Secrets To Successful Draperies

Drapery panels can drastically change the look of a room. You can use them in
addition to blinds to add color and warmth to a space. They also block out light,
insulate drafty windows and add privacy. However choosing the right draperies
can be overwhelming to shop for. There are hundreds of color and styles to
choose from, not to mention the hardware. I will try to help you narrow it down
by touching on a few subjects.

Ready Made, Semi Custom, And Custom

Draperies can be purchased either ready made, semi custom, or custom. Ready
make are best if you need it up now. There is a large selection and they ship
quickly. They are also the most economically priced. They usually come in
sized to fit most common size windows. Next is semi custom. On semi custom
the width is fixed and the length is made to your measurements, maximum is
about 120 inches. This is a good choice if you have high windows, or if you want
your draperies to puddle (form soft folds on the floor). Lastly, there is custom
draperies that are made to a specific width and length; you can also choose the
header style and fullness.Headers are at the top of the panel that attaches to a
rod.

Headers are available in many styles.

I will talk about some of the most
common here. Pinch pleat comes in 3 styles; standard, goblet, and European.
These are used for draw drapes or stationary panels. Next there is a grommet,
rod pocket and tab top. These are used only on stationary rods.

Choose The Correct Rod

There are different types of drapery rods; traverse, manual, and stationary.
Traverse rods have a pulley system enabling you to open and close the
draperies by pulling on a cord. They come in many different styles. The most
simple traverse rod is plain white and is hidden behind the draperies when
closed. There is also a decorative traverse rod. These are exposed just above
to finish off the top of your drapery. They are usually metal and come in a wide
variety of finishes in both traditional and contemporary styles. Traverse rods are
used with pinch pleat draperies. Manually operated rods offer an alternative to
mounted draperies that need to draw. This type opens and closes by manually
pulling the drapes to the desired position. The last type of drapery rod is
stationary. This type of rod will slide through a rod pocket along the top of the
drapery. Stationary rods can be wood or metal and are on grommet, rod pocket,
or tab top drapes.

Tips For measuring Draperies

When measuring for drapes, check for obstructions. For example, do you have
a low soffit or kitchen counter ending right up to your patio door? Do you plan on
adding a top treatment, valance, or cornice? If not, consider a decorative rod. To
measure your length, measure about 4-5 inches above your opening. Do you
have enough wall space above the panels if your using a decorative rod? When
measuring for width, rule of thumb is add 4 to each side of an opening. For
example, if your window is 80 inches wide, you would order 88 inch panels.
Basically you want your panels to overlap your windows by 4 inches on each
side. A couple of exceptions are; if you want your window to appear bigger or
wider, then add more than 4 inches, or if you want all or most of your glass
exposed when the drapes are drawn open, then add more than 4 inches. This
will allow the panels to stack over wall thus maintaining your view. Just make
sure you have enough wall on both sides of the window for this.
If you order custom drapes, they will come pre-pinned otherwise you must pin
them yourself. If your using a decorative rod, poke the pin in at 1-1/2 inches
from the top. If non-decorative white traverse rod, then make it 1-3/4 to 2 inches
from the top.

Steam Your New Drapes And Then Train Them

Depending on how the drapery is packaged, most likely it will have wrinkles. I
recommend steaming out the wrinkles after the panels are hung. A portable
hand held steamer works well and is what I use. Follow the manufactures
recommendations as some fabric especially silk, cannot be steamed. Lastly,
after you steam, you want to train your fabric to hang nice. Some fabric looks
great out of the package, but most do not. They need a little extra work, but its
worth the results. What you can do is tie the fabric. First cut 3, 4 foot long strips
of plastic about 4 inches wide. Disposable garbage bags work well. Then fan
fold a panel and tie a strip of plastic at the bottom to hold the fan in place. Tie
another strip about 1-1/2 feet above that and one more about 3 to 4 feet above
the bottom. Repeat on all panels. Leave it like this for about 2 weeks. When
you take it off the strips of plastic, the pleats will be nice and uniform.
I hope this sheds a little light on selecting draperies. Good luck and Im sure
your drapes will look beautiful.