Can't think of a fabric for the whole valence. You could sew in a band of soft Aida, with a narrow strip of regular cloth below for the hem, & a wider strip above for the rod.

If you like gingham, you could use that and cross stitch the squares. I've used this fabric in chicken scratch embroidery and it looks very pretty.

One thing you could do is make your valance out of a solid color 100% cotton fabric and then using waste canvas do your pattern in the middle. This way you don't have to piece separate pieces of fabric together I have used waste canvas for cross stitching and on different things. The waste canvas is easy to work with and comes out when you are done and all that is left is the stitching. This is just one suggestion.

Texas Stitcher has another good idea. I know my JoAnn Fabrics has iron on transfers. I saw them yesterday when I was in there. They are not very expensive.

Hi there.

There is one on EBAY for $14.95 beside the shipping Good luck.