Pleated Curtains

I was finally able to work on my sister's curtains this past weekend. Here is the fun and whimsical fabric she picked out.

What was difficult was deciding upon what kind of curtains to make. The least expensive type of curtain to make is the one you slip the rod right through. We wanted a more formal look since the curtains were for the dining and living room so we decided to not go this route.

The next option were using rings. It was okay, but we wanted to take the curtains up a notch by adding pleats.

The finished product would be pleated curtains.

They are my favorite kind of curtain to have, but my least favorite to make because they take longer and cost more. Here is how we made them. Measure your window. The final measurement was 102." Therefore, we cut the lining 106" to have a three inch hem on the bottom and a one inch hem on the top.

Start by hemming the lining 3 inches.

Pin and Sew.

Cut the fabric one inch longer as your lining will be 1 inch shorter on the inside. Therefore, we measured out 107". Hem 3 inches up from the bottom once again.

Pin the lining to the fabric (right sides together). You will want the lining to be at least an inch shorter in width than the fabric. Our fabric was 54 inches while our lining was 50 inches in width. This assures you will not see the lining once it is hung. It gives it a more finished look.

Once sewn together, flip right side out.

Do you see how the fabric has a once inch overage all around the curtain?

Next, it is time to make the pleats. There are two types of pleating tapes you can buy. You can purchase the string pull or the pleating hooks type. I wanted the string pull, but unfortunately, they were sold out. Therefore, my sister went ahead and purchased the pleating hooks tape which will require an additional purchase of pleating hooks.

Fold down the top of the curtains to finished size and place the pleating tape on top of the folded fabric. MAKE sure the tape is positioned so that the opening of the grooves are on the bottom. If you sew it upside down, the hooks will not be able to be slid through and you will have to redo it.

There are sewing guides on the tape so that you do not sew into the grooves. Once sewn, now is the time to iron everything down. This will give it the finished look. Afterward, slide the prongs of the hooks into the opening of the pleating tape.

Pull them through to make the pleats.

Evenly space the hooks along the width of the curtains.

You are now done. You can either use the pleating hooks to hang the curtains or attach decorator rings to the curtains at the pleats to hang.

Here is the finished look.

I love how it turned out. It goes beautifully with the gray walls and couch.



Let's look at the before picture.



Now the after picture.

Still not quite finished, but slowly coming along.