Drapery fabrics must suit decor as well as have the right properties for the window treatment's styling, such as draping, ruffling and pleating. Following are some guidelines for choosing among the most popular drapery fabrics.
Go with cotton for strength, easy care and a vast range of patterns, weights and weaves. On the downside, this fabric wrinkles easily and can shrink or stretch; it's also weakened by exposure to sunlight.
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Choose linen for its strength, but be aware that it's not elastic and wrinkles easily. It's also expensive, stiff and shrink-prone unless treated.
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Avoid silk unless you're aware that the tradeoff for using this shiny, luxurious fabric is sun damage (threads rot), water spotting and expense.
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Consider rayon if you need a fabric that drapes well, but note that it will require careful handling because it creases easily and tends to shrink and stretch unless treated to resist those problems.
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Look at acrylic blends, which can provide an appealing wooly texture. Acrylic tends to pill, but this may not be a problem in window treatments because there will be little abrasion in daily use.
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Opt for polyester blends (often used with cotton) for an affordable, crease-resistant choice. It's strong and resists stretching, and it's usually easy to clean - but pure polyesters tend to pill.
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Make an economical choice with acetate, which has a silky look and drapes well. It's weak, though, and easily damaged by the sun, so don't think of it as investment dressing for windows.
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Bypass fiberglass cloths if you're sewing the drapes yourself; they tend to fill hands with splinters. This fabric is strong but brittle, so try to minimize handling of ready-made fiberglass window treatments.
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Choose nylon, often used in sheers, for its durability, washability and reasonable price.
Tips & Warnings
Choose patterned fabrics with care. If there are other patterns in the room, it's usually best to have the window treatment in a solid color or else in a pattern with a very different scale (for example, a big or medium stripe to go with a petite floral in the room).
Crisp fabrics lend themselves to treatments such as cafe curtains and pleated styles, while more pliable fabrics usually drape well in uses such as swags. If in doubt, experiment in the store by folding or draping the fabric in the direction you will use it; if you're still in doubt, then buy a sample of about a yard and stitch a mock-up with any chosen lining and interfacing (if these fabrics are to be part of the final window treatment).
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