Grommet Curtains

First, let’s clear up the nomenclature. Curtains are known by many names, some are actually a distinction and some refer to the same thing. These names include: curtains, drapes, drapery, draperies, drapery panels and curtain panels. I think there’s even some confusion amongst the so-called experts and if you asked the average person what the difference is between curtains and drapes, I bet you they wouldn’t know. Aren’t they all the same? Apparently not.

Curtains and curtain panels are the same thing. According to Better Homes and Gardens, “curtains are generally lightweight, unlined and suspended from a rod by simple tabs, rings or rod-pocket casing.” A rod-pocket casing is simply a sewn flap at the top of the curtain where you push the rod through to hang. Curtains are decorative and casual and easy to make yourself, if you were so inclined. Imagine, a country home with sheer curtains pulled back, a typical way to utilize them. They don’t do much for light control but add warmth and color to a room. Lastly, curtains panels can be floor-length or just long enough to cover the window casing. If you add a lining to curtain panels, you start approaching the look of drapery panels.

Draperies, drapes and drapery panels are the same things and are typically lined and floor length and again, according to Better Homes and Gardens, “…often attach by hooks to a traverse rod. A cord mechanism that hangs behind either the left or right panel draws both of the panels open and closed.” Here we’ve moved into a more formal, mechanized window covering, as opposed to curtains which you would open and close by hand. Drapes are typically pleated, though not always and offer a much fuller, richer look. This also affects how much room they take up when fully opened. The term for this is, “stackback.” The way to understand stackback is to imagine the amount of space, or width that all this fabric takes up at opposite ends of your window when fully opened. So, if your window or sliding glass doors (which require more fabric) have minimal wall space around it, you may want to consider curtain panels which take up less room.

As for fabrics, both for curtains and drapes, the choices are many and varied. You can dress-up your window for a more formal look with fabrics like silk dupioni, velvet, faux dupioni or, you can dress-down with linen and cotton. Most of these fabrics can also come with textures if you desire that look.

In the realm of color choices, the sky’s the limit. There are solid colors, prints, plaids, stripes, sheer fabrics and more. So, when it comes to interior decorating, drapes and curtains are one of the most versatile window treatment choices available.

When it comes to drapes there are still a few more options available that will affect the appearance. These are French pleats, also known as pinch pleats which is the traditional look for drapes with a three-finger grouping of fabric that is pinched a few inches below the top of the drape. Then there is the inverted pleat option where the pleats come together at the top of the drape instead of flare-out like the French pleat. Grommet style drapes come with built in rings, or grommets which are sewn into the fabric at the top of the drape. With these you can just weave the rod through to hang. Lastly, there’s the rod pocket style. These drapes have a pocket sewn into the top of the drape that receives the traverse rod.

So, when it comes to window coverings, specifically curtains and drapes, there is a difference. I hope this helps. – David Brooks

Sewing window treatments is an excellent way to express your creativity. You can add elegant decorations to your home with these treatments. If you do not know to sew, you can create no sewing window treatments.

You need to consider some important things before starting the sewing window treatments. First, you need to select a design that fits your tastes and skills. Then, you need to consider the type of window, which requires the specialty treatments. For instance, if you have a traditional window, it is not advisable to select a contemporary sewing pattern. In turn, if your window is an arched or sunburst type, you can choose a trendy pattern. There are some sewing patterns, which suit all types of windows. You can select them to avoid any complications.

If you want to provide specialty treatment to an arched window, then you can use the basic sewing pattern for rectangular arrangements. Then you can use the suitable sewing pattern for arch. You can start sewing horizontally from the point at which the arch begins. This is the easiest way to provide sewing treatment to arched windows. You can put the beautiful glassworks in the arch on view with the help of sewing treatment.

There is yet another window treatment option. You can simply hide the arch in the windows. For instance, if you have an arch window and several rectangular windows, you can select a common sewing pattern for all. You can even create continuity among all the windows. You can hide the arch design and provide a regular sewing treatment to the arched windows. You can select the second method, if you do not have great skills in sewing. You can easily revamp the windows by using a simple sewing pattern.

No sewing window treatments:

If you do not have any experience in sewing, then you can use the no sewing window treatment options. They can be used to decorate even specialty windows like sunburst window or arched window.

Drapery clips are the easiest tools required to make no sewing window treatments. They are available in numerous styles and colors. You can select anyone, which matches your design. You can hang on a drapery rod and clips so that you can attach the material without any difficulty.

While selecting no-sewing window treatment method, you need to consider some criteria. You need to give sufficient time to secure the edges of the window treatment material. You can use either iron-on or stick-on edging, which can be found at the notions section in the stores of material suppliers. You can open the edging and tuck the edge of the treatment material inside easily. Then you can fold it over the sides.

There are some other no-sewing treatment options, which include tying the fabric or using the strips of fabric to the curtain rod. You can use grommets, which are metal rings used to secure the edges of the cut fabrics. It is advisable to practice the window treatment processes in scrap and then start working in the original material.

Adam Peters writes for http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com Learn more about window treatment patterns and sewing window treatments at http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com/0606sewing-window-treatments.html

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 they 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.

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 ship quickly. They are alto 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 make 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.

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 puling 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. 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. 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 I’m sure your drapes will look beautiful.

Robert Ikhtiari is the purveyor of “bobtheblindguy.com: A Window Treatment Blog” at which he discusses all things Window Treatments, including; tips and advice. Visit him today at http://www.bobtheblindguy.com.