How to Pleat Curtain Panels

Curtains give warmth and charisma to every house. They are available in many styles and patterns and in a wide selection of hanging systems. A popular and traditional model is the pleated curtain, although sometimes the fabric pattern that matches your decoration perfectly does not have them. Pleats give a nice effect and are not difficult to make.

1. First: Remember that pleats use fabric too

   Pleats are type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself. This means that to make pleats on a curtain you need to take into account that more fabric is needed to cover the same window space. Fold a piece of paper with the correct shape and size of the pleats you intend to do and carefully measure the difference between the folded and stretched paper. This is how much fabric each pleat needs. Calculate how many pleats your curtain needs and multiply by this length. Add the curtain original width to obtain how much fabric you need.

2. Second: Mark and make the folds

   These instructions are for the most common type of pleat, the accordion pleat, but can easily applied to other less common types, such as knife or organ pleats. With a piece of chalk or a normal pin, mark the center of each pleat along the top of the curtain. Mark also to each side twice the size of the pleat. To make sure everything is well marked, pull both outer marks together and join them over the center of the pleat, carefully dressing the fabric. The pleat is well marked if it folds symmetrically. After all the folds are marked, join them together and secure the folds with pins.

3. Third: Putting it all together

   With a sewing machine, sow the top of the curtain, making sure all the pleats stay in place. Take care on how much material is left for finishing the seam. For less common pleat types, some additional work is needed. Now you just need to hang the curtains.