How to Decide Curtains Length. Three Steps to Make or Buy the Curtains You Want

How to tailor or shop for the curtains that look best at your window? Establishing the dimensions is quite simple, so just make up your mind regarding the fabric and print and you’ll have them hanging at your window in no time. We’ll tell you how to decide curtains length and moreover the width you need for the gather you want. 

 

How to decide curtains length. Fix up the support first

You should select and fit your track or pole (or curtain wire for nets), before taking any measurements for the length of your curtains. (You may not always be able to fit your track or pole, the exact height you would like. e.g. when trying to drill into a concrete lintel).

Decide how far your curtains will over-hang the wall, each side of the window. This would normally be around 20 cm (8 inches) each side and enables the curtains to open wider, allowing more daylight to enter the room.

How to decide curtains length. The 3 options

Before we can measure for curtains length, we need to decide whether our curtains will fall to the sill, below the sill or to the floor.

Sill length curtains usually finish 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) above the sill.

Curtains that fall below the sill usually finish 15 cm (6 inches) below. This, of course, can be adjusted for personal preference.

For floor length curtains you should allow 1 inch (2.5 cm) clearance to avoid dragging.

How to decide curtains width for just the look you want

When you measure for curtains width, it is important to consider the gather.

To have curtains with a medium gather when closed, we take our track/pole measurement, multiply it by 1.5 then divide by 2. The result is the required width of each curtain.

For curtains with full/normal gather when closed, pole measurement would be the required width of each curtain.

If you desire a heavy gather, multiply measurement by 2.5 then divide by 2. Again, the result is the required width of each curtain.

Credits: wereinstitches.co.uk

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