How To Hang Drapes Professionally

With so many ORC and room makeovers going on now, one of the main questions I see you all asking is “How To Hang Drapes Professionally”.

  How to hang drapes professionally so they look custom and become a focal point in the room. Hung the right way they can give any room an upscale look. 

 I did a post a while ago on how to do this and thought maybe I would repost it again.  Here it is. – –

 

 

(These Pictures are from my previous home.)

Every time I show the LR or the FR, I get several questions and emails on how I get the drapes to hang so smoothly and all of the pleats to be in line.  Well, I am definitely not a professional, I do make most of my drapes.   Whether they are custom or ready-made, I think hanging them properly makes all the difference.  

All of my drapes are lined which gives them some weight, and I do use fabric with a bit of weight too.  Both of these things help the drapes hold the pleats, but the same idea works well for unlined also. 

The placement and number of rings is a major factor.  Too many or too little and they won’t hang properly.  I’ve made all the drapes out of 54″ wide fabric and using 7 rings is perfect for this width.

 The two end clips are placed in from the side of the panel so the side returns back to the wall and window and there are no gaps.  The rest of the panel is divided so that you place the remaining 5 clips evenly across the panel.  Then I pull the space between the clips forward to form the pleats.

 

 I don’t puddle any of my drapes, I just hem them to barely skim the floor.  I also do a double 3″ or 4″ inch hem so the bottom also has some weight.

 

Next is what I call finger pleating.  I follow the fold of the panel that is pulled forward on the rod down to the hem and use two fingers to gently press them into pleats.  This doesn’t create any sharp edges, it just allows the fabric to naturally follow the line from the top to the bottom.  Just take the index and middle finger and place the fold between them and run up and down the fabric.  Then I tie the drapes with a wide strip of fabric and allow them to hang for a couple of days to set the folds.

That’s it.  They still have a casual feel, but the pleats are all in line with casual folds that hang in a nice flow up and down the window.

 

Hope that answers the questions.  This is just my own method.  Let me know your secrets.