RSlTV Of 
 CULTURE 
 
 
DRAPERIES 
 
 MAKE YOUR OWN 
 
ARE DRAPERIES ON THE AGENDA for your next 
 home furnishings project? By making your 
 own, you can save money and enjoy a sense of ac- 
 complishment. This booklet will help you sew drap- 
 eries with a custom-made look in any color, texture, 
 and design you choose. 
 
 SEWING PREPARATIONS 
 
 Select the appropriate thread and sewing machine 
 needles for the fabric you choose. The thread should 
 be about the same color and weight as the drapery 
 fabric: for cotton or linen draperies, use mercerized 
 thread; for synthetic fabrics, use synthetic thread. 
 If you use mercerized thread, use a number 14 
 needle; for synthetic thread, a number 11 needle is 
 recommended. 
 
 Cut a small swatch of the drapery fabric and test 
 your sewing machine's stitch and tension. If your 
 drapery fabric is sheer, set your machine for 12 to 
 
 . ceiling 
 
 between ceiling 
 and window frame 
 
 top of 
 window 
 
 15 stitches per inch; for medium-weight fabrics, 10 
 to 12 stitches per inch will give good results. For all 
 stitching on draperies use a loose tension to avoid 
 puckers on seams and hemlines. 
 
 Measuring Length and Width 
 
 The length of your draperies is a matter of per- 
 sonal taste, as there are several generally accepted 
 lengths. In casual decorating, draperies may go 
 down to the sill or to the apron ; more formal drap- 
 eries go to the floor. Also, draperies may be hung 
 from any of a number of places — from the top of 
 the window frame, at ceiling height, or from any 
 point on the wall between the ceiling and the window 
 frame ( see Fig. 1 ) . 
 
 The width of the draperies depends on how much 
 window you want exposed when the draperies are 
 open and how much wall you want to cover at the 
 sides of the window. For maximum exposure of the 
 window, select a drapery rod that extends beyond 
 the sides of the window frame. 
 
 When you have decided what the dimensions of 
 your draperies will be, go ahead and put your drap- 
 ery rods in place so that your fabric measurements 
 can be made at the window. Make the measure- 
 ments with a steel tape; a cloth tape measure may 
 stretch or sag, giving inaccurate measurements. 
 
 A commonly used drapery rod is the traverse 
 drapery rod, which is designed with a return (the 
 part of the rod from the corner to the wall) and a 
 center front overlap (see Fig. 2). It is easy to use 
 
 A overlap 
 
 B 
 
 | return 
 
 apron 
 
 C 
 
 traverse rod 
 
 Figure 2 
 
 floor 
 
 Figure 1 
 
 this kind of rod to measure the width of your drap- 
 eries. Measure from A to B and from B to C. Add- 
 ing these two measurements gives the width of one 
 drapery; double this figure to get the width for a 
 pair. 
 
 This circular was prepared by CLARA DODSON, Extension Specialist in Home Furnishings, Depart- 
 ment of Home Economics. 
 

 >X 
 
 Calculating Yardage 
 
 Width. Suppose the rod measurements from A 
 to l'> and from l'> to C total 35 inches. If you make 
 the draperies with pinch pleats, as described in this 
 publication, the width for each draper}' must be 
 doubled (to 7<> inches ). If the fabric yon choose 
 is not wide enough, a side piece must be added. So, 
 allow 4 more inches for two side hems and 1 inch 
 for a side piece seam. The total width of fabric 
 needed for one drapery is thus 70 + 4 + 1 = 75 
 inches (see Fig. 3). 
 
 75' 
 
 +' 
 
 V2 
 
 V 
 
 22l/o" 
 
 h width 
 
 1/2 
 
 ^ 
 
 47 "/ 2 " 
 
 1 width 
 
 1 1/2 widths drapery fabric 
 Figure 3 
 
 Suppose the fabric you select is 50 inches wide. 
 Then each drapery will take V/2 fabric widths 
 (75 -f- 50 = li/2 ), and a pair of draperies will take 
 3 widths of fabric. You may need more or less than 
 an extra half-width per drapery, depending on fabric 
 width and drapery measurements. The side pieces 
 (half-widths) should be placed at the outer edges 
 of the windows (see Fig. 4) so that the seams will 
 be less conspicuous when the draperies are closed. 
 
 Purchase lining material the same width as the 
 draper}' material so that the lining seams will match 
 the seams in the draperies. 
 
 Length. The length of material to purchase de- 
 pends on whether yon are making lined or unlined 
 draperies (see Fig. 5). Unlined draperies have a 
 double 4-inch top hem, 1 inch extending above the 
 rod, and a double 4-inch bottom hem. To the desired 
 draper}- length, therefore, add 17 (4 + 4+1 + 
 
 Figure 4 
 
 4 — 4) inches. If the measured length is 67 inches, 
 for example, you should buy 84 (67 + 17) inches 
 of material for each width of fabric needed. If 3 
 fabric widths are needed, your total purchase would 
 be 3 X 84 = 252 inches (7 yards) of fabric for a 
 pair of draperies. 
 
 Lined draperies have only a single 4-inch hem at 
 the top, backed by lining. For lined 67-inch drap- 
 eries, therefore, purchase 67 1+1 1 --4 = 
 
 80 inches of fabric per fabric width needed. The 
 lining does not have the double 4-inch bottom hem, 
 so purchase lining material equal to the measured 
 drapery length -4-1 inches (in this case, 
 67 - - 5 =^ 72 ) per fabric width needed. 
 
 UNLINED DRAPERIES 
 
 Unlined draperies are practical and economical 
 and take less time to make than lined draperies. Un- 
 lined draperies are also popular because daylight 
 enhances the beauty of many of the modern tex- 
 tured fabrics. 
 
 Cutting the Drapery Fabric 
 
 Cutting a drapery fabric is easier and more ac- 
 curate when it is placed Mat on a table. To insure 
 correct cuts and proper hanging, start with a true 
 crosswise grain. Pull a thread to mark the grain 
 line, then cut along the line of the pulled thread. 
 Measure fabric length from this cut, being sure to 
 include allowances for hems and heading, and cut 
 the desired length, keeping square with the first cut. 
 
 If your fabric has a distinct design that repeats 
 itself at intervals, you may have to cut into one of 
 the designs. A partial design will appear less con- 
 spicuous at the bottom of the drapery (compare 
 
c 
 
 o_ 
 o 
 
 -a 
 
 I/) 
 
 for 
 
 unlined 
 
 draperies 
 
 17" total additional 
 material for hem 
 
 4" 
 
 r 
 
 O) 
 
 c 
 
 o_ 
 o 
 
 "O 
 
 </) 
 
 'c 
 
 for 
 
 lined 
 
 draperies 
 
 13" total additional 5 "total additional 
 
 Figure 5 
 
 B 
 
 Figure 6 
 
 Figures 6A and 6B) ; also, furniture may be placed 
 so as to disguise an incomplete pattern at the bottom 
 of a drapery. Keep in mind, however, that for the 
 finished drapery to look like 6B, you will have to cut 
 extra material for hems, as in 6C. Thus, for unlined 
 draperies, after you decide what part of the design 
 you want on the finished drapery, you will cut a 
 piece of drapery fabric that starts 9 inches above 
 the design you wish and ends 8 inches below. 
 
 To cut other drapery lengths, lay the first length 
 on top of the uncut fabric and pin in place before 
 cutting. This is the time to match any patterns. Re- 
 move or clip selvages so that seams will not pucker. 
 
 Cut the side pieces, if necessary, and sew to the 
 full width of drapery fabric as in Figure 4; press 
 the seams open. 
 
Hems 
 
 Make the bottom hem of the drapery first. Turn 
 up 8 inches and press the fold line with a warm iron. 
 Turn under 4 of the 8 inches to the pressed crease 
 (see Fig. 7). Pin the double 4-inch hem, being care- 
 
 Figure 7 
 
 ful not to stretch the edge. Blind stitch the hem by 
 sliding the needle about Vi inch through the folded 
 hem and picking up a few threads of the fabric on 
 the right side of the drapery. Keep the threads 
 loose. Examine the front of the drapery periodically 
 to see that no stitches show and the hemline lies flat 
 with no puckers. 
 
 To make the top hem, cut a strip of 4-inch drap- 
 ery Pelon or buckram long enough to reach within 
 V\ inch of the sides. Place the drapery fabric wrong 
 side up and pin the stiffening on top (see Fig. 8). 
 Fold this stiffened hem down twice for a double 4- 
 inch hem. Press carefully, but do not stitch — pinch 
 pleats will hold the top hem in place. 
 
 E 
 
 
 double bottom hem 
 
 E 
 
 0) 
 
 Figure 9 
 
 Pinch Pleats 
 
 At this point the drapery in our example is 70 
 inches wide (after sewing the side hems and side 
 piece seam) to be pleated down to 35 inches. Com- 
 mercially made custom draperies commonly use a 
 4-inch spacing between pleats in the drapery head- 
 ing. This spacing is only approximate, of course, be- 
 cause of different window widths. 
 
 Measuring. Instead of relying on your skill with 
 a tape measure to determine exactly even spacings, 
 you can easily construct an effective clastic measure. 
 Evenly spaced pleats and spaces are marked on a 
 strip of elastic; when the elastic is stretched, the 
 marks will still be evenly spaced. Used, narrow 
 elastic, about }4 inch wide, has more stretch than 
 new, wide elastic. 
 
 Use a strip of elastic about half as long as the 
 drapery is wide (you can fold the drapery in half 
 to measure this). Mark the elastic with a pen or 
 pencil every 2 inches ; then, mark S and P alter- 
 nately (for Space and Pleat) in each 2-inch interval 
 (see Fig. 10). Begin and end with S since there are 
 
 crinoline 
 
 wrong side 
 
 fv 
 
 Figure 8 
 
 The side hems are \ l /2 inches wide when finished. 
 Pin under 2 inches on each side and press with a 
 warm iron. Remove the pins and fold under Vi inch 
 toward the crease. These hems will fold over the 
 bottom hem (see Fig. 9) and over the top hem with 
 stiffening. Machine or hand stitch the side hems. 
 
 SPSPSPSPS 
 
 Figure lO 
 
 no pleats on the return and overlap. This means you 
 may have to add or cut off some elastic. For ex- 
 ample, for a 70-inch wide drapery, a 35-inch strip 
 of elastic will have 17 intervals with 1 inch left 
 over. To end with an S, cut off the extra inch. What 
 is important is not the exact width of the spacings 
 when the elastic is stretched but the fact that the 
 spacings will be even. 
 
 Now you are ready to use the elastic to determine 
 the spacing on the drapery. You will need two 
 
people to help you. Lay the drapery on a table, right 
 side up. Have one helper place one end of the elastic 
 exactly at the edge of the drapery's side hem and 
 hold firmly. Now stretch the elastic so that the other 
 end is at the exact edge of the other side hem. The 
 2-inch S and P spaces now stretch to about 4 inches, 
 with each space and each pleat all the same width. 
 Have your helpers hold both ends of the elastic 
 while you put a pin through the top hem of the 
 drapery to mark each space and pleat. The spaces 
 and pleats may be slightly more or less than 4 inches 
 wide but all will be equal. 
 
 Sewing. With the drapery right side up on a 
 table, pin each marked pleat like a tuck (see Fig. 
 11). Be sure to start and end with spaces for the 
 
 Figure 13 
 
 I 
 
 ^ 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 R^ 
 
 1^ 
 
 Figure 14 
 
 Figure 11 
 
 return and overlap. Beginning V2 inch from the top 
 of the drapery, backstitch to the top of the pleat, 
 then sew the length of the stiffened hem and back- 
 stitch again (see Fig. 12). Repeat for each pleat. 
 
 V2" C < 
 
 IL 
 
 H 
 
 \. 
 
 A X 
 V u 
 
 Figure 12 
 
 Now pull out each pleat and push back to form 
 three small pleats (see Fig. 13). Pin the fronts of 
 these three pleats together. With the zipper foot 
 attachment on your sewing machine sew from just 
 below the stiffened hem to the pinned folds and back 
 to the seam line again (see Fig. 14). This way, no 
 cut threads show on the front edges of the folded 
 pleats. 
 
 LINED DRAPERIES 
 
 There are good reasons for lining draperies. The 
 lining protects the drapery fabric from getting soiled 
 and from fading in the sun. Moreover, a lining can 
 give the outside of your home a uniform appear- 
 ance. When choosing lining, keep your home's ex- 
 terior in mind and select a fabric that will blend with 
 it. Standard off-white or light beige polished cotton 
 lining is usually available wherever drapery fabric 
 is sold. 
 
 The fabrics for lined draperies can be as heavy or 
 light as you like. You should not line fiber glass, 
 however, or any open-mesh textured fabric designed 
 to let daylight show through. 
 
 Measure length and width as discussed earlier. 
 Cut off the selvages of the drapery and of the lining 
 fabric. Pin and machine stitch a half -inch seam to 
 join the full width of the drapery to the side piece, 
 if necessary. Do the same for the lining. Press the 
 seams open. 
 
 To make the bottom hem for the drapery fabric, 
 turn up the double 4 inches and blind stitch as de- 
 scribed in making unlined draperies. To hem the 
 bottom of the lining, turn up 2 inches and press. 
 Turn under V\ inch, machine stitch the hem, and 
 press. The lining will be 2 inches shorter than the 
 finished drapery length. 
 
Joining the Drapery to the Lining 
 
 Place the drapery right side up on a table. Put 
 the lining wrong side up on top of the drapery. Pin 
 together the drapery and lining seams that were 
 used to join the full width of fabric to the side 
 piece (see Fig. 15). Match the tops of the bottom 
 hems of the drapery and the lining (A and B in 
 Fig. 16 should he aligned). 
 
 Figure 15 
 
 
 
 drapery 
 fabric 
 
 double 
 4-inch hem 
 
 ^- 
 
 lining 
 
 single 
 2- inch hem 
 
 .___^ 
 
 
 B 
 
 Pin hack 2 inches of drapery material on each 
 >ide, U/z inches for the side hem pins Vz inch for 
 the seam that will join the lining to the drapery. 
 Smooth the lining out from the pinned seams 
 toward the side hems of the drapery and pin the Vz- 
 inch seams together. The lining will now he too 
 wide, so cut off the excess lining on each side hem. 
 Machine stitch both sides. This will make a tube 
 (see Fig. 17). When stitching lining to a heavy 
 fabric, be sure the heavier fabric is underneath as 
 you feed the two through the sewing machine. This 
 prevents puckered seams. 
 
 Figure 16 
 
 Figure 17 
 
 Keeping right sides together, pin the top edge of 
 the drapery to the top edge of the lining. Cut a strip 
 of drapery Pelon or buckram 4 inches wide and 
 long enough to reach within one-eighth inch from 
 the side hems. Pin this stiffening on top of the 
 pinned top edge of drapery and lining. Machine 
 stitch through drapery fabric, lining, and stiffening 
 along the bottom edge of the 4-inch strip. Remove 
 pins and turn the drapery right side out; the 
 stiffened hem, drapery, and lining will be inside. Do 
 not sew a hemline on the outside of the drapery be- 
 cause the pinch pleats will hold this line in place. 
 The drapery now looks something like a pillow case. 
 
 Turn the drapery right side out and carefully 
 press the top hem. Lay the drapery flat on a table 
 to mark spaces and pleats for a pinch pleat heading. 
 Measure and sew the pleats using the same method 
 as for unlined draperies. 
 
Instead of simply fastening the side hems at the 
 bottom of the draperies, turn under a corner of the 
 side hem and stitch as shown in Figure 18. This 
 holds the lining and drapery firmly together and 
 makes sharp edge lines on the sides of the draperies. 
 
 / drapery hem 
 
 +-1-I- 
 
 lining hem 
 
 7 
 
 Figure 18 
 
 HANGING DRAPERIES 
 
 Hanging your draperies requires special care, 
 whether they are lined or unlined. First decide on 
 the type of drapery hook to use. The slip-in type 
 goes into the fold of each pleat. The pin-on type 
 can be pinned into the drapery heading at each pleat 
 1 inch above the upper hemline. The sew-on hook 
 is used if you don't want to pin into the fabric. The 
 slip-in and pin-on types come out easily for clean- 
 ing; the sew-on hooks are more permanent. 
 
 Once you hang your drapes on the drapery rods, 
 finger-press the folds, starting at the top, and finger- 
 
 pleat down the drapery for a foot or so. Tie loosely 
 with a tape or a torn strip of cloth. Do not use 
 thread or twine, as they might leave a mark where 
 a flat piece of tape will not. Continue pleating down- 
 ward and tie at intervals (see Fig. 19). Leave the 
 tape tied for two or three days, then untie it. Your 
 draperies will have conformed perfectly to your soft 
 finger-pressed folds. 
 
 ffffff] 
 
 -- --*g 
 
 -IS 
 
 Figure 19 
 
 Urbana, Illinois 
 
 March, 1971 
 
 Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 
 JOHN B. CLAAR, Director, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 
 
 10M— 3-71— 16879 
 

 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 3 0112 018397254