that coordinates with your main fabric and we're just stab stitching just below where the book run finishes so just stitch through and just do four or five stitches and then just knot off on the side and then we need to secure the top of the pleats and to do this just knot your thread off again and then take the center pleat and pinch it together and then we're just catching over the top of the pleat with a couple of stitches and then take the side pleat and push it towards the back of the valance and again you want to do a couple of stitches just over the top and then take your thread over to the other side and then push this one to the back and again secure with a couple more stitches to the back of the balance and then just knot off and then do exactly the same with all the other pleats and there you have your completed pinch pleat balance