Some of ours, the "bobbin" that holds the bottom of the strings attaches to the valance. These, it's easier to remove the entire valence, set it on the table, and work it there.
Others, the "bobbin" screws into the wall. Those, it is often easier to detach the shade from inside the valence.
And I'm at 5:1 for simply broken bobbins. If you catch em before the string disappears, that's an easy fix. And even if you have to pull the shade to sestring it, the couple inches you might lose to a broken bobbin isn't a deal breaker. Get a new bobbin, tie on the existing string, and rock on.
