Making Pinch Pleated Draperies

Sewing your own pinch pleated draperies can seem overwhelming. It's not if you use drapery pleating tape and special drapery pleating hooks to make the pinch pleats. Instead of manually pleating and then sewing each pleat, a special strip is sewn at the top of the drapes. It has pre-sewn "pockets" in which you insert the special pleating hooks. The hooks make the pleats. Like magic, your draperies have professional-looking pinch pleats.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fabric for drapes Drapery pleating tape (available at fabric stores) Stiff interfacing Drapery pleating hooks Sewing tools and notions

1. Determine width of drapery panels. Measure width of window to determine the required width of curtains. Take the width of the window and multiply by 1.5, then add 8 inches (for the side hems). Divide this total by 2 to give you the required width of each drapery panel.

2. Determine length of drapery panels. Measure from location of curtain rod to the location of the desired length of your drapes. Add 11 inches to this total, making 8 inches for a double 4- inch hem at the bottom and 3 inches for a 1 ½-inch double hem at the top of the drapes.

3. Prepare desired number of panels to size needed for your windows. Hem your drapery panels using a 1-inch double hem at the sides of each drapery panel. Then sew a 4-inch double hem at the bottom and a 1 ½ inch double hem at the top of each drapery panel.

4. Apply stiff interfacing to the back of the pleating tape. Follow manufacturer's instructions for ironing on the interfacing. Prepare the lengths of pleating tape with interfacing so each is approximately 6 to 8 inches longer than the width of your drapery panels. This will make it easier to center the pleating tape on each panel.

5. Apply pleating tape. At the top on the wrong side of hemmed drapery panels, place the pleating tape so its top edge butts up against the edge of the top hem. Then lay out the pleating tape so there is an equal measurement of space from each edge of the drapery panel to the first pleat "pocket" on the pleating tape. Take care to place the pleating tape so the openings in the pre-sewn pockets for the hooks are toward the bottom of the drapes. Pin in place and then sew to drapes at both top and bottom of pleating tape.

6. Insert pleat-making drapery hooks into the ready-made "pockets" on the pleating tape.

7. Your drapes are now ready to use.

Tips & Warnings

• For fuller drapes, in Step 1 multiply the width of your window by 2 rather than 1.5. Then add 8 inches for the side hems and divide by 2 to arrive at the width for each panel.