How to Sew Lined Drapery Panels
When you make lined drapery panels, you'll protect your drapes from the damaging effects of sunlight and present a uniform appearance from outside the house. You'll need to take careful measurements, especially when calculating the number of pleats to make, but the sewing isn't difficult, since you'll be making straight seams.
Things You'll Need
- Drapery fabric
- Lining fabric or sheets
- Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
- Quilter's pencil or tailor's chalk
- Pleat tape
- Thread
- Sewing machine
Instructions
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Getting Started
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1
Measure the length of the window. Drapes are usually sill-length or floor-length, so measure from the top of the rod to the bottom of the sill or to the floor. Add 11 inches for top and bottom hems for the drapes and 5 inches for bottom hems for the lining.
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2
Measure the width of the window and multiply it by two for fullness. Add 2 inches for each panel for the side hems.
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3
Calculate the fabric yardage you'll need. Divide the length measurement by 36 inches to arrive at the number of yards in the length. Multiply the number of yards by the number of panels you'll be making.
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4
Purchase drapery fabric and lining fabric. Medium-weight fabrics such as twill and damask work well for drapes. Muslin or other cottons are good lining choices. You can also use bed sheets.
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5
Purchase pleat tape. There are several types, including standard pleat tape and deep pleat tape. After you sew standard pleat tape to the drapery panel, you pull strings at one end to make the pleats. After you sew deep pleat tape to the panel, you make the pleats by inserting drapery hooks into openings in the tape.
Sewing the Drapes
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6
Preshrink your fabric and lining material if they're machine washable. Wash and dry them according to manufacturer's directions, and iron them to remove wrinkles
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7
Cut the drapery and lining fabrics according to your measurements. If you don't have a large table, lay your fabric on the floor for cutting.
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8
Sew the bottom hems on the drapery panels and lining. Press under 1 inch, then press under 4 inches and stitch.
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9
Lay each drapery panel wrong-side up and place a lining on top of it, positioning the bottom of the lining 1/2 inch above the bottom of the drape. Make the side hems by holding both fabrics together and turning them under 1/2 inch and pressing, then turning them under 1/2 inch again and pressing. Pin the side hems in place and stitch.
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10
Make the top hem by pressing under 1 inch of the drapery fabric, then folding over 5 inches. Measure 1/2 inch from the top of the lining and mark a line across the width of the lining. Pin the pressed edge of the drapery fabric along that line and sew it in place.
Making the Pleats
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11
Sew the pleat tape along the tops of the drapery panels on the wrong side.
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12
Determine how many pleats you'll need to make. Make a mark 5 inches in from each side of the drape. This is to allow for the return (the curved part of the rod) or the overlap (where the drapes meet in the middle of the rod). Measure the distance between the marks. Allow 5 inches for gathering each pleat. Decide how far apart you'll space the pleats and add that number to the 5 inches to arrive at a total pleat measurement. Divide that pleat measurement into the distance between the marks to determine how many pleats to make. If you can't divide it evenly, add or subtract from the distance between the pleats.
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13
Make the pleats using standard pleat tape. Knot the strings at one end to prevent them from slipping through the openings. Pull the strings at the other end to form gathers. Push the gathers along the fabric until you reach the first pleat position. When you have three gathers, tack them together on your sewing machine to form a pleat. Repeat for the remainder of the pleats.
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14
Make the pleats using deep pleat tape. Place a four-pronged drapery hook into three openings in the tape (the fourth prong goes into the rod). Use consecutive openings, or skip openings between prongs according to your measurements, to make the desired number of pleats.
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