Thursday, December 5, 2013

Making WAVE curtains adapting pleated headed tape ...


I've recently been adapting woven pocket-pleat heading tape for making a pair of 'wave curtains' (see my Stitcherydoodaa blog for details). Conventionally, this is the sort of tape you find on a pair of readymade curtains (image at left) where you pull the heading cords up & immediately a row of 'pencil' pleats' appears across the top of the curtain. Hooks are then placed in any of the pockets to hang the curtains - minor adjustments made to curtain length by varying the position of the hooks in either the upper, middle or lower hook-pocket rows.

Here's my results:


Prepare the curtains as per normal or buy ready-mades - total width of curtains a matter of personal choice but at least a minimum of the pole. If using pencil-pleated tape, ensure the tape's edge is stitched as close as possible to the top of the curtain & just fold under the ends of the tape at either edge as the cords will not be pulled up. The lower edge of the tape should also be stitched down so that the heading tape will now only be a stiffening/support.


Using a total even number of hooks (basic metal ones) per curtain, equally space them across the upper edge pockets of the heading - this will ultimately produce the 'wave' fold when the hooks are in the rings (see image right).



To complete the 'wave' effect, please refer to the instructions detailed in 'Dressing a Window' (click to read it).