Finishing a valance top

I had a busy day today - I decided this morning that I needed to add a finishing panel to the top edge of the valance I mounted on a board yesterday, and it made such a difference.  I know these pictures are not the best, but you can see what I mean.  This picture is of the top of the valance originally.  I use a staple gun to permanently attach the completed valance to a 1 x 4 board which will be mounted over the window with angle brackets.

This was a fine finish, the top doesn't show at all and it is perfectly functional.  It just kind of bugged me because it looked a little messy.  After thinking about it during the night, I decided to make a strip of the fabric I used for the front, press down the edges and staple it to the top of the board.  What a difference!  It just makes for a much more professional and clean looking finish.  Even if no one sees it but me, it makes me happy to know how well-finished it looks.  It just takes it up a notch, if you know what I mean.  It made me feel good about sending it off!

Oh - in case you want to see more of this valance:

The fabric is a dark blue linen with embroidered flowers.  Really pretty, and I think it will look terrific hanging.  It is 115 inches wide - just about as big as my sewing room!  It was interesting to try to maneuver this thing, and I ended up taking it into my dining room for the final assembly.

It got me to thinking about how often it is tempting to not take that little extra step to make your project be the best it can be.  Like when you get a seam that twists.  Do you leave it and just press it as is or do you take the time to rip out a few stitches and flip the seam where it belongs?  I an usually tempted to leave it as is - and sometimes I do just that, but I always feel a bit better when I take the time to do it right.  I hope I can remember this more often, and take those few extra seconds to make all of my work be the best it can be.